Here is an idea i got this morning while Binge-Watching the War of the Worlds TV Series: What if it were a sequel to the 2005 movie rather than the 1953 movie?
War of the Worlds, the TV Series
Like in the original, the Aliens are not killed by the Bacteria, instead they are put into hibernation, with their bodies being put into barrels. There are many differences between this and the original(1). For Example, the Alien Invasion is not Covered up (in the original, there are people who somehow believe that the invasion NEVER EVEN HAPPENED!). In this Version, the people instead believe that the idea of the Aliens invading again is unlikely due to the Bacteria protecting Humanity. The Aliens here are also updated. Like in the original, they still take control of Human Bodies for their goals, but their Dogma is changed. They are not Space Communists,(2) They are now Space Fundamentalists, keeping with the times of Islamic Terrorists being the common villains rather than Communist Terrorists. Their Reasoning for Invading the Earth is much more Religious than the others, seeing Humanity as "Unholy" or some shit like that, and conquering Earth is the Will of the God/s. It is also revealed that the Aliens invading are a Rogue Faction of their race, and that the Other aliens are much more peaceful(3), but the Rogue Invaders decided to invade anyways, even after they were condemned for it. The main characters are basically expies of the Original Show's main characters.
Here are some episode ideas, in no particular order:
Resurrection: the pilot episode. Al Qaeda attacks a Military Base in the middle east, only to accidentally free Dormant Aliens, who proceed to take over the Terrorists Bodies, along with the Other Soldiers. The Aliens begin Conducting Religious Rituals and awaken more Aliens, drawing the attention of the Blackwood Team, who is still forming. The Aliens launch several attacks in the middle east to bring in more Bodies for the newly awakened Aliens. The Blackwood Team discovers that the Aliens ultimate goal is to break into a Warehouse in Oman containing a Tripod from the invasion. Knowing this, the Blackwood team sets several charges inside the tripod, with plans to destroy it from the inside, But the aliens manage to activate the tripod and try to kill the main characters with it, only to die when the Charges go off.
Dragon across the sea: the Aliens travel to China in an attempt to awaken the many Dormant Aliens there, with the Blackwood team receiving help from a now-mature Rachel Ferrier.
The Space Candidate: In an attempt to integrate themselves into Human society (cuz, u know, disguising yourself as only Terrorists or Soldiers is gonna draw attention), the Aliens covertly take control of a resort and try to draw the attention of people from around the world so that they may use them as stock for their troops to serve as sleeper agents around the world
You hurt me, I kill you: The events of H.G. Wells book are actually somewhat true. Aliens disguised as British Gangsters travel to Britain, where Alien Scouts landed in Woking in 1897 to bury the Tripods, only to die from the bacteria. The Aliens go to Woking in an attempt to use the Alien Scout Ship for Evil Alien stuff...
Into the Vault: The Blackwood team discovers an underground based filled with Alien Weaponry, such as a Handheld Heat Ray(4), and 10,000 Dormant Aliens! but the Aliens also found it.
Doctor in the House: one of the Alien Leaders(5) gets Cancer, resulting in the Aliens starting to kidnap Doctors to heal it
Rage Control: The blackwood team starts to suffer from tension after a friendly fire incident, and the Aliens attempt to take control over Kim Jong Il to make him fire Missiles at the United States.
No TV For You!: The Aliens create a TV series filled with Subliminal Messages to brainwash humans into committing suicide en-masse
Blood in the sand: The team travels to Egypt, where the aliens are trying to find an Ancient Tripod that is inside of one of the Pyramids.
No WI-FI for you!: The Aliens try to destroy Earth's Satellites and disrupt the Earth's WI-FI Networks, and destroy the Internet, believing that it will cause Anarchy
That's all I got.
(1) which does not exist in this TL.
(2)Personally, i always saw them as more like Imperial Japan, with their whole "Hairi Kari" like-Rhetoric when they suffer failure, and their "To life Immortal" chant always reminded me more of "Tenoheika-Banzai" more than anything else.
(3) doesn't stop them from seeing Humanity as inferior to them.
(4) might as well point out now that Humanity did not reverse engineer any Alien Tech, some District 9 type stuff required in order to use them.
(5) did i mention that the Aliens main base is in a Cave? see the Bin Laden parallels?
