New on streaming: first Alien TV series and Jim Jefferies speaks again
Alien, the famous science fiction horror franchise, is finally arriving on our small screens, with a prequel series debuting on Hulu and Disney+ this week.
Alien: Earth (Hulu/Disney+)
Clearly, the new series has to differ from the films – it’s an ongoing story, so it needed to be built in a different way. There have already been seven extremely popular films so Alien: Earth needs to stand out.
The creator of the series, Noah Hawley, explained it very well, we think: “Fundamentally, an Alien movie is a survival story, a two-hour survival story in which one or two people are going to live. And a television series can't be that.”
Thankfully, Hawley seems to know what he’s doing when it comes to expanding a film into a series. He also created the series Fargo, based on the Coen brothers’ 1996 movie of the same name.
Jim Jefferies: Two Limb Policy (Netflix)
On Netflix, Tuesday is the platform’s comedy special day. This week, it’s the turn of comedian Jim Jefferies. His show Two Limb Policy is already his fourth Netflix stand-up special.
The act sees the Australian comic talk about “tiny mustaches, straight-guy struggles and why acting doesn't count as a real job.” In the trailer, Jefferies also analyzes lesbian, gay, and heterosexual relationships.
To be fair, though, we’re quite skeptical. Ever since his famous rant over gun rights and gun control in the US, Jefferies just doesn’t seem to be as funny or insightful – but hey, let’s give him a chance.
Butterfly (Prime Video)
Most of us last saw Daniel Dae Kim on Lost. But that was in 2004, more than two decades ago: what happened to him? Actually, quite a lot: he’s taken multiple roles in various series, and on stage, was nominated for a Tony award for his work in the play Yellow Face.
However, Butterfly, the new spy thriller miniseries on Prime Video, finally has Kim fronting the whole project. It’s the first time that he’s the leading character.
Kim portrays David Jung, a US intelligence operative who has stayed under the radar after being attacked during an operation. According to Prime Video, the show is also an exploration of complex family dynamics.
Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser (Netflix)
A new documentary questions if the immensely popular reality competition, The Biggest Loser, which debuted in 2004 and promised to “change lives,” was beneficial or harmful for the participants.
Every Netflix documentary needs a major revelation, of course. This one claims that some contestants lost weight in unhealthy ways and suffered abuse in hopes of winning the $250,000 main prize.
A bunch of people around the show open up about what went on behind the scenes. Quite a lot, it seems. Typically, the producers were happy because, obviously, every TV producer wants controversy – it’s the ratings.
The Rainmaker (USA Network)
This legal drama TV series is based on the bestselling novel by John Grisham. The latter was, of course, first adapted to film by Francis Ford Coppola in 1997, just two years after the book’s debut.
The film was well-received by critics back then. Today, with so much content, it’s much more difficult to stand out, but The Rainmaker has a chance merely because of a strong storyline.
The series follows a young lawyer, who finds himself trapped by the dangerous firm he’s been hired by. There’s conspiracy, there’s racism, and there’s humanism – it’s a good formula.
