The Man Who Fell to Earth
Genre
Created by
Based onThe Man Who Fell to Earth
by Walter Tevis
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
  • Rola Bauer
  • Carl Beverly
  • Françoise Guyonnet
  • John Hlavin
  • Heather Kadin
  • Alex Kurtzman
  • Jenny Lumet
  • Sarah Timberman
  • Chiwetel Ejiofor
Production companies
Original release
NetworkShowtime
ReleaseApril 24 (2022-04-24) –
July 3, 2022 (2022-07-03)

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] In October 2022, the series was canceled after one season.[5]

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

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

Each episode is named after a David Bowie song.[6]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Hallo Spaceboy"Alex KurtzmanJenny Lumet & Alex KurtzmanApril 24, 2022 (2022-04-24)0.125[7]
2"Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed"Alex KurtzmanJenny Lumet & Alex KurtzmanMay 1, 2022 (2022-05-01)0.127[8]
3"New Angels of Promise"Alex KurtzmanStory by : Michael Alaimo
Teleplay by : Michael Alaimo and Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman		May 8, 2022 (2022-05-08)0.145[9]
4"Under Pressure"Alex KurtzmanStory by : Jane Maggs
Teleplay by : Jane Maggs and Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman		May 15, 2022 (2022-05-15)0.193[10]
5"Moonage Daydream"Sarah HardingStory by : John Lopez
Teleplay by : John Lopez and Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman		May 29, 2022 (2022-05-29)0.162[11]
6"Changes"Sarah HardingStory by : Jane Maggs
Teleplay by : Jane Maggs and Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman		June 5, 2022 (2022-06-05)0.164[12]
7"Cracked Actor"Joss AgnewStory by : Helen Shang
Teleplay by : Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman		June 12, 2022 (2022-06-12)0.137[13]
8"The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell"Joss AgnewStory by : Bill Wolkoff
Teleplay by : John Hlavin and Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman		June 19, 2022 (2022-06-19)0.121[14]
9"As the World Falls Down"Olatunde OsunsanmiStory by : Jane Maggs
Teleplay by : Jane Maggs and Jenny Lumet & Alex Kurtzman		June 26, 2022 (2022-06-26)0.171[15]
10"The Man Who Sold The World"Olatunde OsunsanmiJohn Hlavin and Jenny Lumet & Alex KurtzmanJuly 3, 2022 (2022-07-03)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]

Filming began on May 3, 2021, in London.[21][27]

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

Viewership and ratings per episode of The Man Who Fell to Earth
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

References

  1. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (August 1, 2019). "'The Man Who Fell To Earth' TV Series From Alex Kurtzman Ordered By CBS All Access". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b Framke, Caroline (22 April 2022). "Showtime's 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' Continues the David Bowie Version With Care, But Fewer Risks: TV Review". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  3. ^ Orquiola, John (24 April 2022). "The Man Who Fell To Earth Timeline Explained: Is It A Remake Or Sequel?". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  4. ^ "The Man Who Fell To Earth". SXSW.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Goldberg, Lesley (October 10, 2022). "'Man Who Fell to Earth' Will Not Return for Season 2 at Showtime (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  6. ^ "'The Man Who Fell to Earth' is an Entertaining but Frustrating Trip into the Unknown: Review". 22 April 2022. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 26, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 4.24.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (May 3, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 5.1.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (May 10, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 5.8.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Salem, Mitch (May 17, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 5.15.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Salem, Mitch (June 1, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 5.29.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Salem, Mitch (June 7, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 6.5.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (June 14, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 6.12.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Salem, Mitch (June 21, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 6.19.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (June 28, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 6.26.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (July 6, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 7.3.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 5, 2021). "Chiwetel Ejiofor To Star In 'The Man Who Fell To Earth' Series At Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  18. ^ White, Peter (March 17, 2021). "'The Man Who Fell To Earth' Moves To Showtime From Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  19. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 23, 2021). "Naomie Harris To Star In 'The Man Who Fell To Earth' Showtime Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  20. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 23, 2021). "Jimmi Simpson To Star In 'The Man Who Fell To Earth' Showtime Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  21. ^ a b c White, Peter (March 29, 2021). "Clarke Peters Joins Showtime's 'The Man Who Fell To Earth'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  22. ^ Petski, Denise (April 14, 2021). "Rob Delaney Joins 'The Man Who Fell To Earth' Showtime Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  23. ^ Petski, Denise (April 20, 2021). "Sonya Cassidy Joins 'The Man Who Fell To Earth' Showtime Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  24. ^ Petski, Denise (April 30, 2021). "'The Man Who Fell To Earth': Joana Ribeiro & Annelle Olayele Join Showtime Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  25. ^ Petski, Denise (August 20, 2021). "'The Man Who Fell To Earth': Kate Mulgrew Joins Showtime Drama As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  26. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 3, 2022). "The Man Who Fell To Earth: Bill Nighy To Take Over Iconic David Bowie Character In Showtime Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  27. ^ Alex Kurtzman [@Alex_Kurtzman] (May 3, 2021). "Day 1 #TheManWhoFellToEarth" (Tweet). Retrieved June 20, 2021 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ Petski, Denise (July 30, 2020). "CBS All Access Eyes Fall & Late 2020 Premieres For Richard Linklater Docuseries, 'The Stand', More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  29. ^ "The Man Who Fell to Earth: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  30. ^ "The Man Who Fell to Earth: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  31. ^ Tinoco, Armando (August 12, 2022). "Saturn Awards Nominations: 'The Batman', 'Nightmare Alley', 'Spider-Man', 'Better Call Saul' Top List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.

External links

Walter Tevis
Alex Kurtzman
Paramount+ with Showtime original programming
Categories