Alien: Earth Has Officially Set A Fandom-Splitting Franchise Record

Published Sep 8, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones. You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep." Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant. Alien: Earth's new spin on the Alien franchise lore has worked in the show's favor, setting a surprising and impressive record that has further polarized the fandom. It was hard to top the horror of Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece, which introduced the Xenomorph and chestburster, but James Cameron's sequel is one of the few sci-fi sequels that surpasses the original movie, showing a new side to Sigourney Weaver's iconic Ellen Ripley and introducing the themes of motherhood and body violation that would come to define the franchise in later years. Despite trying to replicate the success of the first two movies, none of the recent movies in the Alien franchise have come close, and the idea that a TV show could be the next step was met with some skepticism. However, while Alien: Earth has made some major changes to Alien canon and presented androids, the franchise's traditional villains, as the protagonists, the show has been a critical success. While Rotten Tomatoes audiences have given Alien: Earth a 65% positive rating, the response from critics has been unprecedented. Rotten Tomatoes Critics Rate Alien: Earth As The Best Entry In The Entire Alien Franchise Alien and Aliens both have a 93% positive Rotten Tomatoes score from critics, who have praised virtually everything about the movies, from the storyline and aesthetics to Sigourney Weaver's career-defining performance as Ellen Ripley. The movies made both actor and character into sci-fi legends, with Ripley being one of the most universally-beloved sci-fi characters of all time, and despite competent performances from later actors, many have felt that the Alien franchise should have ended with Weaver's departure. However, Rotten Tomatoes critics have given Alien: Earth a 94% positive rating, beating the first two movies. How Alien: Earth compares to the first two movies in the Alien franchise Title Year Rotten Tomatoes critics' rating Rotten Tomatoes audience rating Alien 1979 93% 94% Aliens 1986 93% 94% Alien: Earth 2025 94% 65% Alien: Earth has brought a new dimension to the franchise by taking risks that the other movies have not, and by initially appearing to avoid franchise tropes like "don't trust the android," the series cannot be described as predictable. The horrifying new alien creatures have allowed Alien: Earth to return to its horror roots by taking the focus away from the Xenomorphs, which have dominated the franchise for decades. Still, the idea that the TV show had surpassed the movies' quality is hard for many to believe, and there may be a reason for this. Alien: Earth's Success Highlights A Key Point About Rotten Tomatoes Ratings Most fans and critics recognize that the first two Alien movies are amazing from start to finish, but this was not always the case. When Alien first aired, while it was a commercial success, the critical reception was considerably more mixed. Time Magazine described it as "an expensive, crafty movie that never soars beyond its cold desire to score the big bucks," while The Baltimore Sun ranked the movie among several "mindless monstrosities." Even Aliens, while attracting generally positive reviews, was met with some pointed remarks from Roger Ebert, like "I’m not sure “Aliens” is what we mean by entertainment." Rotten Tomatoes was launched in 1998 and draws many of its older scores from reviews of the time. This makes it possible that the ratings for both Alien and Aliens appear surprisingly low for movies that have now been widely and enthusiastically accepted as sci-fi masterpieces. Even so, Rotten Tomatoes ratings are not the singular indicator of quality, with many sci-fi movies being better than their Rotten Tomatoes scores suggest. Split fandoms sometimes account for mediocre scores, and Alien: Earth has been polarizing. Why Alien: Earth Has Split The Fandom Through reinventing rather than merely continuing the Alien saga, Alien: Earth is so daring that it has split the entire fandom. The eight-part series was always going to face an uphill battle for success, as continuing with the franchise's beloved staples could bring accusations of being too derivative and predictable, while taking the story off the rails entirely could risk losing the fanbase. The show went in the latter direction, raising the stakes by bringing the story to Earth and introducing a broader cast and mythology, but stepping away from the claustrophobic atmosphere that initially defined the franchise. This bold move was praised by critics but criticized by many fans who felt that the move in the horror direction was derivative while the characters made the same bad decisions as those in the much-maligned Prometheus. This significant divide between high praise and heavy criticism has resulted in Alien: Earth receiving Rotten Tomatoes audience ratings that canceled each other out, leaving the show with a middling score. With unimpressed audiences abandoning the show, its second season may well tell a different story on Rotten Tomatoes next year. Source: Time Magazine, The Baltimore Sun, Roger Ebert Release Date August 12, 2025 Network FX, Hulu Directors Dana Gonzales, Ugla Hauksdóttir, Noah Hawley Alien: Earth: Following the crash-landing of the USCSS Maginot on Earth, Wendy and a group of tactical soldiers confront a formidable threat. As they uncover the mysteries of the vessel, they face a challenge that could alter humanity's future.