Tamal Kundu
Developed by Simon Kinberg and David Weil, ‘Invasion’ is a sci-fi action-drama series that revolves around the lives of a group of people from various parts of the world as humans face their greatest challenge yet — an alien invasion. It candidly depicts how individuals struggle to hold on to their humanity while the world around them rapidly changes. If you have watched the series and loved it, here is a list of recommendations for you. You can watch most of these shows similar to ‘Invasion’ on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.
6. Invader Zim (2001–2006)
Created by Jhonen Vasquez, ‘Invader Zim’ is an animated dark-comedy sci-fi series in which the eponymous character is part of an alien race known as the Irkens, who have gained notoriety all over the universe for their imperialistic ambitions. Zim is generally considered an outcast by the rest of his people. He nearly obliterated the home planet of the Irkens during the first invasion or Operation Impending Doom I. When another invasion begins, the authorities among the Irkens send Zim to the furthest corner of their known universe, not realizing that there is an actual world there. And that world happens to be Earth. If you love how ‘Invasion’ depicts the alien attack in minute detail, then you will love ‘Invader Zim.’
5. Defiance (2013-2015)
Syfy’s ‘Defiance’ is set in a version of Earth that has been radically changed due to terraforming and has become home for various species of alien races. The series follows Joshua Nolan (Grant Bowler), a veteran of the war between humans and aliens, and his adoptive daughter Irisa, who belongs to a race called the Votan.
They arrive at the titular town, which seeks to remain neutral in the conflict between the Earth Republic, where humans are the majority population, and the Votanis Collective, where the aliens have the upper hand in numbers. Like ‘Invasion,’ ‘Defiance’ freely explores concepts such as diversity, violence, and xenophobia but doesn’t fail to entertain its audience.
4. Colony (2016–2018)
‘Colony’ is set on an already conquered Earth and tells the story of the Bowman family, living in a dystopian Los Angeles. Will Bowman (Josh Holloway) is a former U.S. Army Ranger. He used to be an FBI special agent before the aliens came and is now forced to work with the Redhats, who collaborate with their alien overlords and hunt down human resistance members. What Will doesn’t know is that his wife, Katie, is part of the said resistance. While both ‘Invasion’ and ‘Colony’ are ultimately science-fiction series, they put considerable focus on family. So, an audience member loving the family aspect of ‘Invasion’ will potentially love ‘Colony.’
3. Another Life (2019-)
In ‘Another Life,’ the world changes when a mysterious alien artifact lands on Earth. Astronaut Niko Breckinridge (Katee Sackhoff) leads a mission aboard the Salvare to the planet from where the artifact came, while her husband, scientist Erik Wallace (Justin Chatwin), seeks to learn more about the artifact back on Earth. They both discover that the Achaians, the alien species that sent the artifact, don’t particularly have peaceful intentions. ‘Invasion’ fans, who like it for its willingness to question the presumed benevolence of a technologically more advanced culture, will love ‘Another Life.’
2. War of the Worlds (2019-)
A modern reimagination of H. G. Wells’ classic 1898 novel ‘The War of the Worlds,’ ‘War of the Worlds’ depicts humanity establishing contact with another sentient species from a different solar system. However, the hope of peace and co-existence is soon dashed when most of humanity is obliterated. With their backs against the wall, the people of Earth eventually begin to fight back. Like ‘Invasion,’ ‘War of the Worlds’ depicts the more technologically advanced alien culture as more ruthless than humanity. Another thing that the two shows have in common is that they focus on how ordinary people respond to such extraordinary circumstances.
1. Falling Skies (2011–2015)
Just like ‘Invasion,’ ‘Falling Skies’ celebrates the inherent human ability to persevere against the greatest of odds. It’s a perfect watch for an audience member seeking a bit of optimism in a sci-fi context. After an alien race known as the Espheni and their robotic underlings kill nearly 90% of the world’s population, many of the remaining humans begin a brutal and bitter resistance movement against the extraterrestrial enemy. Much to their surprise, they receive help from other alien races, who also have antagonistic relationships with the Espheni.
Read More: Where Is Invasion Filmed?
