What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedResident Alien
Chris Sheridan · Series · 2021
If you loved Resident Alien, start with Elio (Domee Shi, 2025) — a film on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 films and 2 podcasts, each matched to Resident Alien across media.
What worked in Resident Alien runs through these too.
Books on the same thread
The Three-Body Problem
Cixin Liu · Book
Explores: Existential threat, Technological singularity, Societal collapse.
If Resident Alien hit, The Three-Body Problem shares the thread.
Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir · Book · 2021
Explores: Amnesia, Planetary Survival, Xenobiology.
If Resident Alien hit, Project Hail Mary shares the thread.
Arrival
Ted Chiang · Book · 2016
Explores: Alien Contact, Linguistics, Time Perception.
If Resident Alien hit, Arrival shares the thread.
Stranger in a Strange Land
Robert Anson Heinlein · Book · 1991
Explores: Culture Shock, Messianic Figure, Free Love.
If Resident Alien hit, Stranger in a Strange Land shares the thread.
Films on the same thread
Elio
Domee Shi · Film · 2025
Explores: Fish Out of Water, Mistaken Identity, Intergalactic Diplomacy.
If Resident Alien hit, Elio shares the thread.
Galaxy Quest
Dean Parisot · Film · 1999
Explores: Fish Out of Water, Satire of Fandom, Actors mistaken for Heroes.
If Resident Alien hit, Galaxy Quest shares the thread.
Project Hail Mary
Phil Lord · Film · 2026
Explores: competence porn, amnesia, interspecies friendship.
If Resident Alien hit, Project Hail Mary shares the thread.
PK
Rajkumar Hirani · Film · 2014
Explores: Clash of Cultures, Religious Satire, Innocence vs. Experience.
If Resident Alien hit, PK shares the thread.
Podcasts on the same thread
Small Town Murder
James Pietragallo, Jimmie Whisman · Podcast · 2026
Explores: provincial life, tragic irony, forensic breakdown.
If Resident Alien hit, Small Town Murder shares the thread.
S-Town
Serial Productions · Podcast · 2024
Explores: small-town isolation, eccentricity, social decay.
If Resident Alien hit, S-Town shares the thread.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Resident Alien about an extraterrestrial visitor?
Yes, Resident Alien follows an alien who crash-lands on Earth and assumes the identity of a small-town doctor in Colorado. He arrives with a secret mission but becomes involved in local life while struggling with the morality of his original objectives.
What is the primary conflict in Resident Alien?
In Resident Alien, the protagonist must balance his secret mission with the unexpected complications of living as a human. He is roped into solving a local murder, which forces him to assimilate into his new world and question his purpose.
Does Resident Alien focus on the protagonist's internal struggle?
The narrative of Resident Alien centers on the lead character wrestling with the moral dilemma of his mission. As he interacts with the local community and solves crimes, he begins to confront significant life questions regarding human nature and his own role in the world.
Is Resident Alien set in a small town?
Yes, Resident Alien is set in a small town in Colorado. The story begins with the alien living a simple life after his crash landing, but his experience is disrupted when he becomes entangled in the investigation of a local murder.