Invasion (2021 TV series)

Last updated

Invasion
Invasion title card.jpg
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
Network Apple TV+
ReleaseOctober 22, 2021 (2021-10-22) 
present (present)

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

Contents

Premise

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 increasing chaos around them.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
1 10October 22, 2021 (2021-10-22)December 10, 2021 (2021-12-10)
2 10August 23, 2023 (2023-08-23)October 25, 2023 (2023-10-25)

Season 1 (2021)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Last Day" Jakob Verbruggen Simon Kinberg & David Weil October 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 Marsalis Simon 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)

No.
overall
No. in
season
Title [7] Directed byWritten by [8] Original release date [7]
111"Something's Changed" Alik Sakharov Simon Kinberg August 23, 2023 (2023-08-23)
122"Chasing Ghosts"Alik SakharovTatiana Suarez-PicoAugust 30, 2023 (2023-08-30)
133"Fireworks"Alik Sakharov Aditi Brennan Kapil September 6, 2023 (2023-09-06)
144"The Tunnel" Brad Anderson Dan 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 Llosa Aditi 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

Development

Apple gave an order for ten episodes in January 2019 with Simon Kinberg and David Weil creating and writing, as well as executive-producing with Audrey Chon. [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 director and executive producer with Amy Kaufman, Andrew Baldwin and Elisa Ellis also executive producers; however, it was subsequently reported that Amanda Marsalis had also directed some episodes. [11] [12] The first season was reported to have a $200 million budget. [13] On December 8, 2021, Apple renewed the series for a second season. [14]

Casting

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

Filming

Filming was originally planned to start 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 series' last filming locations. [15] Filming for the first season concluded on March 15, 2021. [16]

Release

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

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 single-episode performance in the pilot. [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

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]

Related Research Articles

Jakob Verbruggen is a Belgian television and film director. He studied at the Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema and Sound (RITCS) in Belgium.

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References

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  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.
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