Invasion mostly received positive reviews, when you check out Rotten Tomatoes, you’ll see that both critics and the audience really appreciated and approved the show with 80%/ 83% approval rating. The show was also nominated on the 32nd Saturn Awards for Best Network TV Series and Best Television Actor for William Fichtner and even Stephen King also praised the series!

Many of the cast singled out that Invasion was their favorite show they had worked on. They all had a very positive experience and frankly didn’t understand why it was cancelled. Of course, this has always to do with ratings, but I think that the execs from ABC may have scratch their heads for cancelling it, since no show coming after Invasion, had better ratings. Tyler Labine was very vocal about it: Tyler Labine expressed his disappointment and confusion over the cancellation of Invasion, repeatedly stating that despite strong ratings, critical acclaim, and a dedicated fanbase, the show was axed due to "purely politics." He emphasized, "I still to this day don’t know why that show got canceled," adding that it had the potential to be a major hit like Lost, with "crazy plot and twists." Labine also shared that he was bummed about not seeing the story's twists unfold, calling it "a big hit that got cancelled for some reason that nobody understands." He reflected on the positive aspects of the experience, mentioning, "It was a really fun show" and noting that Invasion provided him with a chance to explore a dramatic role. He also praised Shaun Cassidy, the creator, saying, "He’s a mad genius"

Shaun Cassidy made a similar statement about the show's cancellation: "I think there were unrealistic expectations that any show following Lost should do better. But no show after ours ever DID do better, so I suspect some of the execs may have regretted taking our show off the air." To the question "Of all the shows you’ve created that were canceled far too soon, which hurt the most ... and why?", Cassidy personally picked Invasion because "it was the most surprising".

My thoughts on Invasion:

In 2005 3 new SCI-FI shows came to life, this one, Surface and of course Threshold. All three were gone after one season or even less. I absolutely loved Invasion, great acting, oppressive storylines, in a good way, great setting, engaging stories. I said it before, I thought it really had the Lost feel to it, you didn’t want to stop watching to find out what was coming next. It is a true shame it did not get a second season because it was that strong. The numbers on Rotten Tomatoes kind of proved that. People apparently loved it, still, apparently ratings were too low for ABC or perhaps the cancellation indeed was purely politics. One of the reasons could also be that it aired just after Lost. Good on paper but perhaps people couldn’t handle two of such heavy shows on the same night, who knows, if that is the case: very sad!

Final Word:

Luckily Invasion was released on DVD back in the day, so that we can watch it every time we want. As I said, my last rewatch was 7 years ago, so, it really was time for a rewatch. Invasion will always have a special place in my heart, this show really appealed to me, I tried to explain the reasoning a few times now, it was just that good, and it looks good on DVD! Happy 20^th Anniversary Invasion!

Anniversary Blog written with help from Wiki.