For Hawley, overlaying Peter Pan onto Alien: Earth ‘s science fiction made sense because of the idea of trapping children’s minds in immortal bodies that were created, and ruled over, by a literal boy genius. Moreover, because Barrie’s work isn’t quite as anodyne and sweet as Disney’s animated film.

Earth,” batters viewers expecting Xenomorph horror from an additional, less expected angle: The series is practically drowning in “Peter Pan” metaphors that don’t quite work. That’s partly by design;

Alien: Earth introduces other alien species other than the Xenomorph, but so far, none of them can stand toe to toe with the original creature.

"Alien: Earth" is Noah Hawley's latest silver-to-small screen project. But if you want to watch all the film entries which preceded it, here's what you need to know.

Viewers without cable can watch "Alien: Earth" live and on demand for free by signing up for the 5-day trial offer from DirecTV. Sling and Fubo ($30 off first month) offer access to FX without a free trial. Episodes will also stream on Hulu. New Hulu subscribers can take advantage of the platform’s 30-day free trial to watch for free.