It stars an ensemble cast featuring William Fichtner, Eddie Cibrian, Kari Matchett, Lisa Sheridan, Tyler Labine, Alexis Dziena, Evan Peters and Ariel Gade.
Due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the aftermath in the southern United States, early on-air promotions were quickly pulled by ABC.
The advertising then switched emphasis completely to the alien invasion aspect of the series, while the hurricane received no mention.
Invasion received critical acclaim, with praise for its acting, writing, direction, and the musical score.
[1][2][3] However, many viewers decried the show as "agonizingly boring" due to the dull action and slow pace, especially among the first few episodes.
Invoking thematic elements from Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the series centered on park ranger Russell Varon (Eddie Cibrian) and his family and his efforts to uncover the truth about a conspiracy involving water-breathing extraterrestrials creating human clones from the bodies of the dead.
[9] The show was nominated on the 32nd Saturn Awards for Best Network TV Series and Best Television Actor for William Fichtner.
Besides that, the cinematography is stunning, with the camera constantly capturing both the beauty and destruction of Florida and spending less time on the faces of the characters.“[17] “One of the challenges when I was starting to write TV series, like American Gothic and Invasion, they did not want anything serialized on network.
And now that is au courant, which is great.“ - Shaun Cassidy[18]Many actors including William Fichtner, Eddie Cibrian, Kari Matchett, Evan Peters, Lisa Sheridan, Nathan Baesal and Tyler Labine singled out Invasion as one of their favorite shows they worked on.
[19][20][21][22][23][24] Tyler Labine expressed his disappointment and confusion over the cancellation of Invasion, repeatedly stating that despite strong ratings, critical acclaim, and a dedicated fanbase, the show was axed due to "purely politics."
He emphasized, "I still to this day don’t know why that show got canceled," adding that it had the potential to be a major hit like Lost, with "crazy plot and twists."
Labine also shared that he was bummed about not seeing the story's twists unfold, calling it "a big hit that got cancelled for some reason that nobody understands."
He reflected on the positive aspects of the experience, mentioning, "It was a really fun show" and noting that Invasion provided him with a chance to explore a dramatic role.
He also praised Shaun Cassidy, the creator, saying, "He’s a mad genius" and recalling that if circumstances were different, he'd have loved to collaborate with him again.
[30] On August 22, 2006, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment released the complete first season as a six-disc DVD box set.
"Invasion features an orchestral score performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra and composed by Jon Ehrlich and Jason Derlatka, incorporating many recurring themes and dramatic melodies.