Patience, Colorado, & all the Locations: Where is Resident Alien filmed?
Posted by Ra Moon
What happens when the iconic The X-Files meets Northern Exposure? Back for season three, the Syfy channel dramedy series is an interesting twist on the "aliens among us" premise.
Resident Alien was filmed in and around Vancouver in British Columbia (Canada). The streets of Ladysmith on the east coast of Vancouver Island doubled as the quirky tiny town of Patience, Colorado.
Resident Alien was filmed in and around Vancouver in British Columbia (Canada). The streets of Ladysmith on the east coast of Vancouver Island doubled as the quirky tiny town of Patience, Colorado.
Created by Chris Sheridan, one of the main scriptwriters of Family Guy, the source material is a long-run comic series that none other than Alan Moore once called 'a pitch-perfect narrative'.
Science-fiction veteran Alan Tudyk fits the lead role of Captain Hah Re / Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle very well.
Harry is an outlander in a town of outsiders, with a secret mission on Earth. That's why the doctor is based in a place where "nobody in their right mind would live unless they have something to hide".
Sara Tomko is the doctor's closest ally, Asta Twelvetrees. The show features an all-star lineup of guest stars, including Linda Hamilton and Terry O'Quinn.
Welcome to Patience and our guide to the filming locations of Resident Alien - stay tuned for season 3 locations updates on this page!
The Resident Alien locations
Don't expect to find Dr. Harry's cabin anywhere near a lake. Syfywire reported that the house was just a facade built by the Howe Sound at Britannia Beach.
All the interiors (counting for around 90% of the footage) were filmed on sound stages in a studio in Vancouver.
The scenes atop the snowy mountain ranges were filmed at the Sea-to-Sky Corridor region, aligned with the famous Sea-to-Sky Highway.
Cast and crew traveled to the Rainbow Mountain near Whistler and the Pemberton Icefield, situated at 6220 feet (1896 meters).
These areas are only accessible via helicopters that transported all the equipment and gear necessary for filming.
Welcome to Patience, Colorado
To film the exterior scenes in Patience, Colorado, the production moved to Ladysmith, a town of 8,537 souls located on Vancouver Island.
To be a village in the middle of nowhere, "three hours from the nearest city on roads that are impassable half the year", the real Patience is actually fairly well connected to the mainland via the Nanaimo airport and ferry terminals.
Image courtesy of Syfy - Map
The Vancouver Sun newspaper reported that the series was filming here in January and October 2020.
Location manager Ken Brooker said that they were very lucky to find the health clinic, the town hall, and the bar called ‘The 59’ within sight of each other.
The series was filmed primarily along 1st Avenue with High and Roberts Street. Fun fact: Pamela Anderson is a resident of Ladysmith since 2019.
One of our readers recognized the location of this establishing shot of Patience's main street.
This picturesque small town looks a bit like Telluride, Colorado, especially because of the mountain in the background.
However, this is actually the CMPP backlot (Canadian Motion Picture Park) in Burnaby, with several layers of digital effects over it.
Image courtesy of Syfy - Map
The blue building of the Patience Health Clinic from the pilot episode was Pharmasave Ladysmith at 441 1st Avenue (upper picture).
From the second episode, the exterior appearance of the clinic was changed completely (lower image).
The new local health center was filmed at the Ladysmith and District Credit Union office at 330 1st Avenue.
The "59 died to save 1" mine is the Britannia Mine Museum in Britannia Beach.
This popular tourist attraction, which gives visitors an insight into the history of mining in the region, has been used as a filming location for many productions.
Image courtesy of Syfy - Map
The new 59 bar is located just across the street from the clinic. The city hall facade is the historical Travelers Hotel at 422 1st Avenue.
Image courtesy of Syfy - Map
In the fourth episode, "Birds of a Feather", Asta and her dad go to the Southern Ute Indian Reservation (a real Native American reservation in Colorado).
