Over three seasons of filming, the quirky sci-fi comedy Resident Alien has used a small Vancouver Island town to stand in for the fictional town of Patience, Colorado.
In March, Ladysmith's First Avenue was once again transformed into Patience as the crew returned to shoot scenes for Season 4. A quaint wooden sign outside the RBC welcomed visitors to Patience, while locals gathered nearby, hoping to catch a glimpse of alien life.
The show鈥檚 creator and showrunner, Chris Sheridan, said that when Alan Tudyk first auditioned for the lead role, he immediately knew it was perfect casting. Tudyk was funny, yes, but there was also a real human inside the alien facade he put on.
Sheridan felt the same way about Ladysmith.
鈥淲hen I came to Ladysmith and saw our main intersection here, I saw the pizza place...there's a life to the town of Ladysmith that was everything I wanted in Patience,鈥� Sheridan said. 鈥淭here's a happiness and there's a joy in it to me. It felt like the characters would want to live here. It felt like when the audience watches it, they'd want to live here. And that's what I was going for.鈥�
Based on the comic book of the same name, Resident Alien stars Alan Tudyk as a stranded extraterrestrial who takes on the identity of a small-town doctor. The show has developed a loyal following thanks to its blend of humour, mystery and heart.
While the series leans into aliens and absurdity, Sheridan said the tone of the show is carefully grounded in emotional truth. The setting plays a key role in that.
鈥淭he only way to balance the tones in this, especially where there's aliens 鈥� the show could get very broad 鈥� is to try to ground everything in reality. So all the comedy from our main characters, it's funny, but it all feels real,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e try to ground things with the camera, too. When you're shooting up in Whistler or on a glacier, and you get a wide shot, that kind of scope 鈥� which we also get here in this town 鈥� is usually associated with dramatic projects. So it helps ground the show and makes it feel more real as well.鈥�
Ladysmith residents are no strangers to the bright lights and occasional road closures that come with hosting a television production. But Sheridan said the community has gone above and beyond in making the cast and crew feel welcome.
鈥淎nytime you shoot somewhere, you're intruding on their space. We know that. Every production knows that. When you go to a town or a house or a neighbourhood, there's going to be someone who's not thrilled that you're there,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat being said, out of all the places I've shot, I feel like Ladysmith is more welcoming than almost any other place I've shot at.鈥�
The production regularly hires locals, both behind the scenes and on camera, said locations manager Ken Brooker. One of the scenes shot in March featured a dance sequence with several of their leads waltzing.
鈥淲e try to hire locals as much as we can,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got 30 waltz dancers and 50 other general background [performers] in that one scene alone.鈥�
Locals are also brought on as production assistants, background wranglers, and more.
The impact of the production on the town goes beyond job opportunities.
鈥淲hen we're shooting like this, when the shops are open, we've got 120 people who are captives essentially at work, money in their pockets, and inevitably they wander into the stores. So it's a win-win,鈥� Brooker said.
The numbers back it up. Film Cowichan noted that Resident Alien spent more than $700,000 for just a few days of filming in 2021. And in the 2022鈥�2023 period, despite industry strikes, the Vancouver Island North Film Commission reported an economic impact of $11.8 million from 59 projects in the mid-Island area.
It鈥檚 not just the scenery and local support that grounds the show. The performances help make the characters feel real, too. Sometimes that involves giving actors room to improvise during a scene.
鈥淲e try to have them do what's written first, and then when there's time afterwards, they can sort of play with it,鈥� Sheridan said. 鈥淎nytime Corey and Liz, who are the sheriff and the deputy, have a scene together, we try to shoot in a way where we can let them go a little bit. They have a great chemistry.鈥�
One unscripted moment even helped define a key relationship on the show.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a scene in the pilot where Sheriff Mike and Deputy Liv are in the car and they start beatboxing. That wasn't in the script,鈥� Sheridan said.
He had asked Corey Reynolds, who plays the sheriff, if he had any hidden talents.
鈥淗e said, 'Well, I can beatbox.' Then he beatboxed while humming 'Amazing Grace'. And I was like, I don't know how you're doing that, but I'm going to find some way to put it in the show.鈥�
It started out as a scene with characters just waiting in a car. But by giving his actors the opportunity to incorporate their own quirks, Sheridan said, 鈥淚t turned into, in a very sort of subtle, simple way, a perfect encapsulation of their friendship and their work relationships.鈥�
B.C. actor Elizabeth Bowen is the only series regular on the show who is Canadian. While filming in Ladysmith affords her the opportunity to visit family who live on the Island, she has also spent time in town outside of shooting and has high praise for the community.
鈥淚 love Maya Norte, the Old Town Bakery, Plantitude and the gorgeous views,鈥� Bowen said, adding, 鈥淚 have yet to see or meet Pamela Anderson, but maybe one day?鈥�
The actors鈥� humour and charm, combined with the small-town beauty of Ladysmith, continues to shape the world of Resident Alien. And for Sheridan, it鈥檚 personal.
He recalled a moment when they were editing Season 1 and the sign for Ladysmith Trading Company was visible in a shot. The post-production supervisor (who oversees editing, sound, visual effects and delivery of the final show on time and on budget) told Sheridan they should probably blur the sign, since it reveals they鈥檙e in Ladysmith, not Patience.
But Sheridan decided to leave it in.
鈥淭o me leaving it there was sort of a shout-out to the town,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e appreciate everything you鈥檝e done for us. We love coming here.鈥�
