I'm late to Apple TV+'s divisive sci-fi show – but arrived in time for season 3

Invasion season 3 is no.1 in Apple TV+'s streaming chart in the UK

Invasion on Apple TV+
(Image credit: Apple TV+)

I seem to have a habit of doing this: missing Apple TV+'s top-tier sci-fi shows, inevitably arriving to them late and then having lots of catching up to do.

It happened with Silo, it happened with Severance, it even happened with MurderBot, too. And now it's somehow happened with Invasion – which arrived for its third season just a couple of weeks ago.

Given how divisive this sci-fi show is – its scores are really polarising, as are its audience reviews – I'm surprised I've missed out on knowing about its existence for this long. In the UK, the show is now atop the Apple TV+ chart, in the no.1 ranking.

Invasion — Season 3 Official Trailer | Apple TV+ - YouTube Invasion — Season 3 Official Trailer | Apple TV+ - YouTube
Watch On

Arriving to a show late isn't always a bad thing, mind. After all, I've now got loads to catch up on – although, given how revealing the season 3 trailer, embedded above, happens to be, I'm not sure I need to watch all the preceding two seasons!

Don't watch that if you want to avoid spoilers, then. But, as an overview, Invasion is about as classic as sci-fi gets. It's about Earth being threatened by an alien species, which lands on the planet. Getting War of the Worlds vibes? That's what I mean about classic.

However, the way the story is told is how it differentiates itself. Five ordinary, regular folk are the show's protagonists – and it's through their eyes that we get to see the story of this invasion unfold, one step at a time. Will the human race come together as one?

Those who've stuck with the show have only got to see it improve, though. With the first season rated moderately, netting a 47% score on Rotten Tomatoes, season 2 elevated that to 54%, while season 3 is on 56% at the time of writing.

As I said: Invasion is clearly a divisive sci-fi show that splits opinion. Some love the alien moments, others find the pacing off and characters too far from believable. But none of that's stopped Apple TV+ from producing the show, given its overall success from an hours-watched perspective.

Those who are behind the show, however, will continue to assert its position at the top of Apple TV+'s chart, I'm sure, as it's released on a weekly basis. Episode 4 is out this Friday, 12 September, with an episode a week through until the 10th and final part, on Friday, 24 October.

Mike Lowe
Tech Editor

Mike is T3's Tech Editor. He's been writing about consumer technology for 15 years and his beat covers phones – of which he's seen hundreds of handsets over the years – laptops, gaming, TV & audio, and more. There's little consumer tech he's not had a hand at trying, and with extensive commissioning and editing experience, he knows the industry inside out. As the former Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint for 10 years where he furthered his knowledge and expertise, whilst writing about literally thousands of products, he's also provided work for publications such as Wired, The Guardian, Metro, and more.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.