Invasion (2021 TV series)

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Invasion
Genre
Created by
Starring
Music by
Country of originUnited States
Original languages
  • English
  • Japanese
  • Pashto
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes20
Production
Executive producers
  • Jakob Verbruggen
  • Audrey Chon
  • Amy Kaufman
  • Andrew Baldwin
  • Simon Kinberg
  • David Weil
  • Elisa Ellis
Running time33–58 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkApple TV+
ReleaseOctober 22, 2021 (2021-10-22) –
present (present)

Invasion is an American science fiction television series created by Simon Kinberg and David Weil. It premiered on Apple TV+ on October 22, 2021.[2][3] The series has received a mixed critical response, praising the acting, music and pacing, but criticizing the underuse of the aliens. It is shown in English, Japanese, Pashto language. In December 2021, the series was renewed for a second season,[4] which premiered on August 23, 2023.[5] In February 2024, it was renewed for a third season.[6]

Premise[edit]

Earth is visited by an alien species that threatens humanity's existence. Events unfold in real time through the eyes of a handful of ordinary people across the globe as they struggle to make sense of the chaos unraveling around them.

Cast[edit]

Main[edit]

Recurring[edit]

Episodes[edit]

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
110October 22, 2021 (2021-10-22)December 10, 2021 (2021-12-10)
210August 23, 2023 (2023-08-23)October 25, 2023 (2023-10-25)

Season 1 (2021)[edit]

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Last Day"Jakob VerbruggenSimon Kinberg & David WeilOctober 22, 2021 (2021-10-22)
22"Crash"Jakob VerbruggenSimon Kinberg & David WeilOctober 22, 2021 (2021-10-22)
33"Orion"Jamie PayneSimon Kinberg & David WeilOctober 22, 2021 (2021-10-22)
44"The King Is Dead"Jamie PayneSimon KinbergOctober 29, 2021 (2021-10-29)
55"Going Home"Amanda MarsalisSimon KinbergNovember 5, 2021 (2021-11-05)
66"Home Invasion"Amanda MarsalisAndrew BaldwinNovember 12, 2021 (2021-11-12)
77"Hope"Amanda MarsalisStory by : Simon Kinberg and David J. Rosen
Teleplay by : Simon Kinberg & Andrew Baldwin
November 19, 2021 (2021-11-19)
88"Contact"Amanda MarsalisStory by : Andrew Baldwin & Simon Kinberg and Gursimran Sandhu
Teleplay by : Andrew Baldwin & Simon Kinberg
November 25, 2021 (2021-11-25)
99"Full of Stars"Jakob VerbruggenAndrew Baldwin & Simon KinbergDecember 3, 2021 (2021-12-03)
1010"First Day"Jakob VerbruggenAndrew Baldwin & Simon KinbergDecember 10, 2021 (2021-12-10)

Season 2 (2023)[edit]

No.
overall
No. in
season
Title [7]Directed byWritten by [8]Original release date [7]
111"Something's Changed"Alik SakharovSimon KinbergAugust 23, 2023 (2023-08-23)
122"Chasing Ghosts"Alik SakharovTatiana Suarez-PicoAugust 30, 2023 (2023-08-30)
133"Fireworks"Alik SakharovAditi Brennan KapilSeptember 6, 2023 (2023-09-06)
144"The Tunnel"Brad AndersonDan DietzSeptember 13, 2023 (2023-09-13)
155"A Voice From the Other Side"Alik SakharovDonald JohSeptember 20, 2023 (2023-09-20)
166"Pressure Points"Brad AndersonStory by : Uzoamaka Maduka and Donald Joh
Teleplay by : Donald Joh
September 27, 2023 (2023-09-27)
177"Down the Rabbit Hole"Brad AndersonDan DietzOctober 4, 2023 (2023-10-04)
188"Cosmic Ocean"Claudia LlosaAditi Brennan KapilOctober 11, 2023 (2023-10-11)
199"Breakthrough"Mathias HerndlTatiana Suarez-PicoOctober 18, 2023 (2023-10-18)
2010"Old Friends, New Frontiers"Mathias HerndlSimon Kinberg & Dan DietzOctober 25, 2023 (2023-10-25)

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

Apple gave an order for ten episodes in January 2019 with Simon Kinberg and David Weil creating, writing, and serving as executive producers for the series, with Audrey Chon also serving as an executive producer.[9] Deadline reported that Chad Feehan was briefly brought in as a showrunner "out of necessity" but soon departed the series in September 2019.[10] When the resumption of filming was announced, Jakob Verbruggen was listed as the director and executive producer of the series with Amy Kaufman, Andrew Baldwin, and Elisa Ellis also serving as executive producers; however, further reporting stated that Amanda Marsalis had also directed some episodes.[11][12] The first season of Invasion was reported to have had a $200 million budget.[13] On December 8, 2021, Apple renewed the series for a second season.[14]

Casting[edit]

Deadline revealed in August 2020 that Neill, Anderson, Farahani, Nassar, and Kutsuna were all to be part of the cast.[11]

Filming[edit]

