Back in 1988, audiences were introduced to the Newcomers via the movie, "Alien Nation." The main premise of the film surrounded a race of fugitive slaves, on the run from their oppressors. But these slaves weren't just from around the corner, oh no. They came from above… from the planet Tencton to be exact. What was interesting about the film was that it chose not to focus so much on the actual arrival of these aliens, but on their attempts to 'blend in' and become a part of our world. Of course, the fact that they had slightly enlarged heads which sported spots made them stand out in a crowd. They took on names that were more 'Earth correct' like George Francisco and went to work like their counterparts, but they also had to deal with prejudice and racial intolerance on a daily basis… hence the title "Alien Nation." In 1990, it was decided that the movie was ripe to be turned into a television series. Actor Gary Graham was chosen to replace James Caan as Detective Matt Sikes and Eric Pierpoint stepped into the shoes of Detective George Francisco which were formerly filled by Mandy Patinkin.

The series pretty much took off from the movie ended, and while the idea on the surface seemed a little odd, the show itself was actually pretty good. I saw most of the episodes during their initial airings and was extremely impressed by how seriously the writers wanted the show to be taken. Even when the episodes focused on otherworldly situations, they served as strong allegories to Earthbound problems. Along with the racial issues, they tackled things like drug abuse and slave trading. The series was further helped by the strong acting skills of Graham and Pierpoint, whose onscreen partnership always rang true.

Unfortunately, despite the quality of the series, it only made it through one season (22 episodes), before being summarily cancelled. The only bright side of that coin was that its popularity with audiences allowed the airing of five 2-hour made for TV movies between 1994 and 1997.

Fox is releasing the entire season, minus the five movies this month. The set was very welcome in our house as most of my family was familiar with the movie but not the series. So far they've enjoyed all the episodes, but like me are hoping that there will be a release of the five aforementioned TV movies. That would make a great companion set to this one.

The technical quality of the episodes varies on this set, and that is my only really big disappointment. Some of the episodes seem a little fuzzy, and the sound isn’t the best. I know that they could have done better, but that probably would have affected the price of the set. At least there are a couple of decent extra features including a commentary on the Pilot episode by director Kenneth Johnson and a short featurette on the making of the series.

The best part of watching the series with the members of my family who weren't familiar with the movie or the TV series was the looks on their faces when I proposed a 'Sour Milk' toast to celebrate the release of this set!

Episodes:
Pilot
Fountain of Youth
Little Lost Lamb
Fifteen with Wanda
The Takeover
The First Cigar
Night of the Screams
Contact
Three to Tango
The Game
Chains of Love
The Red Room
The Spirit of '95
Generation to Generation
Eyewitness News
Partners
Real Men
Crossing the Line
Rebirth
Gimme, Gimme
The Touch
Green Eyes

Starring: Gary Graham, Eric Pierpoint
Extras: Behind the Scenes Featurette, Episode Commentary by Director Kenneth Johnson
Specifications: Full Screen, English Stereo
Studio: Fox
Release Date: 1/17/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Alien Nation: The Complete Series a B.