Most fish-out-of-water stories are told at the expense of the poor fish. But not so with Aliens in America, which may well be the best television show you're not watching. Well, you'd first have to find that misbegotten offspring of the WB/UPN marriage, the CW channel.

Your efforts will be well rewarded with a very funny comedy that takes on racism, the war on terror, Islam, and that most hallowed of American institutions: high school. How can you resist a show that throws together a devout Pakistani teenager and small-town America?

Hollywood is usually at its excruciatingly racist worst when it comes to any plot that involves foreign exchange students of the non-white variety -- think Long Duk Dong slobbering over Molly Ringwald in Sixteen Candles. The joke is always at the expense of the "fish."

But not so in Aliens in America. Raja's arrival in Medora, Wisconsin is an opportunity not to mock that weird Third World village kid, but the deep-set prejudices and endearing quirks of our American life. The writers handle a potentially difficult premise without ever preaching or veering into gross sentimentality. They do so by focusing the show on the friendship between Raja and the narrator, Justin Tolchuck, a 16-year old bona fide geek who has enough problems making it through the day at school without a Muslim exchange student in tow.

Yet the primary moral of this story is not about peace, love or tolerance, but self-acceptance. It's about Justin learning to like himself -- with a little bit of help from a most unlikely source.

You can read more about the show and catch up on past episodes here. Aliens in America airs every Monday, 8:30/7:30 central.

Comments (9)

1. Ms Chaudhry is right...AiA is hilarious. My wife and I don't miss it.

   And she's right. The point isn't mocking "Raja" and his lack of understanding of American culture. It's a mockery of the others attitudes towards him or about HIS culture.

   Two examples...One, where in his first day in school, the teacher asks a student how they feel about Raja being in their class...and a girl (RIO's daughter or grand-daughter would be perfect casting in real life) "Well, I feel anger, I guess...because of how his people killed all those people in New York!" And Raja says "But those were not my people" and the teacher says "Raja, we wait until we are called on to speak in class!"

   Or when he buys supplies for their model rocketry club in a hardware store ("pipes, black powder, and a very long fuse") and the cops show up with Raja in tow at the Tolchuk house and demand to seize his computer, and the family ends up losing THEIR computers as well....it really hits home the insanity that many here on the Right endorse every day. (BTW, the only thing on Raja's computer was porn that Justin had watched on Raja's computer because his had been parent-blocked...heheh)

   Posted by Mask at 10/29/2007 @ 12:47pm

2. i'll have to check it out. its previews looked so horrible i vowed not to bother...but this sounds funny...

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 10/29/2007 @ 1:09pm

3. Posted by IBBLEBLIBBLE 10/29/2007 @ 1:09pm

   The trailers/teasers try to play up the "teen comedy" aspect (which truthfully, is there). But the show's better than that.

   Posted by Mask at 10/29/2007 @ 1:17pm

4. Posted by MASK 10/29/2007 @ 1:17pm

   yeah - that was what turned me off...but sounds like a hidden gem. glad i got the tip...sounds hilarious.

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 10/29/2007 @ 1:39pm

5. Posted by RIO BRAVO 10/29/2007 @ 7:14pm

   Uh, RIO...what did Ms Chaudhry say that gave you that impression?

   Or do you consider racial stereotypes about Muslims to be "Judeo-Christian morality"?

   Posted by Mask at 10/29/2007 @ 8:38pm

6. Actually, when I read RIO, I'm reminded of this young man! [youtube.com]

   Posted by Mask at 10/29/2007 @ 10:16pm

7. sounds to me that they're ripping off the CBC.

   Little Mosque on the Prairie [cbc.ca]

   Posted by frosty zoom at 10/29/2007 @ 10:46pm

8. It sounds better than I thought it would be. I'll check it out next Monday, and see if the prior episodes are available on iTunes.

   Posted by brunowe at 10/30/2007 @ 10:45am

9. "("pipes, black powder, and a very long fuse") and the cops show up with Raja in tow at the Tolchuk house and demand to seize his computer, and the family ends up losing THEIR computers as well....it really hits home the insanity that many here on the Right endorse every day."

   I'm sorry....and there's something supposedly wrong with policing and security based on race?

