19 Fantastic British Sci-Fi Series You Can Binge Right Now
By Lacy Baugher
Michael Socha and company in “The Aliens”. (Photo: Channel 4)
The Aliens
This Channel 4 sci-fi series is set 40 years after an extraterrestrial craft crash lands in the Irish Sea. Out of it spilled a few hundred humanoid-looking alien creatures who travelled to shore on rafts. Despite the fact that they were initially embraced by British society, political resentment eventually forces them to move to a segregated ghetto. This walled-off city is known as Troy, and is now home to thousands of first and second generation aliens, as well as gangs, drugs and organized crime.
Lewis is a rather xenophobic border guard charged with patrolling the checkpoint at the wall that separates the human and alien areas. Stuff happens, and he becomes caught up in the criminal underbelly of Troy. Oh, and he learns that he himself is half-alien. Dun dun dun!
The Aliens stars Michael Socha – an actor that I will literally watch in anything, he is that adorable – alongside Michaela Coel, Jim Howick and Trystan Gravellle, among others. It’s the sort of silly, irreverent fun you might expect from the folks who also brought us superhero dramedy Misfits. But it has surprisingly thoughtful moments as well, and a powerful social message. The aliens and their experiences are clearly meant to parallel those of immigrants and migrants. And maybe it’s just the fact that we’ve had to hear so much uncomfortable rhetoric on this topic over the past year, but watching Lewis learn to accept differences in others is surprisingly satisfying.
Number of Seasons: 1
Where to Watch: Hulu
Next: 16 Awesome British Mysteries You Can Stream Right Now
Yes, yes, this list is missing some titans of British sci-fi like Blake’s 7, The Omega Factor, Life on Mars and Red Dwarf. But they simply aren’t available to watch online at the moment. Rights issues are the worst, yeah? So, fingers crossed that they cycle back around to Netflix shortly.
In the mean time, here’s hoping you can find something here you haven’t seen before!