Aliens in America

The parents of a geeky kid in suburban Wisconsin try to bolster his social life by signing up to host an exchange student. But rather than the blond, strapping Scandanavian lad they expect from the brochure, they instead welcome Raja (Adhir Kaylan, a Muslim boy from Pakistan. But Raja bonds with Justin (Dan Byrd), and along the way everyone’s preconceptions about religion and skin color are tested.

The Pitch:	It's the tepid predictability of the ol' fish-out-of-water sitcom livened up with a little dash of today's brand of Middle East-fueled paranoia.
When It’s On	Mondays at 8:30 PT/ET, CW
When It Starts	Mon 10/1
What It’s Up Against	Dancing With the Stars (ABC), Big Bang Theory (CBS), Prison Break (Fox), Chuck (NBC)
Starring...	Scott Patterson
Cliche-o-Meter	Geeks Fish out of Water Annoying Narrator
Fandom Factor	Lukewarm
Do Not Adjust Your Set:	It's the rare high-school show in which the actors portraying the high-school students don't look like they're pushing 30.
Why It Will Be First To Go:	Yeah, it's funny and all, but at the end of the day, this is just "Square Pegs" with a Pakistani kid in the Sarah Jessica Parker role.
Why It Won't:	As this is one of the few CW shows in which world-weary adolescents aren't drinking like Hemingway and boffing like Paris Hilton, we kind of hope it sticks around for a bit.
Odds of Failure:	7-1
Show's official web site

(A TeeVee/TV Barn top 10 notable show.)

Full Review

Life's tough for Justin Tolchuck (Dan Byrd). Yeah, he finally got his braces off and his mother insists that if she were a teenager she'd love him, but he's the omega geek of the high school in Medora, Wisconsin, and his younger sister Claire has blown right past him to the heights of popularity. Mom's so desperate for a way to make Justin more popular that she lets the school guidance counselor talk her into taking in an international exchange student. There's a strapping Scandanavian on the cover of the brochure, but when the Tolchucks show up at Chippewa Falls Airport to pick up their blonde boy wonder, they discover that their actual exchange student is Raja (Adhir Kaylan), a Pakistani.

They call them situation comedies for a reason. But "Aliens in America" verges on Norman Lear levels of situation, with plenty of opportunity for social commentary along the way. The good news is, it's not preachy. In fact, it's more effective to lampoon the ignorance many Americans have about the rest of the world while making some pretty funny jokes. (Raja's social studies teacher introduces him as someone who "practices Muslimism" and introduces him to the class by asking how many of his classmates are angry at him because his people "blew up those buildings in New York." After one day at school, Raja is also no longer a fan of that infamous exchange-student brochure: "Very misleading.") Mrs. Tolchuck tries to jettison Raja immediately, more concerned that he's going to convert her son to, uh, Muslimism, than the fact that her daughter has just declared her interest in acquiring birth-control pills. Of course, good feelings win out in the end, when Raja and Justin bond over their shared high school horror stories and become fast friends.

Fortunately, "Aliens in America" isn't a heavy-handed message coated in a little sitcom sugar. It's a legitimately funny single-camera show, with a quirky family (Justin's dad farms Alpacas in their suburban backyard) and a lot of laughs. The show's sense of humor, -- populated with "Scrubs"-style nonsequiturs, oddball characters, and a geeky but likeable pair of lead actor -- will have to carry the day. Being on the CW makes the chances of "Aliens in America" becoming a smash hit about as remote as the chances Justin has of going to the prom with the prettiest girl in the school. But paired with fellow underdog sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris," this show has a chance for mild success. And on The CW, that might just be enough.--JASON SNELL

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