Here's Why There's Only 2 Seasons of Resident Alien on Netflix

Summary

• Resident Alien Seasons 1 and 2 were a big hit on Netflix.
• They landed on the streamer as something of a surprise.
• Creator Chris Sheridan is hopeful that Season 4 will get the green light.

Resident Alien Seasons 1 and 2 were picked up by Netflix in February 2024, just before Season 3 premiered on SyFy on February 14. Since then, they have been popular shows on the streaming service, regularly appearing in Netflix's top ten.

But fans may have to wait a while for Season 3 to join them.

Seasons 1 and 2 were picked up outside of a formal agreement

Sci-fi fans with a Netflix subscription will no doubt have noticed that SyFy shows are often available on Netflix a year after they premiere.

This arrangement is part of a mutually beneficial agreement between the two parties. SyFy gets exclusivity when shows first air, plus the added weight of Netflix's reach after 12 months. As for Netflix, they get access to fresh content and can piggyback on successful shows.

However, Resident Alien fell outside of this arrangement and was not one of the shows originally slated to air on Netflix. But it has proven popular, and anyone who has seen Alan Tudyk as Harry Vanderspeigle knows why there is a lot of faith in the show's longevity.

Will Resident Alien be renewed for Season 4?

At this point, there's no guarantee. But with the first two episodes getting high ratings on Netflix and the Season 3 finale being watched by 622,000 people, the future looks bright for the show.

Certainly creator Chris Sheridan is doing his part to drum up interest. In a post on X before Season 3 aired, he wrote: "No news on a Season 4 yet. Get everyone you know to watch Season 3, that will help!"

Presuming it gets the go-ahead, he’s indicated he has big plans for the show that’s looking increasingly like it could turn into a franchise. In an interview with SyFy Wire, Sheridan said he wants “to expand the alien universe a little bit and ground it as much as possible”, adding, “I think that’s one of the keys to the show working, which is you have this big, broad alien stuff but it also feels real in its own way."

When will Season 3 be available to stream on Netflix?

Since Seasons 1 and 2 were secured outside of any formal agreement between SyFy and Netflix, any predictions about when Season 3 might land are pure speculation.

It is worth noting that Season 3 is currently streaming on Peacock. With that in mind, and assuming that negotiations need to take place before anything is decided, it seems unlikely that it will be available to stream on Netflix before 2025.

The fact that the Season 3 finale was so popular can only be a positive when it comes to the chances of Season 4 being greenlit. There also seems to be a strong case to be made that streaming seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix raised the profile of the show and introduced it to a wider pool of viewers.

Considering this, the prospect of Resident Alien Season 3 being streamed on Netflix at some point seems high. When that might be, however, is up in the air. If the show is going to be renewed for Season 4, one would imagine that the announcement will come relatively soon. And if history is any guide, we can expect Season 3 to stream on Netflix just before Season 4 debuts on SyFy.

For now, it's a case of watch this space. But watch it with a high degree of hope and anticipation.

Source: X, TV Series Finale, SyFy Wire.