The Man Who Fell to Earth (TV series)

Did You Know?

• A portion of the series was shown at SXSW on March 12, 2022.
• The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an 86% approval rating based on 30 critic reviews.
• Metacritic assigned a score of 68 out of 100 based on 16 critics.

Production

A TV adaptation of Walter Tevis's novel The Man Who Fell to Earth originally began development at Hulu, but in August 2019 the project shifted to CBS All Access. This move followed Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, which created unresolvable disagreements over co-production. Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman created the series. In February 2021, Chiwetel Ejiofor was cast as the alien character Faraday. The following month, the series moved again to Showtime, with Naomie Harris, Jimmi Simpson, and Clarke Peters joining the cast. Rob Delaney, Sonya Cassidy, Joana Ribeiro, and Annelle Olayele were added in April. Kate Mulgrew signed on for a recurring role in August. Bill Nighy was cast in January 2022 to play Thomas Jerome Newton, the part famously portrayed by David Bowie in the film. Filming began on May 3, 2021, in London, with a significant portion shot at the University of Hertfordshire. In October 2022, Showtime announced it would not renew the series for a second season.