Earth," actors Timothy Olyphant and Sydney Chandler reveal what attracted them to showrunner Noah Hawley's take on the world created by "Alien" director Ridley Scott. (Aug. 8)

MY SAY In spite of that famous source material (xenomorphs!) and pedigree (Hawley), "Alien" fans may want to temper their expectations here. Foremost, "Alien: Earth" is not the movie or even a movie, but a series full of character exposition and backstory. With eight hours to fill, the pacing can be unhurried too.

As its name suggests, Alien: Earth imagines what would happen if the Xenomorph wound up on our planet. Here, it arrives as part of the cargo of the USCSS Maginot, a Weyland-Yutani research vessel that crash lands in New Siam, Prodigy City, named after Weyland-Yutani rival Prodigy Corporation.