In an age where streaming services wield the power to make or break TV shows with a mere algorithmic whim, fans are left grappling with the bitter pill of abrupt cancellations. The recent surge in casualties, such as Netflix’s hasty abandonment of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and Disney+’s unceremonious removal of Willow, has left viewers wondering whether the streaming era’s fickleness was foreseeable.
Surprisingly, the answer lies in the past – a cancelled TV show from the ’90s that eerily predicted the tumultuous landscape of today’s streaming services. Alien Nation, a sci-fi detective drama that graced Fox screens from 1989-1990, might have only lasted a single season, but it left an indelible mark on the industry.
The show, which depicted a quarter-million stranded aliens becoming Earth’s newest minority, was initially cancelled, much to the dismay of its dedicated fanbase. However, a twist of fate in 1994 saw Alien Nation being revived through five TV movies, allowing its executive producer and writer, Kenneth Johnson, to make a bold prediction about the future of television.
In Alien Nation: Millennium, the third TV movie that aired in 1996, Johnson foretold a scenario hauntingly similar to the streaming apocalypse we face today. In a scene where the human lead character, Sikes, excitedly urges his alien bio-chemist girlfriend Cathy to watch a new show, “My Brother, The Alien,” viewers witness an uncanny prediction of the harsh reality faced by many modern TV series.
The show within a show, “My Brother, The Alien,” barely has time to unfold, as a Fox logo abruptly interrupts its broadcast. An announcer chillingly declares, “The remainder of ‘My Brother, The Alien,’ will not be seen because our instant National Nielsen Ratings indicate low viewer interest.” Sikes, frustrated at the premature cancellation, laments, “they should of given it a chance. At least ’til the first commercial!”
While the streaming era hasn’t witnessed shows being cancelled after a single scene, the essence of Alien Nation’s prediction resonates deeply. Streaming platforms, once hailed for reviving cancelled gems like Arrested Development, have now become notorious for their impatience. If a show fails to amass a substantial audience swiftly, it faces the axe before it even has a chance to find its footing.
Kenneth Johnson’s foresight, revealed in a DVD commentary track from 2007, adds a layer of irony to his earlier critics. “People laughed at me,” he recalls. “But now I’ve seen them cancel shows after one airing, and pretty soon they’ll be cancelling them before the first commercial break.”
The eerie prescience of Alien Nation doesn’t stop at predicting the impulsive nature of streaming cancellations. The TV movie also ventures into the realm of artificial intelligence, with a subplot featuring Sikes using a program to generate term papers – a concept that has become a reality in today’s AI-driven world. Johnson’s vision extends to a humorous take on Sikes struggling to gather information due to officers being assigned to security detail for “the Power Ranger millennium reunion,” hitting close to the pop culture references and distractions that pervade our present-day lives.
As we reflect on the unintended prophecy of Alien Nation, it raises questions about the evolution of the entertainment industry and the delicate balance between algorithmic decisions and artistic merit. In a landscape dominated by streaming giants, the fate of TV shows hangs in the balance, reminiscent of a prediction made by a cancelled ’90s gem that, ironically, found its own revival in the ever-shifting sands of television history.
