Customer Reviews

Alien Nation - The Complete Series

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Kenneth Johnson attempted to do with Alien Nation what Joss Whedon did with Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Take a mediocre movie and create a series that had heart, soul, and a mythology all it's own. If Alien Nation: The Series had been allowed to continue for a few more seasons, I have no doubt that it would have become one of those epic series that are now part of the American psyche. Unfortunately, the series was cancelled after just one season, but what a season it was! I am so glad that it is finally coming out on DVD! I just hope that the movies will eventually be released as well!

It may be the "Complete Series" but does not include the four TV Movies made in later years.
Picture quality is okay but seems too colorful and a bit fuzzy.
Audio level also changes greatly from episode to episode so be very careful with your volume control.

Six double sided DVD box set with two episodes per side with no indication on packaging that DVD's are flippers.

Last DVD does feature a special on the making of Alien Nation.
This in places has a better picure quality than the episodes!
Please note however this special is five minutes in length - WOW!

So yes another great series let down by poor transfer to DVD with little or no quality control.

I feel that this was another great foul-up on 20th Fox' part, right up on the level of the demise of Joss Whedon's "Firefly", especially Fox leaving A N fans hanging for five years for the resolution of the end-of season cliff-hanger. As "Firefly" has justified its' popularity with the release and massive success of "Serenity" (over a month in the Top Ten), Alien Nation proved itself through the production of FIVE (count 'em, 5) made-for-TV movies that followed.
1. "Dark Horizon"- 1994
2. "Body and Soul"-1995
3. "The Enemy Within"- 1996
4. "Millennium"-1996
5. "The Udara Legacy"-1997
With the industry wasting production resources on so much other second rate crapola as fills the store shelves these days, I hope SOMEONE in the front office at FOX will take notice and put forth a little effort so all the "Alien Nation" fans won't have to wait as long for the TV movies as we have for the series.
As with "Firefly", FOX is missing out on a sure thing by not putting both these great programs back into production, instead of wasting resources on so much of the second rate drivel they are so famous for!

First, if you are interested in purchasing this product, ignore all the reviews from folks that loved the show but have not purchased the DVD! I LOVED the show. I still LOVE the show. However I am on my third exchange of the unbelievibly poorly rendered DVDs. The first; two of the DVDs had unreadable flip sides (on three High quality DVD players). The second; one DVD with unreadable flip side and one that hiccupped an entire episode. My third and hopefully final seems to be ok, with the exception of still buggy flip sides. It is sad to see such a great show that has been anticipated by so many to have been produced with seemingly no Quality Control!

I had avoided this show when it premiered, thinking it was another overhyped "cops n' robbers in space" show. I was wrong by a million miles. This series could stand in as the ultimate testing ground for true multiculturalism - a word that wasn't even in vogue at that the time (and the concept still isn't.) This series is one of those rare cases where television improves an on existing movie. The actors are likeable, the plots are intriguing, the dialog is coherent, the premise is thoughtful, and the action is packed. Alien Nation, like the original Star Trek series, was a ground-breaker in presenting thoughtful ideas and philosophic challenges in a non-threatening way with the assistance of "fantasy" as a back-drop. This series can really make a person think without having to be hit over the head. Fans of this show have speculated why this show died after the first season. Budgeting may have been a factor, but my personal belief was that it was the Hollywood Writers' Strike (of nine months) that killed this show, along with some other really good programs. Because of the Strike, a lot of really good, strong television simply couldn't sustain the momentum to develop a solid fan-base, and hence, advertisers to support the programming. Television networks became (more) afraid of challenging viewers and - once burned twice shy - seemed reluctant to give writers room for creativity lest they become too dependent. Alien Nation (opposite of alienation?) is a terrific television show whose time has come and should be revisited by viewers who prefer above-average dialog, moral and ethical stimulation, and sheer wit and whimsy just for fun.

