THE NEIGHBORS "It's Simple Family Stories With A Science Fiction Backdrop"

The sci-fi sitcom is a tricky thing to pull off – for every Red Dwarf there are several ALF s. Hopefully The Neighbors , ABC's new sitcom, can buck the trend.

“We’re telling simple family stories, but there’s a science-fiction backdrop to all of it,” says creator/executive producer Dan Fogelman of his aliens-among-us comedy . “As you move forward, you figure out what the aliens’ roles are and how absurd they can, but how funny.”

Among the humour, however, expect some drama: “There’s an infrastructure of aliens who are all talking about overthrowing the leader, our main character, who’s kind of trying to hold onto his power. So by the end of the first season we’ll be talking about ‘War is coming,’ the idea of a faction coming down to remove him from power.”

The Neighbors comes to US screens on ABC from Wednesday 26 September. A UK broadcast is yet to be confirmed.

Read more about the show in the new issue of SFX, on sale from Wednesday 19 September.

Richard is a freelancer journalist and editor, and was once a physicist. Rich is the former editor of SFX Magazine, but has since gone freelance, writing for websites and publications including GamesRadar+, SFX, Total Film, and more. He also co-hosts the podcast, Robby the Robot's Waiting, which is focused on sci-fi and fantasy.