Prepare For 10 More Close Encounters
Invasion is the latest Apple TV show revolving around an alien invasion. Visually stunning and with a revolving perspective across the globe, this one is certainly worth checking out. If you’ve finished watching this and are looking for alternate shows, fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle of having to try and find something similar with our top 10 picks for alternate viewing. To keep things simple for skim-readers we’ve added what similarities these have. Of course for all the shows we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that series and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with. So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet the appetite when you’ve finished streaming Invasion.
For All Mankind
Similarities – Space & Drama
One of AppleTV’s flagship series last year, For All Mankind is a show about a venture into space. The series builds off its character drama and impressive production design to deliver something that’s both wholly accessible and suitably melodramatic. The story takes place in an alternative version of 1969, with the Soviet Union beating the United States to the Moon. The space race continues on for decades, with much grander challenges and goals. Well written and lavishly produced, For All Mankind is arguably one of Apple’s best shows on the platform.
Colony
Similarities – Characters
Another cancellation casualty, Colony is a sci-fi series with a lot of promise that’s only partially explored. The main premise takes place in the near future with an occupied LA. on the brink of chaos. In the midst of all these simmering tensions, a family is forced to make difficult decisions as they balance staying together whilst trying to survive. While the show is predominantly sci-fi in nature, it’s also one of those shows that really leans into its character drama. Given this is a USA Network product, there’s lots of familial issues but this complements the tone of the piece perfectly. With 3 seasons to get through, Colony serves up plenty of twists and turns along the way, making it well worth checking out.
Falling Skies
Similarities – Action
Falling Skies is basically The Walking Dead with aliens. The ideas of banding together are pretty similar to Invasion, while the distant, looming threat has more than a few similarities to AppleTV’s show. There’s plenty of drama, action and tense segments interspersed across the five seasons but do be aware the season finale at the end of it all is pretty unanimously considered to be pretty bad. Despite that though, the show itself had a decent run and boasts some memorable episodes along the way. If you’re looking for characters you can get behind, this one may be worth a shout.
Calls
Similarities – Alien invasion
Calls is unlike anything else you’ll watch this year. In fact, watch may actually be a bit of a stretch. Instead, this experimental series combines smart storytelling in an audio-transcribed format, complete with a gripping mystery and a really spooky atmosphere. Calls feels like a combination of Netflix series Dark, BAFTA winning videogame Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture and true crime docu-series The Confession Tapes. Each of these 12-20 minute episodes play out with a telephone conversation between two or more characters – and it’s absolutely gripping. Within these chapters, paranormal or unexplained phenomena occur which plays into a larger story encapsulating the whole show. No spoilers of course, but this series rewards you with a wonderful ending so it is worth binging through to the end. You can read our thoughts on Calls in our full season review here!
Jericho
Similarities – Characters
A small town in Kansas is left in the dark after seeing a mushroom cloud over nearby Denver, Colorado. With radio transmissions out and lots of unanswered questions, this small town tries to figure out what’s going on – and how to survive. Suspenseful, well written and surprisingly gripping, Jericho became a cult hit until it was unceremoniously dumped by networks. The fans were so angry over this, 20 tons of peanuts were sent to the CBS offices in a bid to reinstate the show… and it worked too! Partly the reason the show works as well as it does is the way it surpasses expectations to move beyond its simple premise. There’s some smartly written themes in here too and it’s backed up by some likable and well-rounded characters.
Sense8
Similarities – Perspective around the globe
Sense8 is one of the more ambitious (and expensive) projects green-lit by Netflix. Shot on-location across the globe, Sense8 is an incredibly good looking show and it merges that with a thought provoking and action-packed story. The narrative here centers around a group of people across the globe who suddenly and inexplicably are mentally linked together. These characters are then thrust head-first into danger, forced to find a way to survive as they’re hunted by those who see them as a threat to the world’s order. Sense8 backs up its impressive cinematography with 8 cerebrally charged narratives intertwined together to form one interesting story. There are a lot of twists and turns along the way, and it was such a fan favourite in its time that the abrupt ending to season 2 forced Netflix’s hand to commission a conclusive feature film to finish the story. You can read our thoughts on Sense8 in our full season reviews here!
Parasyte: The Maxim
Similarities – Monsters
What does it mean to be human? As Agent Smith once said in The Matrix: “Humans do not form a natural equilibrium. Instead they multiply and multiply until every resource is consumed.” In that respect, humanity bears more in common with a virus or a parasite than we do the other species on our planet. So what then would happen if an alien parasite began using us as its hosts? Step forward Parasyte: The Maxim. Adapted from the popular manga of the same name, Parasyte gained a lot of acclaim when it dropped on the small screen back in 2014 and it’s easy to see why. The animation is gorgeously rendered, the hand-drawn scenes beautifully detailed and the hybrid blend of rock and dubstep actually works quite well to give this a unique feel away from other anime of its kind. If you’re looking for more of a human VS monster fight with shades of grey and big thematic questions, this one is definitely worth checking out. You can read our thoughts on Parasyte: The Maxim in our full season review here!
Invasion (2005)
Similarities – Alien Invasion
Invasion is a well acted and interesting alien invasion story, managing to depict a pretty fresh approach to a bloated genre. The story takes place in the aftermath of a hurricane, as a Florida Park Ranger and his family find themselves faced with very strange occurrences. Strange creatures in the water and changed survivors after the devastation are the order of the day, and things only grow more weird from there. To give much more away would be a disservice to this show, but this is a compelling series worth its weight in gold.
War of the Worlds (2019)
Similarities – Action
War of the Worlds has been remade and revamped numerous times but this Anglo-French reimagining of H.G. Wells’ sci-fi classic is probably the closest to Invasion. Set in France, the show takes inspiration from The Walking Dead, following pockets of survivors as they’re forced to band together and strike back against an extraterrestrial force. While the second season doesn’t hold a candle to the first, there’s still enough to like here nonetheless.
Childhood’s End
Similarities – Alien Invasion
Childhood’s End is a three-part miniseries that dropped on Syfy back in 2015. It does deviate from its source material a bit, but retains its age-old idea of science VS religion. Unlike other alien invasion series of its kind, Childhood’s End revolves around a non-violent race of aliens that arrive, seeing humanity as children that need to be guided. In exchange for ruling over us, these aliens promise to end poverty, illness war and basically turn Earth into a utopia. The show works reasonably well, although to be fair the ending may be a little hit or miss for some. So there we have it, our 10 TV show alternatives to watch when you’re finished watching Invasion on AppleTV. What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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