Aliens in America

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.”

The role has proven to be very challenging for Scott Patterson, but the 49-year-old actor doesn't mind the challenges one bit.

"Everything about it [is challenging]; from characterization to the physicality… but that's what turns me on, that's why I do this job,” he told Starry Constellation Magazine.  “You know, you're always looking for the next challenge and this presented itself in a very timely fashion, so I was very lucky.”

On Aliens in America, Gary's son, Justin (Dan Byrd) is a gawky 16-year-old high school student who is often bullied by his schoolmates. In an effort to boost Justin's popularity, Gary and his wife, Franny (Amy Pietz) sign up to host an athletic and handsome exchange student from Norway, but instead is assigned a Pakistani Muslim teen named Raja Musharaff (Adhir Kalyan).  Eventually though, the family comes to accept Raja, who becomes good friends with Justin and hopelessly enamored with Justin's sister, Claire (Lindsey Shaw).

Patterson said the chemistry between him and his castmates was instant.

"The first person I met was Amy. I met her in LA… I just adore her, I think she's already one of my favorite people in the planet,” he said.  “Then I met the rest of the cast… I feel the same way about them.  They are so talented and so giving, and [are] dedicated professionals…  They're so sophisticated and so professional, and such good people that it's just really refreshing.  I feel very lucky to be a part of this.”

When asked why he believes Aliens in America is worth watching, Patterson reasoned that the show makes serious issues, particularly people's perception of and attitude towards Muslims in a post 9-11 world, more palatable through humor.

"[The show] allows people to examine their own xenophobia, while couched in a comedy, so in a sense they're gonna be able to laugh at themselves.  I think that's the real genius of what these writers and producers have done. They're holding up a mirror to our society post 9-11 with a hell of a lot laughs,” Scott Patterson said.  “It's also a show that promotes diversity and acceptance.  It's also portraying a Muslim character as a real person, instead of this cliché'd Hollywood version of a terrorist.”

Aliens in America airs Monday nights on The CW.


-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Starry Constellation Magazine
(Image Courtesy of Getty Images)