The Peak Fuel gas station where they stop was filmed at the Squamish Valley Gas Bar in the Garibaldi Highlands neighborhood of Squamish.
Located under the cliffs of the spectacular Apron mountain (Stawamus Chief Provincial Park), the Chances Casino across the street was recently featured in the second season of the Virgin River series.
Image courtesy of Syfy - Map
An unexpected visitor introduces Harry to the marriage institution.
The art gallery in New York City where the doctor met his wife Isabelle (played by Elvy Yost) five years ago is The Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver.
Image courtesy of Syfy - Map
The bowling alley featured in the 6th (Sexy Beast) and 7th (The Green Glow) episodes is the Sandcastle Bowl Bar and Grill in South Surrey.
Image courtesy of Syfy - Map
The exterior of the bell tower where Max helps Harry locate his lost device is just a CGI image built over the 1913 St. John’s Masonic Temple at 26 Gatacre Street in Ladysmith.
Image courtesy of Syfy and Google Maps
Joe's Diner has the same red and silver bar chairs as the ones used in the iconic Pop's Diner in Riverdale, filmed in a studio in Langley, although according to IMDb, the series was filmed at Derwent Studio in Delta.
In season two, the restaurant was a set built in a public parking next to Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce on Roberts Street.
Image courtesy of Syfy - Google Maps
The Mayor's house is 3865 Oxford Street, in Burnaby. Levi Fiehler plays Ben Hawthorne, the town's political-correct mayor.
Image courtesy of Syfy - Map
The scenes in New York City were filmed in Downtown Vancouver. The pizzeria was filmed in Pizza 2001 at 595 W Pender Street.
The Galvan Powell Group building, pictured, is the Rogers Building at 470 Granville Street.
Image courtesy of Syfy - Maps: Pizza 2001 / Rogers Building
The Vancouver Art Gallery doubled as the New York Public Library.
Image courtesy of Syfy - Map
The pedestrian bridge in the woods from the season finale, "Alien Dinner Party", is located at Capilano River Regional Park in North Vancouver.
Image courtesy of Syfy - Map
In the first episode of the third season, "Lone Wolf", there is a scene at the Unit 5 facility with all the spacecraft acquired over the last 80 years.
The hangar was filmed in the gymnasium of the former RCMP campus near Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver, with plenty of CGI thrown in.
Image courtesy of Syfy - Map
Image courtesy of Syfy - Map
The exterior of the Yellowstone Hotel in the third episode, "141 Seconds," is just an establishing shot of The Lodge at Riverside in Grants Pass, Oregon.
Image courtesy of Syfy - Map
However, the interior lobby was filmed at the Westwood Plateau Golf and Country Club in Coquitlam, BC.
With its championship golf course and scenic setting on Eagle Mountain, this complex is an exceptional destination for golf enthusiasts and events.
Image courtesy of Syfy - Map
Resident Alien is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse, published by Dark Horse Comics since 2012. The fictional town of Patience was relocated from Washington to Colorado.
Clung clung! Alan Tudyk also played Hoban “Wash” Washburne in Firefly (2002) and Serenity (2005). Most recently, Tudyk embodied the evil villain Mr. Nobody in HBO Max’s acclaimed series Doom Patrol.
Clung clung! Alan Tudyk also played Hoban “Wash” Washburne in Firefly (2002) and Serenity (2005). Most recently, Tudyk embodied the evil villain Mr. Nobody in HBO Max’s acclaimed series Doom Patrol.
The supporting cast is completed by Corey Reynolds as Mike Thompson aka "Big Black", the town's local sheriff, Alice Wetterlund as D'arcy Morin, Linda Hamilton as General McCallister, Elizabeth Bowen as the lovely Deputy Sheriff Liv Baker, Mandell Maughan as Lisa Casper, Alex Barima as David Logan, and Jenna Lamia as Judy Cooper.
