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Alien Nation

  • TV Movie
  • 1989
  • Unrated
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
Alien Nation (1989)
CrimeDramaSci-Fi

A bigoted human policeman in the L.A. of the future and his alien partner learn to live with each other's differences while attempting to solve a drug conspiracy hidden in the subculture of ... Read allA bigoted human policeman in the L.A. of the future and his alien partner learn to live with each other's differences while attempting to solve a drug conspiracy hidden in the subculture of Los Angeles' newest immigrant population: extraterrestrials.A bigoted human policeman in the L.A. of the future and his alien partner learn to live with each other's differences while attempting to solve a drug conspiracy hidden in the subculture of Los Angeles' newest immigrant population: extraterrestrials.

  • Director
    • Kenneth Johnson
  • Writers
    • Rockne S. O'Bannon
    • Kenneth Johnson
  • Stars
    • Gary Graham
    • Eric Pierpoint
    • Michele Scarabelli
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    1.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Kenneth Johnson
    • Writers
      • Rockne S. O'Bannon
      • Kenneth Johnson
    • Stars
      • Gary Graham
      • Eric Pierpoint
      • Michele Scarabelli
    • 10User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos3

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    Top cast53

    Edit
    Gary Graham
    Gary Graham
    • Detective Matthew Sikes
    Eric Pierpoint
    Eric Pierpoint
    • Detective George Francisco
    Michele Scarabelli
    Michele Scarabelli
    • Susan Francisco
    Lauren Woodland
    Lauren Woodland
    • Emily Francisco
    Sean Six
    • Buck Francisco
    Terri Treas
    Terri Treas
    • Cathy Frankel
    Molly Morgan
    Molly Morgan
    • Jill Molaskey
    Jeffrey Marcus
    Jeffrey Marcus
    • Albert Einstein
    • (as Jeff Marcus)
    Jeff Doucette
    Jeff Doucette
    • Burns
    Ron Fassler
    Ron Fassler
    • Captain Bryon Grazer
    Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs
    Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs
    • Sergeant Dobbs
    L. Scott Caldwell
    L. Scott Caldwell
    • Lyddie
    Diane Cary
    Diane Cary
    • Jill's Mother
    William Frankfather
    William Frankfather
    • Purist Leader
    Ketty Lester
    • Teacher
    Loyda Ramos
    Loyda Ramos
    • Officer Maria Puente
    Tim Russ
    Tim Russ
    • Ronald Ketnes
    Brian Smiar
    • Priest
    • Director
      • Kenneth Johnson
    • Writers
      • Rockne S. O'Bannon
      • Kenneth Johnson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    6.91.3K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    Trashman-4

    A sad loss.

    Another cool show killed before it's time. Every time a cool show comes on they kill it after a season. Well acted and good stories to boot. At least the films have kept it going in fine fashion.
    march9hare

    invasion of the eggplant heads

    Like many other series before - and since - "Alien Nation" was adapted for the small screen from a big screen motion picture, in this case starring Mandy Patinkin and James Caan, if you can believe that. Gary Graham reprises the role played by Caan of Det. Sgt. Matt Sykes, a bigot LA cop. Graham, of course, is probably best remembered for the good job - well, okay, adequate job - he did in "The Hollywood Knights" and the not so good job in "Robot Jox". Like the movie, the series concerns itself with a shipload of basically human-looking aliens, who are in fact escaped slaves, that arrive on Earth and try to adapt to human culture. They have their quirks, like getting drunk on sour milk, and their weaknesses, like dying horribly on contact with salt water, but basically they just want to get along. In their efforts to do just that, they adopt human-sounding names, which leads to one of the show's running gags. Sykes' alien partner, for example, is Det. Sam Francisco. Once, it's cute. But more than once, or even occasionally, it can easily get out of hand, and did, with characters like Pete Moss, Mike Raphone, et al ad nauseum. Did this show get silly and tedious at times? Yup, but no more so than other sci-fi series, like "Timecop", the brainchild of Harve Bennett (yes, THAT Harve Bennett), "RoboCop", "Mantis", "Viper", and a whole raft of other sackrace losers that all fell out of a Crumbum Tree and hit every branch on the way down. Having said this, we actually liked this show, and didn't for one centon believe Fox's reason for cancellation, to wit: the makeup costs of the actors prosthetic headpieces for a weekly show were just too high. Tell it to someone who believes it. This was, in the last analysis, a pretty good show as these things go, and really deserved better
    6b_kite

    A good continuation of the 1988 film and set up for the television series.

