FX's Alien: Earth expands the iconic franchise with a new creature which takes over its host's mind rather than their body. The series continues the tradition of exploring human fears through innovative alien designs.

FX's Alien: Earth brings a fresh twist to the long-running Alien franchise by introducing the T-Acellus, a new extraterrestrial parasite that invades its host by replacing their eyeball and taking control of their mind. Unlike the classic Xenomorph, which is known for its chest-bursting reproductive horror, the T-Acellus focuses on cognitive invasion, raising new questions about autonomy and identity.

The series builds on the franchise's legacy of tapping into primal human anxieties, evolving from body horror to psychological horror. Alien: Earth continues to reflect on themes of vulnerability and control, ensuring the franchise remains relevant and unsettling for new audiences.

Alien: Earth introduces a new parasite

Alien Earth doesn't just rehash the same scares, it builds on the franchise's DNA to explore new angles of what makes us vulnerable. Just when you thought the Xenomorph was peak nightmare fuel, along comes a new alien that doesn't burst out of your chest, but hijacks your eyeballs. FX's Alien Earth is here, and this is how it hits. When people think of Alien, they usually think of… It's alien, if you can believe it. More commonly known as the Xenomorph, it's the ultimate sci-fi monster. Sleek, terrifying, and way too good at ruining dinner parties. What made the Xeno hit so hard is how it was first introduced in Ridley Scott's 1979 classic. You barely saw it at first, just flashes of teeth, claws, and shadows. But every glimpse made it feel less revealed and more imagined. And as the series went on, it didn't stay the same. Aliens made them into a swarm. Alien 3 gave us the animal-born runner. Each new form stretched what the Xenomorph could be, while for the most part keeping its core intact. A perfect organism built to hunt, kill, and haunt your dreams. The franchise carried that fear into other places too. Alien Isolation, released in 2014, put you directly in the nightmare. Trapping players in claustrophobic corridors with a Xenomorph that could hear, hunt, and outsmart you. In my humble opinion, it really didn't get the praise it deserved at the time, and reviews were mixed. But it did such a great job capturing the atmosphere of the original film. For my money, it's one of the best ways to experience what makes the Xeno so terrifying. I'd recommend it to any Alien fan, and honestly, it still holds up. In Alien Earth, that tradition continues with a new lovely extraterrestrial addition called the T-Acellus, which is basically an eyeball with tentacles. Fun. Like the Xenomorph, it's a parasite. But instead of chest bursting out of you like some sort of f***ed up piñata, this thing slips into you, or unfortunately, your cat's face. We love you, Jonesy, it could never beat you. By replacing your eyeball, latching onto your brainstem, and taking the wheel of your body like it just hot-wired your Kia Optima. Now, here's where it gets interesting. The fears at play are the same. But also completely different. The Xenomorph has always been tied to reproductive horror. Its life cycle is about invasion, impregnation, and ultimately taking control over your body. It taps into primal anxieties about violation and forced creation. But our new all-seeing octopus friend? It's about cognition. Your mind, your decisions, your identity, completely hijacked. It's a different kind of body horror. One that asks you, what if you're still alive in there, but someone else is driving? And this is where Alien Earth really has its fun. It's not just recycling the same chest-bursting tricks. It's mutating the franchise's DNA to poke at new kinds of vulnerability. First our bodies, now our minds. Although, judging by what we've seen, at least in the first couple of episodes, once this thing bails on you, you're probably toast. So how alive its host is, is, let's just say, up for debate. If we take a look back, the Alien series has always pushed the envelope with its creatures. The original Xenomorph gave us sexual and reproductive terror. Aliens added the queen, diving into themes surrounding maternal instinct. Later entries introduced the dog-born runner, experiments, mutations, and of course, the cutest baby only a maternal predator with a heart full of acid could love. Now, Alien Earth throws the octo... optic... octopus into the mix. Along with the rest of this happy fun bunch, what makes all of this work isn't just the gross-out factor. It's that these monsters reflect real human anxieties about reproduction, autonomy, identity, and control. That's why Alien has endured for decades, and why Alien Earth seems to be setting the stage for it to endure many more. So, whether it's a mouth inside of another mouth, or an eyeball squid turning you into a zombie, it's clear that the Alien franchise knows exactly how to crawl under our skin. That's how Alien Earth keeps the nightmare alive, and how the Alien franchise continues to evolve. As always, thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time on How It Hits.

Iran-backed Houthis raided offices of the United Nations’ food, health and children's agencies in Yemen’s capital, detaining several UN employees, officials said. The rebels tightened security across Sanaa following the Israeli killing of their prime minister and several Cabinet members.

Sana'a

Middle East Conflict

Houthis raid UN offices in Yemen, detain 11 employees

A large buildup of U.S. naval forces in and around the Southern Caribbean has officials in Caracas and experts in the United States asking: is the move aimed at combating drug cartels, as the Trump administration has suggested, or is it for something else entirely?

Caracas

U.S. builds up forces in Caribbean as officials, experts concerned

More than 600 people were killed and 2,500 injured after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late on Sunday, the Taliban has said. Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, with the worst one in recent memory hitting the country on 7 October, 2023.

Kabul

Over 600 killed after 6.0 magnitude quake rocks Afghanistan

Officials from the Trump administration spent the weekend pushing back against a U.S. appeals court ruling that most tariffs against Canada were illegal. Economic adviser Peter Navarro called the decision politically motivated.

Washington

Global Tariffs

Trump officials push back after court rules tariffs illegal

Israel's security cabinet is considering a plan to seize Gaza City with attacks ramping up over the weekend. The Israeli military has now ended a temporary pause of military action around aid delivery locations ahead of an expected 'full-scale assault'.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Israel intensifying attacks ahead of planned seizure of Gaza City

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says he's making every effort to stop President Trump from using the military to "invade states." But the White House claims the National Guard is needed to stop violent crime in Chicago.

