People of Earth Information

People of Earth is an American comedy television series created by David Jenkins about a support group for alien abductees. TBS ordered the pilot under the name The Group in May 2015, and announced a 10-episode order in January 2016. The series premiered on October 31, 2016, on TBS. On December 13, 2016, TBS renewed the show for a second season.

Plot

The series follows city journalist Ozzie (Wyatt Cenac) who travels to Beacon, New York to write a piece on a support group, "StarCrossed", centered around alien encounters. Although skeptical at first, Ozzie realizes the truth to the group's claims when he begins to have similar experiences. Ozzie eventually quits his job and moves to the town to investigate further and resolve issues in his past surrounding the town's strange happenings.

Cast

"Star-Crossed" members

A support group for "experiencers" – the term they prefer to abductees.

• Wyatt Cenac as Ozzie Graham, a reporter
  • Aaron Davis as young Ozzie
• Ana Gasteyer as Gina Morrison, a psychoanalyst
• Luka Jones as Gerry Johnson, a toll booth attendant who has never been abducted
• Brian Huskey as Richard Schultz, VP of a tech company that makes jacks for internet cables
• Alice Wetterlund as Kelly Grady, a temp receptionist at a funeral home
• Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Yvonne Watson, a mailperson
• Tracee Chimo as Chelsea Wheeler, a homemaker
• Daniel Stewart Sherman as Ennis Hart, a farmer
• Nancy Lenehan as Margaret Flood, a retiree

Aliens

• Ken Hall as Jeff, a grey working on the alien spaceship (the "Sub-Ship")
• Bjrn Gustafsson as Don, a white working on the Sub-Ship
• Drew Nelson as Kurt, a reptilian working on the Sub-Ship
  • Nelson also voices The Deer
• Michael Cassidy as Jonathan Walsh, a reptilian working on Earth as owner of the Glint media empire Ozzie works for
• Debra McCabe as Nancy, an android working as Jonathan's Earth assistant
• Victor Williams as Assessor, a reptilian and senior operative on Earth

Supporting characters

• Oscar Nuez as Father Doug
• Amy Landecker as Debbie Schultz, Richard's ex-wife
• Michael Crane as John Wheeler, Chelsea's husband
• H. Jon Benjamin as Officer Glimmer, a human police officer working for the aliens

Episodes

|Viewers= 0.91
|ShortSummary= New York City reporter Ozzie Grahm travels to Beacon, New York to do a story on StarCrossed, a support group for "experiencers", victims  of alien abduction. Richard explains his theory that every president, for two centuries, has been a lizard alien.  While skeptical at first, Ozzie soon begins uncovering repressed memories of his own abduction experience.
|ProdCode= U11.10041
|LineColor= 0c1e1a

}}

|Viewers= 0.79
|ShortSummary= Ozzie quits his New York City job for one in Beacon, but has some difficulty adjusting to his new life and his alien abduction.  Ozzie tries to pick a sponsor at StarCrossed.  Ozzie's former boss, Jonathan (a lizard alien), tries to convince Ozzie to return to New York City. Jonathan has been using his Glint Enterprises media empire to control and cover-up stories about alien activity. Lizard Kurt goes to Beacon to try and clean up the Ozzie mess, only to be killed in a hit and run by Gina, who was texting while driving. Beacon P.D. Officer Glimmer cleans up Kurt's clearly-alien body.
|ProdCode= U13.12402
|LineColor= 0c1e1a

}}

|Viewers= 0.67
|ShortSummary= Ozzie tries to help Richard face the reality of his failed marriage—his wife is not a missing alien captive, she is simply divorcing him.  She admits to being abducted with him, but their marriage was always bad and she still wants a divorce. Officer Glimmer tells Gina that she only hit a raccoon. Gerry and Yvonne investigate Gina's hit and run, figuring out that she hit a lizard alien, whose acidic blood burned its shape into the pavement. Jonathan visits the Sub-Ship (alien spaceship) to give Don and Jeff the bad news about Kurt, which hits them both hard.
|ProdCode= U13.12403
|LineColor= 0c1e1a

}}

|Viewers= 0.67
|ShortSummary= Gina's backstory and the origin of StarCrossed is explored. Jonathan, in trouble with the rest of the alien team, tries to goad Ozzie (alien "Subject 28409") into leaving Beacon before he learns more about the aliens. Jeff is angry with Jonathan for getting Kurt killed. The Assessor reveals that the lizard aliens' agenda (consistent with Richard's theory about presidents) is "travelling light years to an inhabited planet, hiding among their dominant species for two centuries, and subverting them from within." Ozzie's flashbacks reveal that Jonathan visited him during his childhood, in both reptile and human form.
|ProdCode= U13.12404
|LineColor= 0c1e1a

}}

|Viewers= 0.81
|ShortSummary= Chelsea and Father Doug grow close, when he helps her by explaining that "God makes us witnesses to the unexplainable" and that her acceptance of her impossible event (abduction) is a form of faith.  Jeff sends signals that mess with the implant in Ozzie's brain, causing pain and hallucinations that lead to hospitalization. Doctors remove the implant just as Jeff tries to wipe Ozzie's brain.  Don reminisces about his pleasant time with Kelly during her abduction, deciding to take a job at her favorite coffee shop to be closer to her.
|ProdCode= U13.12405
|LineColor= 0c1e1a

