Fans were promised a dark, cerebral extension of the Alien universe in Noah Hawley's Alien: Earth, which would include corporate fraud, xenomorph terror, and challenging philosophical issues about syn

Hulu’s latest sci-fi thriller, which has earned an impressive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, is taking over streaming charts. The streamer premiered the first two episodes of Alien: Earth this week, and the show has soared to the top spot on both Hulu in America and Disney+ globally.

For Hawley, overlaying Peter Pan onto Alien: Earth ‘s science fiction made sense because of the idea of trapping children’s minds in immortal bodies that were created, and ruled over, by a literal boy genius. Moreover, because Barrie’s work isn’t quite as anodyne and sweet as Disney’s animated film.

Alien: Earth is a welcome return to the insanity of the franchise after the last entry played things so awfully safe.

Set in 2120, it hinges on a batch of alien and various mutating specimens who crash-land on Earth in a research vessel that’s owned by one of five corporations that now rule during this Corporate Era — a chillingly plausible schematic.

What’s the song that plays at the end of Alien: Earth Episode 1, just as Wendy and her friends are about to enter the wreckage on New Siam? That would be “The Mob Rules” by Black Sabbath. The song aptly opens with a warning to civilians that evil is on its way:

Noah Hawley has once more turned a respected movie –– or movies, in this case –– into a successful TV series that innovates while honoring the source.