Alien Nation

This series is fantastic! I do not understand why it only lasted one season. It gave us so many insights into the relationships between people of all "races". It allowed us to see the pain of "inter-species" relationships and the acceptance of beings "different" from us. As the series unfolded, it was uplifting to see how people can overcome their differences to get along and thrive on earth. There are so many lessons that we can ALL learn from this series. We can get along in peace and harmony.

Having grown up in a household where Science Fiction was Dad's staple, I never really picked up on it, preferring more real-life drama. Having said that, this show is about the top of the line for TV scifi. The characters are believable, fully developed and imperfect.The acting is top-flight, and the stories, mostly carrying a message, are not overly burdened or preachy. The culture, habits, language, slang of the Aliens is presented in a matter-of-fact manner. Other than Heinlen or Finney, this is about the best scifi I've come across. And I don't like scifi.

This is one of the better shows out there. It deals with racism in a really positive way and isn't "preachy" or "cuddly". There are a few problems (Why would people who dissolve in salt water choose to live in a coastal city like Los Angeles?) but those are easily overlooked.

The show is really well done and makes some great references to todays society. The new race has drug and alcohol addictions, faces discrimination both inside and outside their communities, and struggles to integrate itself into the human world.

One of the ongoing jokes in the series is the newcomer names. They never had names on the ship so they are assigned names by a human agency. A lot of them are comical, like "San Francisco" but some of them are politically incorrect, like calling a mentally challenged newcomer "Albert F---ing Einstein". The middle name was dropped for the series but the character remains.

I recommend it, it is a great show.

One of the best sci-fi and/or buddy cop shows I've ever seen. Like all really good science fiction, it comes up with an utterly improbable premise (namely that an alien slave ship lands on Earth and the humanoid ex-slaves must integrate into human society) and proceeds to be completely real within that premise. Without fail, every single episode of this tragically short-lived series was, in turns, touching, humorous and compelling.

If you can find this show on the air, watch it, its well worth it.

"Alien Nation" is a perfect examples of a well-executed spin off. The original James Caan movie was a decent buddy cop flick, but the premise really lends itself to long0for television; and there's some great character development here as a result. It's a good mixture of sci-fi and cop show, and the big themes - racism, slavery, xenophobia - are handled with subtlety. But the important thing is that you do grow to like these people, and it's a worthwhile investment.

I know that there were TV movies produced to settle the dangling plot threads, but part of me is still disappointed it was cancelled on a cliffhanger (Fox was still young; it didn't yet have a reputation for killing off quality shows).

A good show, nevertheless.

7/10