Sia built a massive career hiding behind wigs and writing smashes for Rihanna, Beyoncé, and more, but her 2021 passion project, Music, flipped the script on her in brutal fashion.
The singer took the director’s chair for a story about a woman caring for her autistic roommate, starring Maddie Ziegler, Sia’s longtime dance collaborator from music videos.
Ziegler, just 18 and neurotypical, played the lead music with wide-eyed stares and repetitive motions that many in the autism community slammed as a caricature.
Sia defended picking Ziegler fast, arguing she knew autism through family ties and wanted an actress up to the role’s physical demands. That logic landed flat amid the growing storm.
Trailers dropped restraint scenes, showing Ziegler strapped down and isolated, moves autism advocates called abusive and straight out of debunked therapies. The film hit festivals in late 2020, then wide release in February 2021, right as social media amplified the critique.
Casting Fight Ignites the Firestorm
Autistic advocates led the charge, pointing out Sia bypassed actual neurodiverse talent despite vocal promises to represent. Actress Zion Brown offered to audition early on; Sia brushed her off online, saying Ziegler got the edge for training with an autism coach.
That stung deep. Critics piled on, with the National Board of Review labeling scenes as dangerous for glamorizing coercive tactics still pushed in some care settings.
Sia (Credit: BBC)
The Change.org petition exploded, topping 55,000 signatures by mid-February 2021, urging Hollywood to strip Music’s two Golden Globe nods and blacklist it from awards chatter. Sensory overload complaints hit too: flashing lights and loud sounds made screenings tough for autistic viewers, with zero subtitles offered.
Sia’s X posts fueled more heat, like snapping at one critic to “shut up” over the portrayal. The box office tanked under $1 million domestically against a $16 million budget, a flop that buried any buzz.
Apology Falls Flat, Fallout Lingers
Sia tried damage control with a public sorry note to the autism community, admitting she missed the mark on casting and vowing better next time. Fans split: some forgave, seeing intent behind the mess; others cut ties, ditching playlists and streams. Music pulled from some platforms, and awards chatter dried up fast.
Her music output slowed post-backlash, with Elastic Hearts visuals scrubbed and tours sidelined amid personal struggles like addiction recovery. By 2022, YouTube deep dives framed it as her “downfall,” tying her low profile to the PR hit. Recent chatter on Reddit wonders if she’ll rebound fully, given spotty releases since then.
Defenders note Sia’s songwriting empire endures, penning hits quietly while her solo spotlight dims. No full career erasure happened, but the scar reshaped her public image from quirky hitmaker to controversy magnet.
Years on, the episode stands as a stark reminder of Hollywood’s authenticity push. Sia’s misstep hit during peak cancel culture waves, where intent bowed to impact every time. Autistic creators now land bigger roles, from Heartbreak High to Extraordinary, proving the gap they overlooked.
Stream music if curious, but brace for the baggage; it remains a lightning rod in rep debates. Sia’s voice might whisper back through ghostwritten tracks, but that director’s chair stays empty for now.
Alan Tudyk’s voice gave life to Harry, an extraterrestrial sent to wipe out Earth but sidetracked by a human doctor’s body and a quirky Colorado town called Patience.
Premiering on Syfy in 2021 from Dark Horse Comics, the show mixed fish-out-of-water laughs with conspiracy thrills as Harry juggled his mission, ice fishing obsessions, and nosy locals. Early buzz hit big, with Tudyk earning Saturn Awards and critics praising the 92% Rotten Tomatoes score for its deadpan charm.
Seasons one through three built a cult following, especially after Netflix dropped in 2024 and sparked rewatches. Showrunner Chris Sheridan crafted Harry’s growth from cold killer to town softie, complete with killer spaghetti and alien-tech antics.
Yet by season four, simulcast on Syfy and USA in 2025, the magic faced real-world gravity. The August 8 finale capped it off, tying up Harry’s fate amid Patience’s chaos.
Network Juggles Fail to Save It
Cable TV’s shrinking pie spelled trouble. Resident Alien dodged the axe after season three via a slashed budget and platform hop from Syfy to USA, aiming for wider eyes. Simulcasts hoped to mimic hits like Suits, but live numbers stayed modest against streaming giants and cord-cutting waves.
Resident Alien (Credit: Syfy)
Peacock streams saw little pickup despite the prior lift from Netflix. Sheridan saw the end coming, scripting season four as a full-circle payoff with Harry’s arc landing satisfyingly. Production wrapped, knowing no season five loomed, letting writers close loops on alien invasions and human bonds without loose ends.
Tudyk later vented on Threads about industry “disarray,” blaming evolving media models that gutted traditional cable viability. No big scandals or flops tanked it; just cold math in a Peacock-dominated NBCUniversal family.
Fans Mourn, Stars Tease Comebacks
Comic-Con 2025 panels turned bittersweet. Cast hit San Diego, spilling on the end, with Tudyk hinting at movie or spinoff dreams while lamenting TV chaos. Sara Tomko and others pushed “You guys deserve more,” fueling fan petitions and Reddit threads begging Netflix or Prime to grab rights.
Social buzz exploded post-finale, praising the wrap-up episode as peak Harry but raging at networks for killing a gem. Tudyk clarified in fan chats that it ended under Universal’s banner due to business model mismatches for both older and younger viewers.
Sheridan beamed over the strong finish, his favorite script yet. Critics noted the show’s staying power: three Critics’ Choice nods, Peabody recognition, and Tudyk’s Emmy reel submission. Streaming keeps seasons alive, drawing new converts who binge-watch Harry’s deadpan one-liners.
Patience might rest easy with Harry sorted, but fans feel the void of no more alien malapropisms or diner pie fights. Tudyk’s charm begs for another orbit, maybe movies or a fresh streamer pit stop once the dust settles.
Cable’s decline hit this oddball hard, but its heartfelt weirdness endures on demand. Fire up Syfy or Netflix drops and root for that spinoff spark. Quirky tales like this rarely stay grounded forever.
