Another Life

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Jul 25, 2019
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
3.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 101 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 101
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 101
  3. Negative: 59 out of 101
Watch Now

Where To Watch

Stream On

Review this tv show

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling

User Reviews

view
per page
  1. Valendale
    Aug 7, 2019
    10
    Normally I'd give it an 8 out of 10 but I feel a lot of the low reviews have been really unfair. It's clear from reading the reviews that a lot of the critics haven't even watched the show, or at the very least didn't get very far into it. Some of the negative reviews also appear to be politically motivated, using politically charged rhetoric like "Diversity Hires" and "SJWs"

    In the    Normally I'd give it an 8 out of 10 but I feel a lot of the low reviews have been really unfair. It's clear from reading the reviews that a lot of the critics haven't even watched the show, or at the very least didn't get very far into it. Some of the negative reviews also appear to be politically motivated, using politically charged rhetoric like "Diversity Hires" and "SJWs"

    In the first couple of episodes things do arguably move a little too quickly to be believable for mankind's first foray into deep space. If I were reviewing the series based on only three episodes like a lot of people here I'd probably give it a four out of ten.

    But I continued watching, and the show gets good. The pacing really improves as it settles into a routine, and the show really starts to explore a some interesting sci-fi concepts, such as a sapient artificial intelligence experiencing trauma and alienation for example. While it can be said that all creative work is derivative, this series does things that are seldom if ever done, and that makes it far less derivative than a lot of the Hipster Reviews make it out to be.    … Expand
  2. kimy02
    Jul 31, 2019
    10
    I like it.
    Really cant understand these critics..
    At first i was really annoyed with the cast, but i still gave it a go and was not disappointed!
  3. waahaa
    Jul 28, 2019
    10
    THIS SHOW IS GREAT!!! dont believe the hater reviews....sure there could have been a little better cast to rival Katee Sackhoff but the show has huge potential for week to week stories and cast members can be introduced at any point as there are supposed to be people in hypersleep. there is a real attack against anything sci fi at the moment for some reason...but this show is good dontTHIS SHOW IS GREAT!!! dont believe the hater reviews....sure there could have been a little better cast to rival Katee Sackhoff but the show has huge potential for week to week stories and cast members can be introduced at any point as there are supposed to be people in hypersleep. there is a real attack against anything sci fi at the moment for some reason...but this show is good dont believe the haters… Expand
  4. Sir4Dude
    Oct 6, 2019
    10
    Smart Scifi and interesting characters and ideas. Really ramps up to a great finale and a show that needs to go on.
  5. biff1970
    Jul 27, 2019
    10
    Great so far. I love these kind of shows. The effects looks great. Hope there is a season 2.
  6. uuuseer
    Aug 7, 2019
    10
    I like Another Life. Really cant understand these critics, if they don't like sci-fi, why they are watching this series???
  7. keithers19
    Sep 3, 2019
    10
    I am Flabbergasted that this has a 3.4 I watched it in 2 days and COULD NOT get enough. You like sci-fi? Like interesting plot? Surprises? Suspense? Even a diverse cast with many sexualitys and genders. Agree with them or not this show has it. Who would give it less than a 9 or 10? Strange people who you prolly cant make happy ever.
  8. John-Francis
    Sep 23, 2019
    10
    It took a couple of episodes to catch on to the story and characters but the series was fantastic!

    I love science fiction and this one could run for many seasons. I liken it to Stargate.

