Image via Paul Drinkwater / ©NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection
By
Carolyn Jenkins
Published 9 minutes ago
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Carolyn Jenkins is a voracious consumer of film and television. She graduated from Long Island University with an MFA in Screenwriting and Producing where she learned the art of character, plot, and structure. The best teacher is absorbing media and she spends her time reading about different worlds from teen angst to the universe of Stephen King.
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A show like The X-Files comes around only once in a generation, but others of its kind still found its audience, if only for a short time. One of these underrated series was the 1996 gem, Dark Skies, which premiered on NBC. Building off the success of the conspiracy-heavy series on Fox, Dark Skies also presented a world where the government was hiding the existence of aliens. While The X-Files remained more ambiguous than its successor, Dark Skies made it clear, under no uncertain terms, that aliens were among the human population in the period series.
The show takes place in 1961 when John Loengard (Eric Close) moves to DC with his girlfriend, Kimberly (Megan Ward). After taking a job on Capitol Hill, John learns more than he should about the world he thought he knew. When investigating Project Blue Book in his capacity as a Congressional aide, John quickly learns that aliens are real. A shadowy government organization known as Majestic 12 was responsible for covering up the existence of aliens who had been among the population since the 1940s.
Throughout the series, John learns that Earth has already been invaded by The Hive, spidery aliens who were able to crawl into human beings and control them. The first episode had the help of horror icon Tobe Hooper in the director's chair to introduce viewers to the concept. Tragically, the series was canceled before the end of Season 1, before the series had a chance to compete.
Canceling ‘Dark Skies’ Cut Short Great Potential
Image via Paul Drinkwater / ©NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection
Comparisons to The X-Files are unavoidable considering the subject of the series. Dark Skies also features a duo trying to foil the government's plans for a vast alien cover-up. Even so, Dark Skies set itself apart from the very beginning. While Agent Mulder (David Duchovny) has to break down doors to get even a glimpse of alien content, John gets the alien message loud and clear. After investigating accounts of alien activity, government agents threaten his life, which confirms the existence of extraterrestrials. John’s cross to bear isn’t necessarily figuring out if aliens are real or not, but finding a way to limit the insidious presence on Earth.
Dark Skies also found its footing as a period piece, which differed from the more modern take on aliens in The X-Files. The series placed its characters in the ‘60s, questioning whether historical events happened as viewers thought they did. This concept was different enough to merit an audience, but sadly, the ratings did not support any potential for NBC. Even though the creatives had plotted a series lasting five seasons that would span decades, Dark Skies was axed before it could reach that potential.
Interest in aliens was not just a flash in the pan, however, and these concepts would prove to be timeless. Even though the series Dark Skies failed on a network level, its legacy would continue. In 2013, another alien production under the name Dark Skies was developed, this time as a feature film. Starring Keri Russell, the film Dark Skies also investigated the existence of aliens, this time under the horror umbrella. Fan fervor for The X-Files also remains, even summoning talks of a reboot from Ryan Coogler. The television series Dark Skies has a timeless concept about the lies that the government tells, and there is no better time to investigate the underrated series.
Dark Skies
Like Drama Action & Adventure Science Fiction Release Date 1996 - 1997-00-00 Network NBC Directors Perry Lang, Jim Charleston, Thomas J. Wright, David Jackson, James A. Contner, Lou Antonio, Martha Mitchell, Michael Levine, Rodman Flender, Tobe Hooper, Tucker Gates Writers Bryce Zabel, Brad Markowitz, James D. ParriottCast
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Beata Pozniak
Uncredited
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Brittney Powell
John Loengard
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Don Moss
Pyne
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Eric Close
Frank Bach
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Dark Skies
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The X-Files
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