Chicago

Trump threatens to send military to Chicago over crime

A young boy who had wandered away from his parents ended up on a closed monorail at Hersheypark in Pennsylvania this weekend. A bystander helped rescue the boy as a gathering crowd cheered. It's not clear how he made his way onto the monorail.

Hershey

Boy rescued from monorail track at Pennsylvania amusement park

A flotilla of boats carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza, has set sail from Barcelona. On board are organisers from 44 countries, who say they're trying to break Israel's siege on the Strip.

Barcelona

Greta Thunberg onboard second aid flotilla heading for Gaza Strip

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said New Delhi was committed to improving ties with China in a key meeting with President Xi Jinping, as the two leaders discussed the need to expand trade and investment ties against the backdrop of U.S. tariffs.

Beijing

Modi meets with Xi, vows to improve China ties

Pakistan's eastern Punjab province is facing one of the worst flood emergencies in recent history. Authorities say raging waters have affected the lives of more than 2 million people.

Punjab

Pakistan's Punjab province battered by historic flood

China’s Xi Jinping has welcomed Russia’s Vladimir Putin, India’s Narendra Modi and leaders from around 20 countries to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, a high-security gathering aimed at boosting Beijing’s influence and promoting "a multipolar world order."

Tianjin

Xi aims to show global south unity with Modi and Putin

Russia's Vladimir Putin is among a dozen leaders attending the regional security summit, which comes at a crunch moment in talks over his war on Ukraine, and for a summit that's demonstrating a strong show of unity among Global South leaders.

Putin arrives in China for key regional security summit

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson detailed his plan Saturday to resist President Trump's threatened immigration crackdown in his city. CBS News has learned the Trump administration plans to intensify immigration enforcement in the city as early as next week.

Chicago mayor pushes back on Trump's immigration crackdown

Russian strikes shook the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine overnight Friday, hitting a five-story apartment building, killing at least one person and injuring dozens more.

Zaporizhzhia

Russia continues assault on Ukrainian cities

For the first time since this week's deadly mass shooting at a Minneapolis church, which killed two young students and wounded more than a dozen people, a devastated community gathered Saturday at the site to attend Mass.

Minneapolis

Mass held at site of Minneapolis church shooting

The United States says it will not allow Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to travel to New York next month for a United Nations gathering of world leaders, where several U.S. allies are set to recognise Palestine as a state.

New York

U.S bars Palestinian leadership from attending UN

The Department of Homeland Security is preparing for an immigration crackdown in Chicago as early as next week, sources told CBS News. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker blasted the Trump administration's plans.

Chicago immigration crackdown could happen next week, sources say

The Israeli military on Friday declared Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone” before a new offensive in the Palestinian enclave's largest city. Israel is moving forward with plans to seize Gaza City despite growing international pressure to end the nearly two-year conflict.

Israel declares Gaza City a 'dangerous combat zone'

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has been blocked from attending the UN General Assembly in New York next month. That's as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cancelled visas for the Palestinian delegation.

U.S. blocks Palestinian officials from attending UN general assembly

The death toll of a devastating Russian air assault in Kyiv earlier this week has been revised upward to 25. Now European allies suggest Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing U.S. President Donald Trump if he runs out the clock on Washington's peace efforts.

Paris

Ukraine Invasion

Macron says Putin 'played Trump' if Zelenskyy meeting isn’t set soon

The Trump administration is planning expanded immigration operations in Chicago next week, two Department of Homeland Security sources tell CBS News. Camilo Montoya-Galvez reports.

Trump planning immigration crackdown in Chicago next week: sources

Iran-backed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in Israeli airstrikes on Sanaa, according to Yemeni and Israeli reports. The strikes also targeted top military officials, including the group's defence minister.

Iran-backed Houthi PM killed in Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's capital

Thailand's Constitutional Court dismissed 39-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office on Friday (August 29) on an ethics violation, abruptly ending the term of Thailand's youngest prime minister after just over a year in office.

Bangkok

Thai court ousts PM Paetongtarn for ethics violation

Chinese President Xi Jinping will be flanked by leaders of some of the world's most heavily sanctioned nations at a World War Two military parade in Beijing next week, in a show of solidarity against the West.

China to stage massive military parade as Xi hosts sanctioned leaders

The multinational peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL has played a significant role in monitoring the security situation in southern Lebanon for decades, including during the Israel-Hezbollah conflict last year.

Beirut

UN votes to end peacekeeping force in Lebanon after five decades

Russia, set to assume the UN Security Council presidency in October, has proposed extending the resolution that governs the snapback mechanism, potentially intensifying a diplomatic standoff with European powers.

Moscow

Russia slams European push to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran

It's been 13 days since President Trump said he could strike a peace deal in Ukraine, following his meeting with Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin. But Russia shows no signs of backing down, launching an aerial assault on Kyiv.

Kyiv

Russian attack on Kyiv kills more than a dozen people

The shooter in Minneapolis fired more than 100 rounds from a rifle at the church where students at Annunciation Catholic School attended Mass. City and state officials highlighted this fact as they called for stricter gun control.

Minneapolis officials call for stronger gun laws after school shooting

The shooter who killed 2 kids and injured 17 at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis had ties to the church where he targeted children celebrating a new school year during mass.

Annunciation school shooter had knowledge of church he targeted

The White House is responding to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Susan Monarez's refusal to step down from her role. CBS News' Olivia Rinaldi reports.

Breakdown