Aliens in America

Before I get to the primary topic of the day, I want to give a quick shot of publicity to September 19: a very important day. It is, of course, Talk Like A Pirate Day. We should all take a moment to bask in its silliness and throw out a few "avasts", "mateys", and "scallywags."

But the main thing I wanted to say today is that I'm suitably intrigued by a show debuting on the CW Network this Fall: Aliens in America.

I was unaware of the show until this morning. I listened to a preview of the Fall TV season on the NPR show Talk of the Nation and the mere audio from the teaser (viewable here) caused me to laugh out loud. Can the show sustain anything approaching this level of subversiveness and quirkiness?

Here's the write-up from the CW Web Site:

Justin Tolchuck (Dan Byrd, "The Hills Have Eyes") is a sensitive, lanky 16-year old just trying to make it through the social nightmare of high school in Medora, Wisconsin, with the help of his well-meaning mom Franny (Amy Pietz, "Caroline in the City"), aspiring-entrepreneur dad Gary (Scott Patterson, "Gilmore Girls") and his beautiful and popular younger sister Claire (Lindsey Shaw, "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide"). Although he's bright and funny, Justin is also shy, socially awkward and pretty much resigned to the fact that he'll never be one of the cool kids. Franny, however, is the kind of take-charge mom who micro-manages her family, and she's come up with a plan to help Justin: she signs up for the school's international exchange student program.

Picturing an athletic, brilliant Nordic teen, Franny is sure this new friendship will bestow instant coolness on her outsider son. However, when the Tolchuck's exchange student arrives, he turns out to be Raja Musharaff (Adhir Kalyan, "Fair City"), a 16-year-old Muslim from a small village in Pakistan. Raja is thoughtful, responsible and wise beyond his years. To the Tolchucks and everyone else in Medora, he's also just about as foreign as a foreigner can be. While the rest of the family is slightly freaked out by the Muslim in their midst, Gary is comforted by the fact that the host family receives a monthly check to help with expenses. This fits right in with Gary's money-making schemes, and when he sees how hard-working and respectful Raja is, he's totally on board. As for Claire, she's too busy with her friends and her new boyfriend to pay much attention to their houseguest, but Raja is smitten from the moment he first sees her.

After the initial shock wears off, Justin is quickly won over by Raja's humor, gestures of friendship and by their common status as outsiders. Despite the cultural chasm between them, Justin and Raja develop an unlikely bond that just might allow them to navigate the minefield that is contemporary high school. It's going to be a very interesting year for Raja, Justin, his family and the entire population of Medora. "Aliens In America" is from CBS Paramount Network Television Inc. and Warner Bros. Television with executive producers Tim Doyle ("Jake in Progress"), Moses Port ("Just Shoot Me," "Mad About You") and David Guarascio ("Just Shoot Me," "Mad About You"), and co-executive producers Richard Day ("Arrested Development," "The Larry Sanders Show") and Michael Glouberman ("Malcolm in the Middle," "3rd Rock From the Sun").

This time of year I feel like a Kansas City Royals fan in Spring Training. Even though I should know better, the shows can seem so worthy before the episodes start airing. But SOME of the shows have to be good, right?