    I will be very disappointed if there is not a season 2.
  9. MrFlankster
    Jul 27, 2019
    9
    This show, unfortunately, did itself a major diservice by having a HORRIBLE first episode. I can't believe I didn't turn it off. Due to my laziness, i kept watching and it finally started to pick up steam 3 episodes in.
    From what I'm reading, most people are turning it off half way through the first episode. I don't blame them. If you can get past the 1st and into the 3rd, it turns out to    This show, unfortunately, did itself a major diservice by having a HORRIBLE first episode. I can't believe I didn't turn it off. Due to my laziness, i kept watching and it finally started to pick up steam 3 episodes in.
    From what I'm reading, most people are turning it off half way through the first episode. I don't blame them. If you can get past the 1st and into the 3rd, it turns out to be pretty good. I think the 1st had different writers.    … Expand
  10. lou2u
    Oct 30, 2021
    9
    I found the series edgy and captivating no its not space opera or shakesphere but theres the foundations of greatness amongst the compelling moments and there are enough of them i'll be tuning into series 2 without a second thought
  11. krys06
    Aug 4, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. une bonne série avec certes ses Defaults mais qui est plaisante a regarder.
    j'attends la saison 2    … Expand
  12. Kettricken
    Aug 24, 2019
    8
    I was a bit worried after reading other reviews but i turned out to love this serie. I think the plot is good and I cant wait for season 2. This serie has a really good potential. I hope Netflix renews this!
  13. Shabolicus
    Jul 31, 2019
    8
    It was never going to be an Expanse or BSG, or other like for like shows. And it was never billed as one. What it was, was an adrenaline filled romp through space, that was entertaining from start to finish. Yes it could've been cleaner but so could a lot of shows. What you have is, is ten episodes of entertainment that captures the imagination. People need to stop expecting epics fromIt was never going to be an Expanse or BSG, or other like for like shows. And it was never billed as one. What it was, was an adrenaline filled romp through space, that was entertaining from start to finish. Yes it could've been cleaner but so could a lot of shows. What you have is, is ten episodes of entertainment that captures the imagination. People need to stop expecting epics from every single second of footage.… Expand
  14. Mcvaldemar
    Jan 1, 2020
    8
    Maybe was good to watch with no expectations but the first serie managed to set interesting foundations that make me want for more.
  15. truerock
    Sep 16, 2019
    7
    First of all, I think you would need to be an individual who likes the sci-fi genre to find this series worth while. There are a lot of individuals who do not - so, I guess their take on this particular series probably is not particularly relevant.

    Additionally, I think one would need to be the type of viewer who enjoys philosophical issues in order to enjoy this series. If you do    First of all, I think you would need to be an individual who likes the sci-fi genre to find this series worth while. There are a lot of individuals who do not - so, I guess their take on this particular series probably is not particularly relevant.

    Additionally, I think one would need to be the type of viewer who enjoys philosophical issues in order to enjoy this series.

    If you do not fit into both those groups - then, save yourself some time and skip this series.

    I watched it because it starred Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Gallactica). I enjoy her acting and that alone kept me watching. Also, I found Justin Chatwin (Shameless) gave an excellent performance and that made the series worth watching - to me - perhaps not most people.

    Anyway, all the technicals are of professional quality and the acting across the board was good.
    But, if "Bachelor in Paradise" and/or "Dancing With the Stars" is the kind of thing you like to watch then you will definitely want to skip this series.    … Expand
  16. wollam11
    Jan 19, 2020
    7
    Far more interesting than all the cop shows on tv. Yeah, it has issues but I don't regret the ride for a second. I wish all sci fi shows were this compelling.
  17. PerceptiveMonk
    Aug 10, 2019
    7
    I enjoyed the first season and am looking forward to a second. After seeing these reviews though, sheesh, people don’t seem to like it. I think it’s fun and interesting with tons of potential!
  18. geralt1
    Jul 26, 2019
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The UFO in the opening scene was impressive. I like Katee Sackhoff, I don't get why she let the mutineer roam free but I guess she thought her 'talk' with him was sufficient. I'm just at the beginning and so far it's not too bad.… Expand
  19. Alin123
    Nov 2, 2021
    6
    Decent, not good, not bad. Some people might say that the crew makes some decisions which are bad and not believable but considering people were eating tide pods at some point, we are able to make any bad decision.
  20. Nobilis1984
    Jul 26, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Review episode 1:
    Episode 1 starts well and the spaceship gets better. Disturbing is the strange story about the mutineer. He's not captured like one on Star Trek. No after the rumors Sackhoff prevents death and he is allowed to walk around freely? Why does one write such a scrap? In the end he tries to kill Sackhoff. Who that was not clear.
    Effects and etc. are but first class.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    I have all 10 episodes. It was a tough job for me. The characters are useless for their positions. It seems like you have chosen the worst.
    The story until episode 7 are nasty. Who comes up with that?
    From episode 7, they have remembered and it works better. But this and the good finale do not save Season 1.    … Expand
  21. Carewolf
    Aug 26, 2019
    5
    Some of the dumbest writing I have ever seen on a sci-fi show. Though it does get better after the two first episodes, it only manages to pull itself up from a 2/10 to a 5/10.
  22. ComandanteCobra
    Aug 19, 2019
    5
    Below average... but we will see Season 2 (If the show will be renewed), because there is margin for improvement.
    The good: Sci-fi more focused around people and less on pew pew...a rare things this days
    The bad: Protagonists (except niko) look and behave more like characters from a soap opera than believable ship personnel or scientists. The show take place in space but most of the    Below average... but we will see Season 2 (If the show will be renewed), because there is margin for improvement.
    The good: Sci-fi more focused around people and less on pew pew...a rare things this days
    The bad:
    Protagonists (except niko) look and behave more like characters from a soap opera than believable ship personnel or scientists.
    The show take place in space but most of the time we only see ship internals and corridors or caves ...not much scenography creativity here..and feels cheap
    Weird narrative: In the first 2 or 3 episodes there is a main plot that progress with the show (One episode events affects the next and the main storyline )...but later the show seems more "singles episodes" oriented with protagonists dealing with problems marginally related to the main storyline ...like finding food, ship malfunctions, planets exploration...so the main plot struggle to advance.
    Most of the events inside this "singular episodes" take inspirations from classic sci-fi stories ...from Star trek episodes to Doctor Who...so if you ever watched one of those shows (even casually) this Another Life can appear plagiarized and will fail to surprend    … Expand
  23. iainw
    Jul 27, 2019
    5
    I watched the full series since it had just enough hold on me to keep going. Unfortunately it is so flawed that the experience is irritating rather than entertaining. A predictable succession of sci-fi tropes which nevertheless DOES leave me wanting another series but hoping they will make a better job of it.
  24. Smashie
    Aug 3, 2019
    5
    The writing could use some work but I like it. I love Katee Sackoff. The visuals were good and I really like William!
  25. Dodger
    Jul 27, 2019
    3
    Disappointing is the word here. An extremely paint by numbers series with the much over utilised "villain of the week" storyline with more than a whiff of a Scyfy series about it. A swing and a miss for Netflix here unfortunately.
  26. metabad
    Jul 29, 2019
    3
    The premise sounds reasonable:
    An alien ship lands on earth and builds a crystalline, impenetrable structure around it.
    The military and scientists try to analyze it and establish contact with the aliens. A spaceship is sent to a distant star where the aliens are assumed to be from. But then, oh boy, the trouble starts. Katee Sackoff is passable as the ship's commander Nico and I    The premise sounds reasonable:
    An alien ship lands on earth and builds a crystalline, impenetrable structure around it.
    The military and scientists try to analyze it and establish contact with the aliens.
    A spaceship is sent to a distant star where the aliens are assumed to be from.