All the episodes are available on Syfy, but if you have a cable subscription, you can watch the series via On Demand, OneApp, Apple TV, and Roku.
Can you help to improve this article about the filming locations of Resident Alien?
To complete and correct this report, any feedback, info, or images that you may have are more than welcome, thank you!
NOTICE: If you’re using this information on your website, please credit and link to this page as a source.
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To complete and correct this report, any feedback, info, or images that you may have are more than welcome, thank you!
NOTICE: If you’re using this information on your website, please credit and link to this page as a source.
*****
13 comments:
1- Sander - February 4, 2021 at 12:23 PM
This series is actually a locations nightmare, probably due to the reshoots or additional filming that they had to be done later due to COVID-19.
In just the first two episodes I clearly could notice two different buildings for no less than 3 different locations!
The mayor's house: 1x01 had it as a big corner house, 1x02 it was smaller and with 2 neighbor houses.
The 59 bar: 1x01 showed a double red door with window bars and the bar itself directly across from it. 1x02 had a single green door with a bar logo on the window and the bar to the left when entering.
And the Health Clinic: 1x01 did not show the exterior, but pics on the Syfy site about its filming location show a blue building matching the interior long window. In 1x02 it is no longer blue, no longer one box-shape with now many protruding windows.
2- Unknown - February 4, 2021 at 4:51 PM
Looks a lot like Squamish main.
3- B-E - February 20, 2021 at 11:28 AM
The establishing shot of Main St. (Resident Alien TV SyFy series) looks eerily similar to approaching downtown Telluride, Colorado.
4- DGM steel - March 5, 2021 at 5:57 AM
If you look closely the mountain backdrop is definitely from Telluride, Colorado, although the street is not.
1- Sander - February 4, 2021 at 12:23 PM
This series is actually a locations nightmare, probably due to the reshoots or additional filming that they had to be done later due to COVID-19.
In just the first two episodes I clearly could notice two different buildings for no less than 3 different locations!
The mayor's house: 1x01 had it as a big corner house, 1x02 it was smaller and with 2 neighbor houses.
The 59 bar: 1x01 showed a double red door with window bars and the bar itself directly across from it. 1x02 had a single green door with a bar logo on the window and the bar to the left when entering.
And the Health Clinic: 1x01 did not show the exterior, but pics on the Syfy site about its filming location show a blue building matching the interior long window. In 1x02 it is no longer blue, no longer one box-shape with now many protruding windows.
2- Unknown - February 4, 2021 at 4:51 PM
Looks a lot like Squamish main.
3- B-E - February 20, 2021 at 11:28 AM
The establishing shot of Main St. (Resident Alien TV SyFy series) looks eerily similar to approaching downtown Telluride, Colorado.
4- DGM steel - March 5, 2021 at 5:57 AM
If you look closely the mountain backdrop is definitely from Telluride, Colorado, although the street is not.
5- Anonymous - March 10, 2021 at 7:45 PM
They are filming at the Sundance Pub and Inn again Thursday and Friday, March 11 and 12. The Grey Cliff Inn sign is back up and we got a filming notice. Some stunt action happening. They also film at a house just down the road.
6- BW - June 7, 2021 at 9:59 AM
1x10, The Mayor's home is 3865 Oxford Street, in Burnaby BC.
In the same episode, Lisa Casper / David Logan run over Sahar at High Road and 1st Avenue in Ladysmith.
7- Anonymous - Jan 28, 2022, 7:43 PM
The clinic was originally the Pharmasave (the blue building) but they moved down the street to the credit union.
Filming has been a challenge with the pandemic, but the crews have been marvelous.
8- Anonymous - Apr 30, 2022, 12:15 AM
Vancouver never ever passes for NYC! Vancouver has weird cleanliness to it, NYC is dirty and gritty.