Filming was originally planned to commence in mid-2019 with Kinberg directing but was delayed due to his work on the feature film The 355.[citation needed] According to a report by Deadline, Invasion planned to film in New York, Manchester, Morocco, and Japan. "Portions of the series had been shot in New York and Morocco, and producers were prepping for the UK shoot when the coronavirus-related industry shutdown started in mid-March."[11] In February 2021, filming occurred in Greenwich, one of the last filming locations for the series.[15] Filming for the first season concluded on March 15, 2021.[16]

Release[edit]

The series premiered on Apple TV+ on October 22, 2021, with the release of its first three episodes; the first season concluded on December 10, 2021.[3]

Reception[edit]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 48% approval rating with an average rating of 5.6/10, based on 42 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Invasion attempts a slow burn but inadvertently lets its tension completely fizzle out with leaden pacing that will leave viewers impatient for the alien apocalypse to finally arrive."[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 51 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[18]

RogerEbert.com reviewer Nick Allen called the series "a thrilling series about people, not aliens", adding that the series "is a refreshing and often thrilling juggling of plot-threads that involve incredibly flawed or hurtful decisions made in the name of survival".[19]

Andrew Webster, writing for The Verge, said that "Apple's Invasion feels like the first chapter of a sci-fi epic", adding "This all means that when the aliens do finally appear, it’s a huge deal."[20]

Daniel Fienberg, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, said that "Invasion verges on 10 episodes of setup so pure and unfulfilling that a better title would be Evasion". He called the series, "amusing at first, then annoying, and finally, simply confusing", but praised Sam Neill's performance.[21]

For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 64% approval rating with an average rating of 6.1/10, based on 11 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A marked improvement if not a wholehearted vindication, Invasion's second season explores the fallout of an alien takeover with impressive scope."[22] Metacritic gave it a score of 63 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[23] Chase Hutchinson, writing for Collider, said "In its ten-episode return, the science fiction series makes its first season more like a prologue for the story it really wanted to tell."[24]

Accolades[edit]

Invasion was nominated in the category of Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, Game Cinematic or Real-Time Project at the 22nd Visual Effects Society Awards.[25]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Vlessing, Etan (April 13, 2021). "MIPTV: Canadian Producers Boat Rocker on Their IPO, Embracing Streamers and that 'Orphan Black' Spin-Off". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  2. ^ "Apple TV+ releases a special preview of new and upcoming Apple Originals premiering in 2021". Apple TV+ (Press release). June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Petski, Denise (June 9, 2021). "'Invasion': Apple Unveils Premiere Date & Teaser Trailer For Simon Kinberg & David Weil's Sci-Fi Drama". Deadline Hollywood.
  4. ^ "AApple TV+ renews global hit series "Invasion" for season two". Apple TV+ (Press release). December 8, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  5. ^ Petski, Denise (June 30, 2023). "'Invasion' Gets Season 2 Premiere Date At Apple; First-Look Photos". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  6. ^ Petski, Denise (February 13, 2024). "'Invasion' Renewed For Season 3 At Apple TV+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Shows A-Z - invasion on apple tv plus". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  8. ^ "Invasion". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  9. ^ Owen, Malcolm (January 19, 2019). "Apple green-lights 10-episode sci-fi series from Simon Kinberg and David Weil". AppleInsider. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 17, 2019). "Apple's Simon Kinberg/David Weil Series' Showrunner Chad Feehan Exits As Creators Step Up Involvement". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (August 27, 2020). "Simon Kinberg & David Weil's Apple Series 'Invasion' Resumes Production With Cast Led By Sam Neill & Shamier Anderson". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  12. ^ Low, Elaine (March 31, 2021). "DC Drama 'Naomi' Adds Barry Watson, Four Others to Cast". Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  13. ^ Davids, Brian (April 22, 2021). "Why 'Stowaway' Star Shamier Anderson Goes to Extreme Lengths for His Roles". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  14. ^ White, Peter (December 8, 2021). "'Invasion' Renewed For Season 2 At Apple". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  15. ^ Bennett-Ness, Jamie (February 12, 2021). "Greenwich sites transformed into alien invasion for mysterious new TV show". News Shopper. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  16. ^ Shiori Kutsuna [@shiolokutsuna] (March 15, 2021). "and... that's a wrap! one year and five months since we first started in october 2019. the longest and one of the most challenging experiences I've ever had. shooting in four countries while dealing with covid was definitely not easy, but after many many discussions, adjustments and cooperation, we finally did it!!! #invasion" – via Instagram.
  17. ^ "Invasion: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  18. ^ "Invasion: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  19. ^ Allen, Nick. "Apple TV's Invasion is a Thrilling Show About People, Not Aliens | TV/Streaming | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  20. ^ Webster, Andrew (December 11, 2021). "Apple's Invasion feels like the first chapter of a sci-fi epic". The Verge. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  21. ^ Fienberg, Daniel (October 21, 2021). "Apple TV+'s 'Invasion': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  22. ^ "Invasion: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  23. ^ "Invasion: Season 2". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  24. ^ Hutchinson, Chase (August 16, 2023). "'Invasion' Season 2 Review: Apple TV+'s Sweeping Science Fiction Series Reinvents Itself". Collider. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  25. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (January 16, 2024). "'The Creator' Leads Visual Effects Society Feature Competition With 7 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 16, 2024.

External links[edit]