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. In Germany the show is not published as Invasion but is called Infiltration[4] It was renewed for a second season in December 2021,[5] which premiered on August 23, 2023.[6] It was renewed for a third season in February 2024.[7]
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.
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.[10]Deadline reported that Chad Feehan was briefly brought in as a showrunner "out of necessity" but soon departed the series in September 2019.[11] 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.[12][13] The first season was reported to have a $200million budget.[14] On December 8, 2021, Apple renewed the series for a second season.[15] The show was renewed for a third season on February 13, 2024.[7]
Casting
Deadline revealed in August 2020 that Neill, Anderson, Farahani, Nassar, and Kutsuna were all to be part of the cast.[12]
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."[12] In February 2021, filming occurred in Greenwich, one of the series' last filming locations.[16] Filming for the first season concluded on March 15, 2021.[17]
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."[18]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 51 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[19]
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".[20]
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."[21]
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.[22]
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."[23] Metacritic gave it a score of 63 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[24] 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."[25]