}}

|Viewers= 0.76
|ShortSummary= With Don working on Earth and Kurt dead, the aliens are months behind on their work. Jeff is stunned to receive a message that the alien MainStation spaceship is coming. Gina organizes a "coming out" for StarCrossed, who each bring a family member to the group meeting.  The family members react horribly, but the StarCrossed members develop deeper bonds. Ozzie runs into Father Doug at a bar, leading to a night of drinking and bonding.  Father Doug is struggling with the monotony of a small town congregtion and his feelings for Chelsea. Ozzie keeps investigating Glint Enterprises.
|ProdCode= U13.12406
|LineColor= 0c1e1a

}}

|Viewers= 0.82
|ShortSummary= Gerry's historical research tells him that an abduction will happen tonight, so he plans to be the next "experiencer".  He finds the courage to tell Yvonne how he feels about her and she fully reciprocates – twice. Don and Kelly go out for drinks and dancing. The Assessor orders Jonathan to kill Ozzie, who is still digging into Glint Enterprises, worrying fellow lizards Bono and Elon Musk. Jonathan, deeply attached to Ozzie since abducting him as a child, gives him proof of Glint Enterprises' coverups to publish in order to protect them both. Jeff is unable to do the (Gerry's) abduction without Don, who is on his date.
|ProdCode= U13.12407
|LineColor= 0c1e1a

}}

|Viewers= 0.76
|ShortSummary= Ozzie's expos of Glint Enterprises leads to a job at the New York Times, but they back off after his abduction story is brought into the light. Jeff takes control of Nancy, has her leave Jonathan with no money, then has her join StarCrossed to ruin the group. Officer Glimmer has teenagers abduct and rough up Father Doug, twisting the results to convince Doug to kick StarCrossed out of the church basement.  Ozzie salvages the offer from New York, but has another flashback to his childhood abduction when he stops at a particular store on the edge of Beacon.  Jeff (through Nancy's eyes) recognizes Gina's car as Kurt's killer. Upset with this discovery, Jeff plans to take revenge on the car's driver. 
|ProdCode= U13.12408
|LineColor= 0c1e1a

}}

|Viewers= 0.776
|ShortSummary= Gerry, never abducted and upset that Yvonne doesn't want a relationship, quits the group and goes to work for his dad. When Richard flirts with Nancy, Jeff uses this to learn more about Gina, successfully dismantling StarCrossed from within. Ozzie's parents reveal that they lost him for 48 hours at the store in Beacon, after which he started drawing a lizard alien. Father Doug takes a vacation and Chelsea realizes her husband is cheating – she goes to watch Doug's gig with his reunited band. Don is concerned that Jeff is off-mission in his use of Nancy, not realizing that Jeff is about to have Nancy kill Gina.
|ProdCode= U13.12409
|LineColor= 0c1e1a

}}

|Viewers= 0.683
|ShortSummary= Gina helps Ozzie come to terms with memories of his childhood abduction—one memory is revealed to be a young Gina on the alien ship.  Ozzie and Gina visit the store in Beacon, and he recalls discovering Jonathan that day with two other reptilians (Kurt and Lewis the store clerk). Don tries to stop Jeff, who justifies that killing Ozzie and Gina now will save them from becoming slaves in ore mines when MainStation arrives. Don warns Jonathan, now living with Officer Glimmer, about Jeff's murderous plans using Nancy. When Jonathan stops Nancy, Jeff triggers her self-destruct—the resulting destruction allows Richard to see that Jonathan is a reptilian. Doug and Chelsea give in to their attraction and act on it fully. Don and Kelly give in to their attraction and leave for Iceland (his fake home).  MainStation arrives, but Jeff is surprised when unknown beings, rather than his Commanders, emerge. It is revealed that Jonathan had all eight members of StarCrossed together on his ship decades ago, forming his deep personal connection with them as youngsters/young adults (Margaret).Gerry is finally abducted.
|ProdCode= U13.12410
|LineColor= 0c1e1a

}} }}

Production

TBS first began developing the show in May 2015 and was going by The Group as its working title at the time, and then the pilot was ordered to series by TBS in January 2016. It got picked up to series with a 10-episode order in January 2016. It was directed by Greg Daniels and shot in Toronto, Canada.

Streaming

People of Earth is available to stream on TBS's website, with valid cable subscription or paid streaming service. The first 5 episodes from Season 1 are available to watch on-demand. Replays of episodes from Season 1 can also be streamed on the TBS website as they air. It is also available on iTunes and Amazon.

Reception

Critical response

People of Earth has received widespread acclaim from television critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the first season an approval rating of 92%, based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 7.25/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "People of Earth skillfully grounds its high-concept premise with a strong story, quirky humor, and sweetly relatable humanity." On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 72 out of 100, based on reviews from 20 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".

Mike Hale of the The New York Times gave it a positive review, writing: "People of Earth provides a funny line or detail just often enough to keep you watching." Maureen Ryan of Variety also praised the series, declaring it a "People of Earth may be slight and decidedly modest in its ambitions and execution, but it"?s not a show that sets out to mock or belittle unconventional people."