   Here's a little talked about fact....all 19 hijackers had the following traits in common:

   1. All were of Arab descent 2. All practiced Islam as a religion 3. All where young to middle aged males 4. All shared the same common hate for America

   According to the United States FBI:

   "AMERICAN AIRLINES #77 BOEING 757

   1) Khalid Almihdhar - Possible Saudi national

   -Possible resident of San Diego, California, and New York

   -Alias: Sannan Al-Makki; Khalid Bin Muhammad; 'Addallah Al-Mihdhar; Khalid Mohammad Al-Saqaf

   2) Majed Moqed - Possible Saudi national

   -Alias: Majed M.GH Moqed; Majed Moqed, Majed Mashaan Moqed

   3) Nawaf Alhazmi - Possible Saudi national

   -Possible resident of Fort Lee, New Jersey; Wayne, New Jersey; San Diego, California

   -Alias: Nawaf Al-Hazmi; Nawaf Al Hazmi; Nawaf M.S. Al Hazmi

   4) Salem Alhazmi - Possible Saudi national

   -Possible resident of Fort Lee, New Jersey; Wayne, New Jersey

   5) Hani Hanjour -

   -Possible resident of Phoenix, Arizona, and San Diego, California

   -Alias: Hani Saleh Hanjour; Hani Saleh; Hani Hanjour, Hani Saleh H. Hanjour

   AMERICAN AIRLINES #11 BOEING 767

   1) Satam M.A. Al Suqami- Possible Saudi national

   -Dates of birth used: June 28, 1976; Last known address: United Arab Emirates

   2) Waleed M. Alshehri - Possible Saudi national

   -Dates of birth used: September 13, 1974; January 1, 1976; March 3, 1976; July 8, 1977; December 20, 1978; May 11, 1979; November 5, 1979

   -Possible residence(s): Hollywood, Florida; Orlando, Florida; Daytona Beach, Florida

   -Believed to be a pilot

   3) Wail M. Alshehri

   -Date of birth used: September 1, 1968

   -Possible residence(s): Hollywood, Florida; Newton, Massachusetts

   -Believed to be a pilot

   4) Mohamed Atta - Possible Egyptian national

   -Date of birth used: September 1, 1968

   -Possible residence(s): Hollywood, Florida; Coral Springs, Florida; Hamburg, Germany

   -Believed to be a pilot

   -Alias: Mehan Atta; Mohammad El Amir; Muhammad Atta; Mohamed El Sayed; Mohamed Elsayed; Muhammad Muhammad Al Amir Awag Al Sayyid Atta; Muhammad Muhammad Al-Amir Awad Al Sayad

   5) Abdulaziz Alomari - Possible Saudi national

   -Dates of birth used: December 24, 1972 and May 28, 1979

   -Possible residence(s): Hollywood, Florida

   -Believed to be a pilot

   UNITED AIRLINES #175 BOEING 767

   1) Marwan Al-Shehhi

   -Date of birth used: May 9, 1978

   -Possible residence(s): Hollywood, Florida

   -Believed to be a pilot

   -Alias: Marwan Yusif Muhammad Rashid Al-Shehi; Marwan Yusif Muhammad Rashid Lakrab Al-Shihhi; Abu Abdullah

   2) Fayez Rashid Ahmed Hassan Al Qadi Banihammad

   -Possible residence(s): Delray Beach, Florida

   -Alias: Fayez Ahmad; Banihammad Fayez Abu Dhabi Banihammad; Fayez Rashid Ahmed; Banihammad Fayez; Rasid Ahmed Hassen Alqadi; Abu Dhabi Banihammad

   Ahmed Fayez; Faez Ahmed

   3) Ahmed Alghamdi

   -Alias: Ahmed Salah Alghamdi

   4) Hamza Alghamdi

   -Possible residence(s): Delray Beach, Florida

   -Alias: Hamza Al-Ghamdi; Hamza Ghamdi; Hamzah Alghamdi;

   Hamza Alghamdi Saleh

   5) Mohand Alshehri

   -Possible residence(s): Delray Beach, Florida

   -Alias: Mohammed Alshehhi; Mohamd Alshehri; Mohald Alshehri

   UNITED AIRLINES #93 BOEING 757

   1) Saeed Alghamdi

   -Possible residence: Delray Beach, Florida

   -Alias: Abdul Rahman Saed Alghamdi; Ali S Alghamdi; Al- Gamdi; Saad M.S. Al Ghamdi; Sadda Al Ghamdi; Saheed Al-Ghamdi; Seed Al Ghamdi

   2) Ahmed Ibrahim A. Al Haznawi - Possible Saudi national

   -Date of birth used: October 11, 1980

   -Possible residence: Delray Beach, Florida

   -Alias: Ahmed Alhaznawi

   3) Ahmed Alnami

   -Possible residence: Delray Beach, Florida

   -Alias: Ali Ahmed Alnami; Ahmed A. Al-Nami; Ahmed Al- Nawi

   4) Ziad Samir Jarrah

   -Believed to be a pilot

   -Alias: Zaid Jarrahi; Zaid Samr Jarrah; Ziad S. Jarrah; Ziad Jarrah Jarrat, Ziad Samir Jarrahi"

   So why would any security agency not use stereotyping as a security measure?

   I sure would.

   Todd

   Posted by Oksportsguy at 10/31/2007 @ 1:05pm