The Man Who Fell to Earth is an American science fiction drama television limited series created by Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis.[1] It is a sequel to the 1976 film starring David Bowie.[2][3] The series stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as an alien who arrives on planet Earth and Bill Nighy, playing the role originally played by Bowie in the 1976 film. It debuted on Showtime on April 24, 2022.[2] A portion of the series was shown at SXSW on March 12, 2022.[4] The series was canceled after one season.[5]
| The Man Who Fell to Earth | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Based on | The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Showtime |
| Release | April 24 – July 3, 2022 |
Premise
The future of the planet is in the hands of an alien who arrives on Earth at a pivotal moment in history.
Cast
Main
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as Faraday
- Naomie Harris as Justin Falls
- Annelle Olaleye as Molly Falls
- Clarke Peters as Josiah Falls
- Bill Nighy as Thomas Jerome Newton
- Jimmi Simpson as Spencer Clay
- Kate Mulgrew as Drew Finch
- Sonya Cassidy as Edie Flood
- Joana Ribeiro as Lisa Dominguez
- Rob Delaney as Hatch Flood
Recurring
- Tanya Moodie as Portia
- Juliet Stevenson as Sister Mary Lou Prescott
- Art Malik as Henning Khan
- Josh Herdman as Terry Mannch
- Laurie Kynaston as Clive Flood
Guest
- Martha Plimpton as Officer K. Faraday
- Zoë Wanamaker as Watt
- Victoria Smurfit as Penny Morgan
Episodes
Each episode is named after a David Bowie song.[6]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Hallo Spaceboy" | Alex Kurtzman | Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman | April 24, 2022 | 0.125[7] |
| 2 | "Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed" | Alex Kurtzman | Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman | May 1, 2022 | 0.127[8] |
| 3 | "New Angels of Promise" | Alex Kurtzman | Story by : Michael Alaimo Teleplay by : Michael Alaimo and Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman | May 8, 2022 | 0.145[9] |
| 4 | "Under Pressure" | Alex Kurtzman | Story by : Jane Maggs Teleplay by : Jane Maggs and Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman | May 15, 2022 | 0.193[10] |
| 5 | "Moonage Daydream" | Sarah Harding | Story by : John Lopez Teleplay by : John Lopez and Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman | May 29, 2022 | 0.162[11] |
| 6 | "Changes" | Sarah Harding | Story by : Jane Maggs Teleplay by : Jane Maggs and Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman | June 5, 2022 | 0.164[12] |
| 7 | "Cracked Actor" | Joss Agnew | Story by : Helen Shang Teleplay by : Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman | June 12, 2022 | 0.137[13] |
| 8 | "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" | Joss Agnew | Story by : Bill Wolkoff Teleplay by : John Hlavin and Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman | June 19, 2022 | 0.121[14] |
| 9 | "As the World Falls Down" | Olatunde Osunsanmi | Story by : Jane Maggs Teleplay by : Jane Maggs and Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman | June 26, 2022 | 0.171[15] |
| 10 | "The Man Who Sold the World" | Olatunde Osunsanmi | John Hlavin and Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman | July 3, 2022 | 0.149[16] |
Production
A television adaptation of Walter Tevis's novel The Man Who Fell to Earth, moved from Hulu to CBS All Access in August 2019. It was created by Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman. It had been in development at Hulu for over a year, and was moved as a result of the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, as disagreements over co-production could not be resolved.[1]
In February 2021, Chiwetel Ejiofor was cast to star in the series, playing the role of the alien/Faraday.[17] The next month, the series moved to Showtime, with Naomie Harris, Jimmi Simpson and Clarke Peters added to the cast.[18][19][20][21] Rob Delaney, Sonya Cassidy, Joana Ribeiro, and Annelle Olayele would join in April.[22][23][24] In August, Kate Mulgrew joined in a recurring role.[25] In January 2022, Bill Nighy was cast to play Thomas Jerome Newton, the role David Bowie played in the film.[26] In October 2022, it was reported that Showtime would not renew the series for a second season.[5]
Major part of the filming was done in the University of Hertfordshire.
Release
The series was initially planned for a 2021 release on Paramount+.[28] It premiered on April 24, 2022 on Showtime and on Paramount+ internationally.[21]
Reception
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 86% approval rating with an average rating of 6.7/10, based on 29 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Man Who Fell to Earth may not be out of this world, but a commanding Chiwetel Ejiofor gives this space oddity an earthy gravitas."[29] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 68 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[30]
Ratings
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Hallo Spaceboy" | April 24, 2022 | 0.02 | 0.125[7] |
| 2 | "Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed" | May 1, 2022 | 0.02 | 0.127[8] |
| 3 | "New Angels of Promise" | May 8, 2022 | 0.03 | 0.145[9] |
| 4 | "Under Pressure" | May 15, 2022 | 0.03 | 0.193[10] |
| 5 | "Moonage Daydream" | May 29, 2022 | 0.02 | 0.162[11] |
| 6 | "Changes" | June 5, 2022 | 0.02 | 0.164[12] |
| 7 | "Cracked Actor" | June 12, 2022 | 0.02 | 0.137[13] |
| 8 | "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" | June 19, 2022 | 0.01 | 0.121[14] |
| 9 | "As the World Falls Down" | June 26, 2022 | 0.02 | 0.171[15] |
| 10 | "The Man Who Sold the World" | July 3, 2022 | 0.02 | 0.149[16] |
Awards and nominations
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturn Awards | October 25, 2022 | Best Science Fiction Television Series: Network/Cable | The Man Who Fell to Earth | Nominated | [31] |
| Best Actor in a Network or Cable Television Series | Chiwetel Ejiofor | Nominated |