    The TV movie/Pilot for the 1989-90 television series. This is actually a pretty good continuation taking place a short time after the events of the 1988 film. The cast replacements fair well and there's more of a look into the racial undertones with the newcomers. There's a bit silliness involving a fake monster, but despite that this sets the TV series up quite nicely.
    JJFabbsy

    Lovely series

    I love this series, it's a shame it didn't last too long. Great acting by the main cast, and most importantly GREAT STORIES :)

    Thank god the Alien Nation universe is still being continued through TV movies.

    The relationship between George and Sikes is fun to watch, as they get closer and closer as friends.

    The alien culture is also great, and believable.

    A joy to watch.
    10brijess-2

    One of the Best TV Series Ever

    This was one of the best TV series made. It featured excellent stories and some of the finest acting for any show on that year. The characters were developed with care and they added more to each of them in every episode. I was very sad when they canceled the show. The TV movies they made were good, but I wish the series could have stayed on. The story arc about the conception and birth of the alien children was brilliant! I give this series an A+.

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    Related interests

    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
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    Drama
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    Sci-Fi

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The alien ship that lands is called the Gruza. "Gruza" is a Russian word that means "cargo."
    • Quotes

      [a group of human Purists have are protesting the admission of a Newcomer student by blocking the school door]

      Ms. Purist: They're unnatural. They've already taking too many jobs, our jobs! If we let her in here now, there'll be a hundred more next week.

      Protestor: We don't want them mixing with our kids. Their quarantine wasn't long enough. The ACLU got them released too soon. How do we know they're really safe?

      Ms. Purist: I say we run them back to Slagtown!

      [Matt fires his gun and the crowd falls silent]

      Matt: Why stop with running them back to Slagtown, why don't we just kill them?

      [fires his gun again]

      Matt: Teach them a lesson. Keep them in their place. Keep America pure.

      [crowd cheers]

      Matt: We don't even need to paint little stars on them to recognize them, do we?

      [cheering stops]

      Matt: Hell, they'll be easy to round up. Look at them, they stand out even better than the Japs that we threw into concentration camps back in 1942. This will be a piece of cake. And if enough of us get together, it'll almost seem legal, won't it? Put little white pointy sheets on our heads and hang us a few Slags, huh? Let's start with this little one right here.

      [takes Emily's hand and winks at her]

      Matt: Just 'cause she's an American citizen, that doesn't make her a human being, does it? So what if she's a little brighter than some of our kids? We can beat that out of her. Discourage her enough, she'll give up. So what if she might have come up with a cure for cancer someday? She's not *civilized* like us. So why don't we just put a gun to her head and end it all right here, huh?

      [starts offering his gun to the crowd, but no one will take it]

      Matt: Come, pull trigger. Come on, take it. Come on!

      [to the rally leader]

      Matt: How about you, Ms. Purist? I know you want to come pull the trigger. Get down over here! Come on down!

      [Ms. Purist doesn't move]

      Matt: What, I have to do it myself? Okay.

      [cocks the hammer on his gun]

      Protestor: No, we don't want her dead. We just want her back where she belongs.

      Matt: [uncocks gun's hammer] She belongs *here*.

      [holsters his gun and turns to the crowd]

      Matt: Aren't you shamed of yourselves?

      [faces a black man in the crowd of protestors]

      Matt: Aren't *you*?

      [the protestors and the teachers come out to meet Matt and Emily]

      Matt: Anybody gives this little one any trouble answers to me, got it?

      Principal: Yeah, I do.

      Matt: [to Emily] You okay?

      [Emily nods]

      Matt: Good girl. Now, go in there and show them your stuff.

      [the teachers take Emily into the school and Matt turns back to the protesters]

      Matt: Party's over people. Anybody still here in three minutes will be under arrest for the violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

    • Connections
      Featured in Alien Nation: Fountain of Youth (1989)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 18, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Нація прибульців
    • Filming locations
      • Belmont Tunnel - 1304 West 2nd Street, Los Angeles, California, USA(Graffiti yard)
    • Production company
      • 20th Century Fox Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 42m(102 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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