This series aired during the 1990-91 season on Fox. The network was trying to find more footing to accompany hits like "The Simpsons","21 Jumpstreet" and "Married with Children" so it decided to experiment with SciFi. This series blended the buddy cop formula with something akin to "My Favorite Martian". It looked through an alien prism at heavy duty issues like sexual harassment, predjudice, poverty, gangs, personal responsibilty, racism, gender roles and even school yard bullying. Viewers came to care about the characters in the show allowing it to soon build a base and sending it well onto it's way of being that rarity- a successful scifi show. Unfortunately, many factors aligned against this show: a major writer's strike, budget cuts, and a network jittery about the genre (face it, Fox has never been patient with scifi- look at "Space: Above and Beyond" and "Firefly". The only show it has ever stuck with for long was "X-Files".) The 1st season (and eventually the series)ended on a very tight cliff hanger. A series of 5 movies over the next ten years continued the story and provided closure for loyal fans. Hopefully Fox will see fit to release these movies as well. If you are looking for something quirky, thoughtful, action packed and a bit "out there", this is the show for you.

I preferred the series to the movie because I like the actors ( Gary Graham, Eric Pierpoint) in the series better. However anyone thinking about buying this & did not watch the series originally should be warned that it is NOT complete since the final episode ends with a "cliffhanger" that is not resolved until the 1st movie. Now if they'll just make the 5 movies in a DVD box set, then it would be complete. I had no problem with the 2 sided disks except a little bit of audio that I barely noticed.

Kenneth Johnson's commentary is fantastic! This has always been one of my all time favorite series, but after watching the pilot with Johnson's voice-over and the actors's voices muted, I gained a new appreciation for the acting of all the characters just in terms of body language and facial expressions. If you missed this on Fox and saw it chopped up on Sci Fi, you need this set!

Movies please!!! How tough would a two or three disc set be with the movies be to produce? Let's have them!

Kenneth Johnson,the creator of TV Hulk and V, bring his moral ideals to the Alien Nation. Johnson's TV work has always showed us the human condition..preaching a message without hitting us over the head with it


you must remember in his mini series and short lived tv series V, the nasty aliens who are so nice and helpful. In this series of the flip side. The aliens in Nation are distrusted and hated... as in V, they were thought as friends.

This complete series was more than a cop show, more than Science Fiction show...It blending of social culture and worked on many different levels. It isn't the alien bad guy which it could have been play it. It is like black/white, jew/christian, etc..Star Trek did it in the 60's with their Battlefield episode. This show is pointing out the difference and well as our similar ideals.

The audio commentary on the series pilot from Kenneth Johnson is an amazing piece of insight into the creation of Nation to TV and the process of filmmaking.

The story lines are still freah 15 years after they were made. Everything from drugs to inter-racial couples are covered.This cult classic is for those who want Science Fiction witha brain, and not shoot the aliens.

The only problem i see is the missed movies which were made after the series waS OVER. At least they should have put the film which finished the series cliffhanger. Well we can hope for the Alien Nation Movies soon, I hope

Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD

I just read the review about this DVD set being 6 double sided disc with 2 episodes per side, volume problems, etc. Being a big fan of this show when it aired, I was really looking forward to buying this until I read the review. Why double sided discs? It is not necessary at all. Double sided discs have been proven over and over to be a problem and do not last as long as a one sided DVD(according to many DVD websites, I'm not just saying this!), especially Universal (more info at video business dot com) who have done a horrendous job and have had major issues with the 'flipper' discs with 'Casino' & 'American Gothic' among man others. Don't believe me? Go to the reviews of those movies and check out 'Cinderella Man', 'Columbo', 'Quantum Leap', 'Blues Brothers', etc. This is just plain lazy and CHEAP. Another great show BOTCHED by poor manufacturing and production. Good riddance, they won't be getting one single solitary penny from me. If you work for one of these companies and are reading this, do somethinng!! Us consumers are wising up and are tired of it. %$#$%@#! If ANYONE agrees with me, be sure and click the appropriate icon.