Ridley Scott made a little-known secret follow-up show to Prometheus, and though Raised by Wolves isn’t as popular, it’s a true hidden gem. Ridley Scott famously didn’t get to finish his Alien prequel trilogy after the relatively low box office earnings of Alien: Covenant. For fans of Prometheus, that was a huge disappointment, as it meant Alien would never return to Scott’s unique and high-concept series of films.
While it still looks like Alien won’t get around to revealing what happened to Michael Fassbender’s David after Covenant, Ridley Scott did get a chance to make a spiritual successor to Prometheus. It’s not connected to the Alien franchise at all, but Raised by Wolves is a sci-fi show Scott produced and directed that has a lot of the signature charm of Prometheus. There’s also a good chance you haven’t heard about it.
What Is Raised By Wolves About?
Raised by Wolves follows two androids — mother and father — who are tasked with raising a new generation of human children as atheists. Religious conflict destroyed the Earth and threatens humanity’s survival, so Mother and Father raise the children to avoid those conflicts altogether. As Raised by Wolves progresses, however, human religious conflict finds them and threatens to destroy the androids’ mission.
Raised by Wolves has also been compared to Blade Runner for its themes and high-concept look into artificial intelligence. The show dives deep into humanity’s relationship with religion, the origins of life itself, and our relationship to our own creations. Critics also cited Raised by Wolves‘ groundbreaking visuals, approach to its subject matter, and more as a reason to give it a great Rotten Tomatoes score of 80% on average.
Raised By Wolves Feels Like A Spiritual Successor To Prometheus
Raised by Wolves isn’t just a great standalone sci-fi series, however, it also works as a spiritual successor to Prometheus. As previously mentioned, Ridley Scott worked as an executive producer of Raised by Wolves, directed the first two episodes, and left his signature style on the entire series. That alone makes the show feel a lot like Prometheus visually and in its pacing, subject matter, and focus on androids.
What really connects Raised by Wolves to Prometheus, however, is its themes. Raised by Wolves is an exploration of the human condition through a man-made android, just as Prometheus was. Both the show and the movie are stories about humanity grappling with religion, our relation to the technology we create, and our push to preserve life and keep the species alive. Raised by Wolves is essentially a continuation of the high-brow questions Scott asked in Prometheus.
Where To Watch Raised By Wolves
Unfortunately, there are very few ways to watch Raised by Wolves. The show was originally an HBO Max original, but the streaming service has since removed it from its catalog. No other major streaming services currently offer Raised by Wolves, and the only way to watch it in the United States is by purchasing the Blu-Ray set from Amazon. Viewers in Great Britain and other regions may have access to it on streaming services like Prime Video and Apple TV+.
Ridley Scott’s Underrated Sci-Fi Masterpiece Continued A Disappointing Streaming Trend
Many of the best TV shows are sci-fi or fantasy epics like Ridley Scott’s 2 season masterpiece – so their premature endings hurt all the more.
Part of the reason the show is so hard to find is the same reason Raised by Wolves was canceled after just two seasons. Though it was a critical darling with a cult following, Raised by Wolves was canceled shortly after Warner Bros. merger with Discovery. The streaming rights were briefly licensed to Tubi and Roku, though it currently seems those platforms no longer air episodes of the show. For now, Raised by Wolves is in streaming limbo.
- Release Date
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2020 – 2021
- Network
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HBO Max
- Showrunner
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Aaron Guzikowski
- Writers
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Aaron Guzikowski
