When two businesses strike a deal worth over $82 billion, plenty of other news flies under the radar. This was the case for Netflix, as it was announced on Friday, Dec. 5, that it had struck a deal to buy Warner Bros. Studios for a whopping $82.7 billion. While the drastic shift in the television and movie landscape likely won’t close until late 2026 or early 2027, there is some (much smaller) good news for subscribers. The platform has set a release date for a popular series led by The Pitt star Noah Wyle. Fortunately, the news was separate from the deal, although the Steven Spielberg-produced show was formerly found on HBO Max.
Noah Wyle’s Sci-Fi Drama Set to Join Netflix
Netflix’s purchase of Warner Bros. Studios includes HBO as well; however, the streaming platform had already locked in a licensing deal to release the former TNT series, Falling Skies. The show produced by the longtime filmmaker Spielberg ran for five seasons from June 2011 to August 2015.
With Falling Skies moving to Netflix, What’s on Netflix confirmed that the show will help kick off the New Year with a Jan. 1, 2026, release date. The report also highlights that Netflix US is the only region where Falling Skies will be available to stream.
So if you’re hoping to gear up for Season 2 of The Pitt, which debuts on Jan. 8, 2026, you can dive into some of Wyle’s former work to help pass the time.
The sci-fi series is set after an alien invasion of Earth, in which the invaders defeated and eliminated most of the military and more than 90 percent of the human population. The remaining humans are spread across the world and fight for their lives. The show follows a group of survivors called the “2nd Mass,” who come together and fight back. Wyle, who plays a former Boston University professor named Tom Mason, is also second-in-command and is attempting to find his missing son.
Here’s a rundown of some of the Falling Skies cast:
- Noah Wyle as Tom Mason
- Will Patton as Dan Weaver
- Moon Bloodgood as Anne Glass-Mason
- Drew Roy as Hal Mason
- Maxim Knight as Matt Mason
- Sarah Carter as Maggie
- Connor Jessup as Ben Mason
- Colin Cunningham as John Pope
All eight actors are main characters featured in all five seasons of the show. DreamWorks Television produced the series until Spielberg’s Amblin Television took over production from 2014 to 2015. In total, Falling Skies has 52 episodes over the five-season span.
Noah Wyle’s ‘Falling Skies’ Earned High Marks From Critics
The first two seasons of Falling Skies earned a “certified fresh” label from Rotten Tomatoes, picking up an 81 percent rating from critics for each. While Season 3 dipped slightly, earning a 77 percent critics’ rating, it was followed by the television show’s highest-rated season. The fourth season received an 88 percent critics’ rating, while it rode off into the sunset with a 70 percent mark for its fifth and final season.
All five seasons combined gave Falling Skies an average rating of 79 percent from critics and 70 percent from fans on Rotten Tomatoes.
Mostly high marks for the series also came from Metacritic, which gave it a score of 68. Of all 43 critics who reviewed the show, only one gave Falling Skies a “negative” grade. The show’s Metacritic fan rating was slightly lower, at 6.2 out of 10, based on 658 reviews.
Related: 50 Cent Addresses Securing Unreleased Footage for Diddy Netflix Documentary
