Why USA Network Canceled Alan Tudyk's Resident Alien

The USA Network and Syfy's "Resident Alien" is one of the funniest sci-shows in recent memory, and it enjoyed some popularity after crash-landing onto Netflix and Peacock. Similar to Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's overlooked gem "Paul," the show is all about poking fun at humanity while finding ways to sympathize with our flawed species. However, "Paul" explores these ideas through a Spielbergian lens, while "Resident Alien" is more off-kilter and weird — and that's part of the series' charm. Unfortunately, the Chris Sheridan-created show's charms weren't enough to keep it going, with Deadline reporting that the upcoming season 4 finale will be the sci-fi comedy's swansong.

Based on Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse's Dark Horse comic book series of the same name, "Resident Alien" tells the story of an extraterrestrial visitor who comes to Earth with the intention of destroying it. After landing in Colorado, he kills a man called Harry Vanderspeigle (Alan Tudyk) and assumes his identity. Throughout the show, Harry learns how to navigate human life and understand their emotions, leading to him questioning whether our race is worth saving.

Of course, learning to pose as a human while contemplating the destruction of a planet aren't Harry's only problems. "Resident Alien" also sees him embroiled in murder mysteries and forced to contend with The Greys, an alien species who abduct human children and seek to turn Earth into a desolate wasteland. "Resident Alien" is full of great ideas, and many viewers will argue that they were strong enough to milk for more seasons. So, why did the USA Network pull the plug on the show?

Truthfully, the future of "Resident Alien" has been in doubt since season 3. In fact, the fourth installment was only greenlit on the condition that its creatives worked with a reduced budget, which was a pretty telling moment. In an interview with TV Insider, Chris Sheridan revealed that he knew this day was coming for quite some time, and he didn't expect the show to continue after season 4. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, though, as it gave him the opportunity to wrap up the story on his own terms. As he put it:

"I knew going into it that this was likely going to be our final season. Creatively, that was exciting because I knew we could spend the time wrapping up some storylines and driving toward an ending. I'm so proud of how good season 4 is and especially proud that we were able to finish as strongly as we did, with a finale that is probably my favorite episode of the series."

Given that some great shows get canceled after one season, providing zero closure for fans, it's good to know that "Resident Alien" will have a definitive conclusion. Four seasons is a solid run, and while more would have been welcome, viewers won't have to spend the rest of their lives wondering what could have been.