Alien Earth Season 2: Release Date, Cast, Plot, And How Noah Hawley’s Prequel Raises The Stakes

FX's Alien Earth nailed its first season and left a lot of us itching for the next round. So what is actually happening with season 2? Short answer: more than you might think. Longer answer: it sounds like FX wants this show front and center, story threads are lined up, and the cast is mostly game. The timeline is the only buzzkill.

FX is putting Alien Earth ahead of Fargo

Alien Earth scored big on release, pulling top-10 rankings across linear and streaming and a wall of strong reviews. Disney owns Alien, so of course they want to keep this train moving, and FX is saying that part out loud. FX chief John Landgraf has essentially asked Noah Hawley to prioritize Alien Earth over jumping right back into Fargo.

"We are pretty bullish on Alien: Earth. And we have told him that, assuming, as we hope, Alien: Earth is a returning television series, we want him to focus on at least writing two seasons of it before returning to a possible sixth season of Fargo."

Translation: expect Alien Earth to be the main gig for a while if season 2 gets the official go-ahead.

Season 1 left a lot of moving pieces (and monsters) in play

The show’s big swing was introducing Hybrids — humans implanted into cybernetic bodies — and then dropping Xenomorphs (plus a few other nightmares) on Earth. Wendy and her Hybrid siblings turned on Boy Kavalier and the Prodigy corporation, which is the kind of choice that tends to attract attention from corporations with even bigger ships and guns.

By the finale: Weyland-Yutani was en route to Prodigy to reclaim their alien assets and potentially bag some Hybrids while they were at it. The twisty part? Wendy discovered a way to control the Xenomorphs. That is brand-new ground for this franchise, and it comes with a giant timer attached — because we all know how long anything stays 'under control' around a Xeno.

Also, that unsettling entity called The Eye has taken over Arthur’s body. Count on that possession to be a major problem next season.

Hawley knows his destination (but not how many pit stops)

Noah Hawley tends to play the long game. He lets things breathe — Fargo had gaps between seasons, Legion ended on its own schedule — and he says he already knows where Alien Earth is headed.

"I have a destination in mind story-wise, which allows me to know what the story is I am telling, what it means. I do not know how long it will take to get there, but I do have a sense of where we will go in success. And the question becomes: how streamlined can we make the process so that you are not waiting for three, or four, or five years for more?"

Good news: there is a plan. Realistic news: Hawley does not rush.

Who is back for season 2?

Not everyone made it out alive in season 1, but most of the survivors are expected to return. Sydney Chandler is locked in as Wendy, and the core group looks likely to be back as well. Timothy Olyphant has said he is open to returning as Kirsh — he just might need a quick refresher on playing a robot. And because Hawley loves to layer in new personalities and complications, do not be surprised if the ensemble shifts.

• Returning leads likely: Sydney Chandler (Wendy), Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, Babou Ceesay, Samuel Blenkin
• Possibly returning: Timothy Olyphant (Kirsh), pending scheduling and a 'how do I robot again?' tune-up
• Expect expanded roles for supporting players and fresh faces in the mix

How close are we to Ridley Scott's Alien?

Season 1 is set in 2120, which puts this show just two years ahead of the 1979 film’s timeline. Hawley kept the first batch of episodes focused on its own world, but the door is clearly open to start connecting the dots in season 2 and beyond.

"I think there are bridges that you cross when you come to them. A big part of building these first eight episodes was to make something coherent on its own, that still lived within the framework of the first two movies. In season 2 and beyond, then we really need to dig down and figure out how these stories cohere in the long term."

So yes, the Nostromo era is getting closer. Whether we see direct overlap next season or just the groundwork being laid, the franchise connective tissue is coming.

When could we actually watch it?

Here is the reality check. The season 1 finale landed in September 2025, and season 2 does not have a formal greenlight yet. The first season had a rough road: COVID slowed everything down, then the 2023 strikes shut production in August 2023 during episode 1. Cameras started rolling again in April 2024, and they wrapped the rest of the season in about three months — fast — but the show is heavy on VFX and needs time in post.

If FX wants a 2027 release, scripts would need to be locked and production humming by mid-2026. That is doable, but it is tight.

The bottom line

FX wants more Alien Earth, Hawley has a destination in mind, the cast is largely on board, and the story threads are lined up for a bigger, messier war on Earth — with Weyland-Yutani closing in, Wendy trying to keep a leash on the un-leashable, and The Eye turning Arthur into a walking red flag. Now it is just a matter of the official pickup and the calendar cooperating. I will take the wait if it means they stick the landing.