    But then, oh boy, the trouble starts.
    Katee Sackoff is passable as the ship's commander Nico and I liked Samuel Anderson as the ship's AI (William) a lot.
    Among a purely american crew, the AI picks as a visualization of itself a...British black man with a beard. Priceless! But I'm glad it's Samuel Anderson.

    The rest of the crew is basically a pain in the *ss.
    They're an annoying bunch of whiny, bickering twenty-somethings that would pass as undergraduates at best.
    Especially Michelle, the 'computer whiz' is yelling all the time. If I had been there, I would have tased her and put her back to cryo-sleep.

    According to Michelle, they got rid of mandatory uniforms a decade ago. That's so cool and in episode one, we get to see all female cast members in sports bras. Great! And so woke!
    The 'medical officer' appears to be transgender and that person is the only crew member that looks stable, competent and trustworthy. At least one!

    The space trip is basically a wrap-up of all scify themes and tropes you know from many scify shows and movies.
    Since the writers preferred action and scares over suspense and character development, the show throws one scify theme after another at us.
    Sometimes you would have two or three of those themes in one episode together.
    It's non-stop action, one emergency after another. Some of them due to stupid behavior of one of the crew members, like opening the helmet on a foreign planet, well...there is enough oxygen to do it!
    And it's all completely random and arbitrary, a fire, AI failure, cryo sleep problems...it goes on and on.
    They need food and...find an earth-like moon that's not too far away...Come ON!

    And of course, those hormones. Smooching and sex is apparently unavoidable. Ah, those sports bras!
    Based on all the above there should be no doubt in your mind that the science is all nonsense.

    Another problem:
    The space trip goes on for seven to twelve months, due to detours they make.
    So on earth, they're analyzing the strucure for almost a year? Those two time lines don't match convincingly.
    But that's just a minor issue of the show because on the whole it's all a big old nonsensical mess.

    Even in the season's finale, where you learn more about the aliens, you'll be all question marks about what
    happens.
    It's somewhat cryptic but it's to avoid spoilers:
    When you see the last couple of scenes you won't really understand why it's necessary what the aliens do and especially, you won't understand what they don't do.

