Common Sense Media Review
By Marty Brown
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Nature show uses aliens to reveal unique life on Earth.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Alien Worlds
What's the Story?
Alien Worlds is a science and nature anthology show that uses science to speculate what life might be like on other planets. The show starts with what's known about these distant planets: what the atmosphere might be like, how gravity might affect life, etc. Then it imagines how life might function in this unique environment, how it might eat, survive, and adapt. Animations of these creatures show what their day-to-day lives might look like, and then examples of life on Earth are shown to illustrate how natural principles can translate even over time and space.
Is It Any Good?
Alien Worlds' animated portrayal of alien life is fun on its own, but the show craftily uses its creations as a way to learn about life here on Earth. It starts with facts about these distant planets, illustrates how nature might exist there, and then doubles back to show how looking closely at things on this planet can help understand even the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Guests on Alien Worlds go paragliding, explore underground caves, and hang out with birds and bugs, and all of these things help illuminate principles of science and nature. Though the aliens are the main attraction, by the end of each episode, viewers should have a better understanding of nature in general, wherever it happens to exist.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about life on other planets. Why does Alien Worlds believe life on other planets exists? How do they go about speculating what life on other planets might be like? What are some example of how science and logic can help imagine alien creatures?
What were your favorite alien creatures? Did any of the creatures surprise you? What are some ways the aliens' lives differ from life on Earth?
Did you learn anything new about life on Earth? What were some places shown that you didn't know existed? Did you learn anything about animals on Earth that surprised you? Were any of the Earth animals stranger than the alien creatures?
TV Details
- Premiere date : December 2, 2020
- Cast : Sophie Okonedo
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Educational
- Topics : Animals ( Ocean Creatures , Wild Animals ) , STEM
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate