Resident Alien Star Reveals Hilarious Fan Favorite Scene Was Actually Unscripted
After rewatching this Resident Alien scene with Sheriff Mike and Deputy Liv, you'll wonder how Corey Reynolds and Elizabeth Bowen kept a straight face.
He may be hard-nosed and overly confident, but Sheriff Mike Thompson (Corey Reynolds) on Resident Alien still seems fun to work for. With so many Greys, Mantids, and other extraterrestrials lurking about, maintaining peace and order in Patience, Colorado, is no small task — even if he was in denial about their existence for three seasons!
The sheriff's trusty deputy, Liv Baker (Elizabeth Bowen), often struggles to get a word in edgewise, but can bring out her boss’ softer side. And when they’re together onscreen, things are never dull — even when they’re passing time in a patrol car.
SYFY recently caught up with Reynolds at Comic-Con, where he explained why one hilarious scene with Deputy Liv is his all-time favorite memory from working on the show. It also happens to be one of the best improvised moments in the series. Resident Alien may have recently wrapped its final season, but we can still enjoy the memories (and relive them on Peacock).
What is Corey Reynolds’ favorite Resident Alien scene?
“I’m gonna go all the way back to the pilot because the beatbox scene in the car was not scripted. And we just went for it, and it really worked out,” Reynolds said of his favorite Resident Alien memory.
As for that scene, in the very first episode of the series, Sheriff Mike and Deputy Liv were in their patrol car while investigating the death of Dr. Sam Hodges (Jan Bos), when she turned on the radio to avoid an awkward silence. Her boss shot her a look and said, “What the hell are you doing?" She explained that she thought they could listen to some music. And the sheriff responded, "Music? Girl, I’ve got your music right here.”
Reynolds suddenly dropped an impromptu beatbox version of “Amazing Grace” that was completely unscripted. Following his cue, Bowen added her own sassy sounds — mimicking a horn section — in a move that's even more impressive knowing it was improvised. It’s one of those light, charming moments that have come to define the series, but Reynolds chose it as his favorite for a deeper reason.
"I felt like it really set the tone for their relationship and their dynamic," he explained. "The birth of their connection is in that scene."
Watch Corey Reynolds' favorite Resident Alien scene below
There’s no denying that the sheriff was set in his ways during the first three seasons of the series, despite nudges from his open-minded deputy, who believed in aliens all along.
But when he finally came around in Season 4, thanks to an encounter with a cave-dwelling cyborg (Terry O’Quinn), it marked a breakthrough moment, not just for him, but also in his relationship with Liv, which was characterized by tense moments and near gaslighting at times.
He finally admitted to Liv that he was wrong and that she was right all along. It’s been delightful to watch their relationship evolve, and it all started with some spontaneous beatboxing.
All four seasons of Resident Alien are now available to stream on Peacock.