    But despite all that, I can understand why some people like the show. It's entertaining in a way and the production value is ok. It doesn't look cheap.
    So, if you have nothing to do, give it about three episodes, that will give you a good impression what you're dealing with.
    On the other hand, looking at the (user-) ratings, I wonder if it's worth it, because the question is: Do you really think we'll get a second season?    … Expand
  27. LastAeon
    Aug 26, 2019
    3
    It's like some progressive agenda for gender and orientation using Sci-Fi as a vehicle. If it wasn't for the fact that I couldn't take my eyes off the gorgeous women in the cast and that the A.I. character played by Samuel Anderson and earthbound scientist Justin Chatwin are genuinely interesting and sympathetic characters I would have stopped watching. Despite that all the actors do aIt's like some progressive agenda for gender and orientation using Sci-Fi as a vehicle. If it wasn't for the fact that I couldn't take my eyes off the gorgeous women in the cast and that the A.I. character played by Samuel Anderson and earthbound scientist Justin Chatwin are genuinely interesting and sympathetic characters I would have stopped watching. Despite that all the actors do a great job for what they've been given.… Expand
  28. metamanners
    Aug 6, 2019
    3
    This review contains some SPOILERS.

    A good cast and a decent premise is wasted on this show because of it's terrible plot lines and some truly awful writing.. I mean an alien non-carbon based virus that attacks the nerve cells of humans and extremely rapidly grows into a snake like thing that bursts out of the spine of the infected (who in spite of this was feeling just fine only 30    This review contains some SPOILERS.

    A good cast and a decent premise is wasted on this show because of it's terrible plot lines and some truly awful writing.. I mean an alien non-carbon based virus that attacks the nerve cells of humans and extremely rapidly grows into a snake like thing that bursts out of the spine of the infected (who in spite of this was feeling just fine only 30 seconds before)! I mean in Alien I could overlook the lack of pain both to John Hurt's character and the potential mental pain to me for watching it because it was a fresh idea and (as it turned out) the creature was probably bioengineered as a weapon. But here it just becomes unintentionally hilarious. What was the virus living on before the crew conveniently let themselves be infected by it, considering it was a pretty dead world in the first place?

    Don't misunderstand - not ALL the writing is that bad but its not great either, All in all, fire some writers and whoever was supposed to keep them in check and things might be OK if - and at this point it seems VERY unlikely - it ever comes to a second season.    … Expand
  29. Chuck_Woolery
    Sep 16, 2019
    2
    Wow. Just wow. Vacuous nonsense. I feel dumber after watching this. 2 stars for production work and some visuals. Though whomever worked on it deserves better than some contrived set of shallow characters literally trying to tell each other why they are there. And don't misjudge a bunch of weak male caricatures as "strength" in the female characters. You can do better.
  30. abowman
    Jul 31, 2019
    2
    We don't get too many space fantasy shows so I really tried to give this one a shot. I'm almost done with the series for the sake of seeing it through but I honestly can't recommend it to anyone. The characters are unbelievable and out of place. You have a bunch of sex crazed teenagers leading one of earth's most important missions to date.

    As many others have mentioned, Netflix tends    We don't get too many space fantasy shows so I really tried to give this one a shot. I'm almost done with the series for the sake of seeing it through but I honestly can't recommend it to anyone. The characters are unbelievable and out of place. You have a bunch of sex crazed teenagers leading one of earth's most important missions to date.

    As many others have mentioned, Netflix tends to shove their "progressive" ideology down your throat, even if it doesn't make any sense or add anything to the story. Almost every episode is filled with extremely immature writing to almost laughable levels. Every time the show starts to pick up steam with an actual interesting ideas, the very next scene will make you shout at the screen "what the hell am I watching!" I honestly don't know who this stuff appeals to, but after reading the reviews it seems i'm not alone.

    There so much potential for a good show here... its a shame that its painfully ruined by out of place characters that no one can relate to. Netflix - reevaluate your audience because i'm not sure who this **** is suppose to appeal to.    … Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Most Discussed TV Season of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
33

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 8
  3. Negative: 4 out of 8
  1. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Jul 26, 2019
    30
    This is an earnest but hard-edged drama about extraterrestrial first contact and deep space exploration that Frankensteins together bits of classics and near-classics. But the the whole never congeals into an original statement. And the storytelling is so ungraceful that I got whiplash from the first four episodes.
    Read full review
  2. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Alex McLevy
    Jul 25, 2019
    50
    Nitpicking sci-fi conceits is usually a waste of time (who cares how implausible a lovestruck robot fixing a ship’s FTL drive is?), but there are enough glaring omissions of logic in Another Life that it’s impossible not to get pulled out of the story at times. ... What the series does have is Sackhoff, and she’s more than up to the task of reminding the viewer why she’s anchoring this series. Whenever she’s onscreen, the show’s sophomoric writing instantly becomes more plausible
    Read full review
  3. RogerEbert.com
    Reviewed by: Brian Tallerico
    Jul 25, 2019
    10
    “Another Life” has a complete lack of character development within Niko’s crew because they're too busy worrying and yelling. ... Blair and Sackhoff are always welcome presences on any show, and it’s telling how much the four episodes of “Another Life” that I could stomach simply annoyed me.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »