STUDIO: Fox
RELEASE DATE: April 15, 2008
STARRING: Gary Graham, Eric Pierpoint, Michele Scarabelli, Lauren Woodland, Sean Six, Terri Treas, Ron Fassler, Jeff Marcus, and Jenny Zago
WRITTEN BY: Andrew Schneider, Diane Frolov, Renee Longstreet, Harry Longstreet, Kenneth Johnson, and Rockne S. O'Bannon
DIRECTED BY: Kenneth Johnson
FEATURES: Full-Length Audio Commentary on all 5 Movies
4 Making-Of Featurettes
A Family Gathering - A Retrospective Featurette
Gag Reels, Still Galleries and More!

Alien Nation fans got screwed...but not as much as fans of other "brilliant-but-canceled" shows. The cult hit was definitely canceled before its time but fans also got what loyal viewers of many other series dream of in a series of TV movies that helped tie up the loose threads from the show itself. Alien Nation starred Gary Graham as Detective Matthew Sikes, a Los Angeles police officer who was forced to work with a "Newcomer" (or alien) played by Eric Pierpoint named George Francisco. A science fiction morality play that was clearly ahead of its time, Alien Nation used the genre to deal with more complicated issues like bigotry and racism at a time when sci-fi was still largely relegated to the kids. In a new era of TV, where more adults watch shows like Battlestar Galactica and the Stargate series, it's hard to believe that Alien Nation wouldn't be a hit right now. It almost certainly would. But in 1989, it just didn't work and Fox pulled the plug after only one year. The series ended with a cliffhanger because the writers thought they would be back for another year. Fans were left hanging.

But time was kind to them. Unlike a lot of shows that get the axe and merely disappear into the dusty catalogs of Fox's archiving room, Alien Nation found a second life. First, the episode that was supposed to open the second season was novelized and turned into a comic book and a series of novels. Four years later, management had changed at Fox and the series clearly had a cult following so someone was smart enough to open the door again to Alien Nation and the show returned in five well-received television movies that featured the original cast. Just imagine it Firely fans. Or Freaks and Geeks fans. Or Deadwood fans. Or [insert your favorite canceled-too-soon show] fans. Alien Nation came back with five movies over the next three years and fans were given closure. There are some people out there who would sell their Wii for the same to happen to their favorite show. Now all five movies are available in a pretty spectacular three-disc set that has been available at Best Buy since last September but is now losing that exclusivity and will be available nationwide.

The five movies are 1994's Dark Horizon, '95's Body and Soul, '96's Millennium, '96's The Enemy Within, and '97's The Udara Legacy and it's hard to believe fans of the first season wouldn't want to include them in their collection. A lot of studios would have just shuffled the five movies on DVD but Fox goes a step further and treats Alien Nation fans right again. They'll be ecstatic to hear five new commentaries with creator Kenneth Johnson, four making-of featurettes, an awesome 2007 cast reunion, gag reels, and still galleries. The picture and sound even look above average for mid-'90s TV shows. Alien Nation fans should rejoice and fans of all tragically canceled shows should take notice. Perhaps if the Ultimate Movie Collection sells well enough, the network and studio will consider pulling another show from the vaults and giving it the closure it deserves. A Firefly fan can dream.