August 20, 2008
Adhir Kalyan has performed a number of productions in South Africa, including theatrical adaptations of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol, an adaptation of Salman Rushdie's The Ground Beneath Her Feet, and the classical Shakespearean play Macbeth. But in the United States, he is popularly known for portraying exchange student Raja on Aliens in America, a sitcom that has won critical praise despite few viewers this season. Soon, however, the 25-year-old actor will be expanding his TV credits as he appears on yet another sitcom.
According to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello, the Aliens in America star will be gracing the CBS series Rules of Engagement, the comedy from the writers of the Emmy Award-winning show Everybody Loves Raymond that looks at different relationship stages through the characters played by Patrick Warburton, Megyn Price, Oliver Hudson, Bianca Kajlich, and David Spade.
October 22, 2007
On Aliens in America, Dan Byrd plays an alienated teenager who often suffers at the hands of bullies, who, in his case, is almost everyone in his high school. Fortunately, for Byrd, who left high school to pursue his acting career just before his senior year, his own high school experience was quite different.
"I can definitely relate to lots of things that [my character] Justin has to go through," Byrd told IGN. "But my high school experience was a little stilted compared to this one."
October 15, 2007
After spending seven seasons on the CW's successful drama, Gilmore Girls, Scott Patterson is back on the small screen, this time on a half-hour comedy series called Aliens in America. On the show, Patterson plays Gary Tolchuck, a businessman in Medora, Wisconsin whose son is among the school's unpopular crowd.
“He is a pretty much a quintessential everyman,” Patterson said of his character in an interview with Starry Constellation Magazine. “He's just a guy with a family, a little bit conservative, a little bit Christian… His son is an apple that fell a little too far from the tree, so to speak.”
October 8, 2007
Adhir Kalyan is not a Pakistani Muslim, but this doesn't mean he doesn't feel an overwhelming responsibility in portraying a character of that descent on The CW's comedy series, Aliens in America, especially since we are living in a world post-9/11.
"I feel a responsibility to the Muslim community to portray this character in an accurate and a positive light," Kalyan told the New York Daily News. "After September 11, there has been a lot of anxiety and fear when it comes to the concept of Islam and Muslims, and this is an opportunity to present, in a more accurate light, what that culture and civilization and history represent."
October 1, 2007
The CW will attempt to draw a stronger Monday night lineup with one of its latest offerings this fall, Aliens in America. Scheduled to broadcast on 8:30/7:30c, the sitcom serves as a lead-in for Girlfriends which airs at 9/8c.
Created by David Guarascio and Moses Port, Aliens in America is about a Pakistani Muslim exchange student and a nerdy 16-year-old boy who adjust to life and through the social nightmare of high school in Medora, Wisconsin with the help of each other. The series stars Dan Byrd (Justin Tolchuk), Amy Pietz (Franny Tolchuk), Scott Patterson (Gary Tolchuk), Lindsey Shaw (Claire Tolchuk), and Adhir Kalyan (Raja Musharaff).
September 24, 2007
Aliens in America, The CW's debuting comedy about misfits and socially ostracized teenagers in a typical high school, debuts next Monday, October 1 at 8:30pm.
Last month, CW Source caught up with four of the stars of Aliens in America, who spoke candidly about getting invited to do the show, their casting process, reading the script and what attracted them most to the project.
September 12, 2007
When Nebraska native Lindsey Shaw first burst into the movie scene three years ago, she played the athletic, girl next door best friend of the titular character on Nickelodeon's Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. Three years later, the 18-year old beauty has a new comedy series where she portrays the resident hottie, Claire, on Aliens in America, which premieres on The CW October 1.
The actress, who played Jennifer Ann “Moze” Mosely for three seasons on the TEENick family comedy, recently spoke about the rather radical change from her previous character to her latest onscreen alter ego.
September 10, 2007
In BuddyTV's 2007 Fall TV Guide, our team disagreed vehemently on the prospects of several new shows. Please read as they cheer, bash and degrade each other and the shows. Then you can decide what you think about Gossip Girl, Samantha Who?, Viva Laughlin, and Aliens in America.
BuddyTV heavyweights Jon Lachonis and John Kubicek have very different views of the CW's new comedy, Aliens in America. John believes it is the single worst new show offered up from all five major networks this season. Jon, on the other hands, thinks it deserves a chance. The show centers around a Pakistani Muslim exchange student named Raja who comes to live with an average family in a small town in Wisconsin.
While John argues that the show is uninspired and quite racist, Jon believes it is successfully attempting to make a larger point about society. Agree or disagree, the two writers debate the social and critical messages inherent to the show's premise, so read on to find out what they have to say about this new series.