9- Anonymous - Jun 29, 2022, 6:46 PM
That establishing shot of Patience is the CMPP Backlot in Burnaby, or at least the buildings on both sides of the street in the foreground are. Clearly significant digital enhancement to extend the street into the distance and add in the mountains.
10- Trapeze Swinger - Jan 28, 2023, 5:48 PM
Fun fact: Pamela Anderson is from Ladysmith. She just moved back in 2019. It's always been fairly common to see her around Vancouver Island, as she often visited her parents there.
11- Anonymous - Apr 22, 2023, 4:46 PM
Having just watched the first episode. Downtown Patience in 1x01 is all shot on the CMPP backlot like the establishing shot. They must have moved to Ladysmith for the later episodes.
Also, the scenes at the mine where Harry learns about "59 died to save 1" are at the Britannia Mine Museum. And Asta's husband's house is the Blieberger Farm in Langley.
12- Anonymous - Apr 3, 2024, 8:30 PM
Some of the Ariel shots over the town are absolutely 100% Telluride. I paused it and recognized all the buildings, I practically grew up there. One of them even says Sheridan on it, which is the Sheridan Hotel.
13- Anonymous - Jul 21, 2024, 10:41 AM
S01E04 opening scene: This episode begins with a shot of (Telluride, CO?) in winter, then cuts to indoor scenes with the "Cheers" intro song. As the song ends, they use an aerial shot of Boulder, Colorado, but they use a mirror image. The shot shows Spruce Street from the Shambala Center to the Boulderado Hotel and off towards Mt. Sanitas.
They are filming at the Sundance Pub and Inn again Thursday and Friday, March 11 and 12. The Grey Cliff Inn sign is back up and we got a filming notice. Some stunt action happening. They also film at a house just down the road.
6- BW - June 7, 2021 at 9:59 AM
1x10, The Mayor's home is 3865 Oxford Street, in Burnaby BC.
In the same episode, Lisa Casper / David Logan run over Sahar at High Road and 1st Avenue in Ladysmith.
7- Anonymous - Jan 28, 2022, 7:43 PM
The clinic was originally the Pharmasave (the blue building) but they moved down the street to the credit union.
Filming has been a challenge with the pandemic, but the crews have been marvelous.
8- Anonymous - Apr 30, 2022, 12:15 AM
Vancouver never ever passes for NYC! Vancouver has weird cleanliness to it, NYC is dirty and gritty.
9- Anonymous - Jun 29, 2022, 6:46 PM
That establishing shot of Patience is the CMPP Backlot in Burnaby, or at least the buildings on both sides of the street in the foreground are. Clearly significant digital enhancement to extend the street into the distance and add in the mountains.
10- Trapeze Swinger - Jan 28, 2023, 5:48 PM
Fun fact: Pamela Anderson is from Ladysmith. She just moved back in 2019. It's always been fairly common to see her around Vancouver Island, as she often visited her parents there.
11- Anonymous - Apr 22, 2023, 4:46 PM
Having just watched the first episode. Downtown Patience in 1x01 is all shot on the CMPP backlot like the establishing shot. They must have moved to Ladysmith for the later episodes.
Also, the scenes at the mine where Harry learns about "59 died to save 1" are at the Britannia Mine Museum. And Asta's husband's house is the Blieberger Farm in Langley.
12- Anonymous - Apr 3, 2024, 8:30 PM
Some of the Ariel shots over the town are absolutely 100% Telluride. I paused it and recognized all the buildings, I practically grew up there. One of them even says Sheridan on it, which is the Sheridan Hotel.
13- Anonymous - Jul 21, 2024, 10:41 AM
S01E04 opening scene: This episode begins with a shot of (Telluride, CO?) in winter, then cuts to indoor scenes with the "Cheers" intro song. As the song ends, they use an aerial shot of Boulder, Colorado, but they use a mirror image. The shot shows Spruce Street from the Shambala Center to the Boulderado Hotel and off towards Mt. Sanitas.
Ra Moon
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