Had a feeling this wouldn’t be too far away…. Though just didn’t think Television would be the medium we’d be seeing it on. But I guess if this turns out OK, they’ll probably be clearing space for it at the multiplex too. And I wouldn’t be at all surprised – loads of potential here.

A second series (the first, though quite popular, only lasted a season in 1989) based on the 80s flick “Alien Nation” is in the works at Sci-Fi. "Angel" alum Tim Minear is behind the reboot.

“Alien Nation” (1988) centred on the partnership between a veteran cop (James Caan) and his alien detective partner (Mandy Patinkin), set against the larger tale of alien "newcomers" who move to Earth and attempt to assimilate into society.

Fox 21 topper Chris Carlisle, no doubt hoping “Alien Nation 2.0” will fill the void of the highly-successful “Battlestar Galactica”, which left screens recently, tells Variety, "It's absolute perfect timing for this type of show. They're looking for more grounded sci-fi and close-ended episodes, and at the heart of 'Alien Nation,' it's a cop movie. It's grounded. And it has a tremendous amount of dramatic possibilities and humor."

The new "Alien Nation" will likely take place in the Pacific Northwest, and will take place about 20 years after the first ship of aliens - who have been banished as slaves - crash lands into Earth. By the time the show begins, some time in the 2020s, the alien population has multiplied from a few thousand to 3.5 million. And much of the "newcomers" live their own segregated existence, in what Minear compares to the North African ghettos in France.

Minear says, "It's genre mixed with procedural mixed with funny and mixed with big, giant scary," Minear said. "I love serialized stuff, but this is also a cop franchise. That 'Starsky and Hutch'/'Lethal Weapon' buddy cop comedy is absent from TV right now."

Gale Anne Hurd, producer of the original film, recently mentioned her fervour in doing a remake.