SnoopyStyle It's 5 years after a disabled alien spaceship land in the Mojave desert. There are 250k alien slaves on board. The newcomers or derogatory called slags have settled into their new homes, mostly in southern California. Slave drivers called Overseers are rumored to have blended into the refugee population. Detective Matthew Sikes lost his partner to an alien gunman. He is assigned newcomer Detective George Francisco, the first in the LAPD. The Franciscos move into the suburbs and face varying discrimination. Salt water hurts them and sour milk gets them drunk. Humans calling themselves Purists oppose the newcomers. The two species try to overcome cultural differences as criminals on both sides take advantage of their new reality.First, the pilot is compelling but overplays the discrimination aspect. They are literally burning a circle instead of a cross on the family lawn. The daughter's story works well and incorporates a nice new friend with the bullying story. The fountain story is too on the nose. The worst is Sikes firing his gun in the air like Martin Riggs going half-pretend-crazy during the school demonstration. Somebody really overplays the script. Then there is the rebel son. The rebellion is fine but the killing lays a deadly landmine for future episodes.The story promptly steps into it by catching the boy but somehow gets the equivalent of probation. It's the weirdest of rewrites. I guess the writers had no way of writing out of that predicament. It's the last major misstep. There are little questionable aspects like how the Overseers have a mark on their wrists. It seems like an easy to identify them. The show does find its footing. The relationships are compelling. I would give more time with the family. The daughter doesn't have enough screen time. This is a police drama and the school has no place in the show. The captain is a weak character but worst, he's played by a weak actor. Despite any shortcomings, the show worked for the most part and should have been renewed except for troubles at the network.

Mr-Fusion "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

horrorfan000 I was hugely disappointed when this was cancelled.Although looking back i cant say i'm particularly surprised given the network it aired on.FOX network has a long history of cancelling cool sci-fi shows without giving them a fair chance.Their biggest blunder of course being Firefly.You know their regretting that one especially.I think i loved the buddy cop aspect of the show more than the sci-fi aspect.And that's coming from somewhat of a sci-fi/horror nerd.This was due to the great chemistry stars Gary Graham and Eric Peirpoint had with each other.Even if your not into sci-fi it works great as a cop show.Just with sci fi elements.Wish it had lasted longer than 1 season but at least we were treated to 4 follow up TV movies.Rarely does a 1 season cancelled show get that.In fact i can't think of any other.

bux 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.