MANILA, Philippines - Aside from the Skitter aliens in Falling Skies, lots of creatures from other lands have also conquered television. Starting from the late ’90s, which is when my awareness of pop culture truly began to swell, here’s a highly subjective — and highly questionable — list of curious cosmic things.
1996: Dick, Sally, Tommy and Harry Solomon,
3rd Rock from the Sun
These extraterrestrial explorers attempted to live as a normal human family in Ohio — and the results were hilarious.
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1998: Fez, That ’70s Show
Though he’s a different kind of alien, the foreign exchange student definitely made life in Wisconsin more interesting.
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1999: Max Evans, Isabel Evans
and Michael Guerin, Roswell
The trio — played by Jason Behr, Katherine Heigl and Brendan Fehr — gave new meaning to the words “teen alienation.”
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1999: Turanga Leela,
Futurama
The one-eyed captain of the Planet Express Ship is the sassiest mutant you’ll ever meet in outer space.
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2001: Clark Kent, Smallville
Born Kal-El on the planet Krypton, he grew up in Kansas, where he learned about his origins and developed a taste for blue and red clothing.
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2006: Kyle Trager, Kyle XY
Was he an alien? Was he a cyborg? Was he secretly Canadian? Ah, those questions linger years after ABC Family pulled the plug on the series.
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2007: Moona, Foofa, Brobee, Toodee and Plex,
Yo Gabba Gabba!
The cartoonish costumed characters were totally out of this world and totally a hit with stoner college kids. Totally.
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2009: Anna, V
The Visitor Queen used telepathy to control her subjects, but sadly, not the show’s ratings.