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Aliens in America
SERIES: CW, Monday 8:30p (30 minutes)


7.9

based on 26 reviews
read critic reviews
how did we calculate this?

based on 25 votes
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Get more information on this show at TV.com.

Official Show Site

Starring Adhir Kalayan, Dan Byrd, Lindsey Shaw, Amy Pietz, and Scott Patterson

It's a major culture clash in Wisconsin when Raja comes to town.

GENRE(S):	Comedy
CREATED BY:	David Guarascio Moses Port
FIRST AIR DATE:	October 1, 2007

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

New York Daily News David Hinckley

Sameer Asad Gardezi and his writing partners have created something very different in Aliens in America--and something very, very funny.

New York Post Linda Stasi

Kalyan, Byrd and Duncan will make you laugh out loud they are so good. And being standouts here is almost impossible because it's so well done.

Chicago Sun-Times Doug Elfman

It's very appealing. Aliens in America pulls off its absurd, touchy situation by handling everything with a relaxed tone and excellent film work.

Entertainment Weekly Gillian Flynn

Kalyan and Byrd are two likable, unaffected actors (or at least as unaffected as Aliens' heightened reality allows them to be; this show would be a mess in lesser hands).

Hollywood Reporter Barry Garron

The Aliens pilot has some of the funniest writing on TV this fall.

San Jose Mercury News Charlie McCollum

It is a classic fish-out-of-water comedy that shows a deft touch as it delves into adolescent anxieties and intercultural fears and misunderstandings. There are honest emotions and honestly earned laughs throughout the first half hour.

Los Angeles Times Robert Lloyd

The show is consistently clever and lively, well played and directed, its corners filled with nice throwaway lines and small visual jokes.

Newsday Diane Werts

This narrated comedy-drama finely observes the particulars and peculiarities of teen life, both in the family its narrator is trying to outgrow and the high school pecking order he's hoping to rise in.

Philadelphia Inquirer Jonathan Storm

Aliens in America, a darling and delightful sitcom with a social conscience.

Baltimore Sun David Zurawik

Funny, charming and smart.

Chicago Tribune Maureen Ryan

Aliens is generally an intriguing and worthwhile show, combining a "The Wonder Years" vibe with a subversive and effective topicality.

Kansas City Star Aaron Barnhart

A lightly subversive sitcom set in modern-day Wisconsin.

Miami Herald Glenn Garvin

Innovative, daring and--most importantly--funny, Aliens in America is a fresh take on an old problem, the loneliness of being different.

Orlando Sentinel Hal Boedeker

The risk-taking humor is a refreshing throwback to "All in the Family" and "Maude."

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen

It's a timely look at cultural differences and a timeless depiction of young friendship. It's that rare TV comedy with both humor and heart.

The New York Times Alessandra Stanley

It’s a premise that in the wrong hands could be boorish and not at all amusing, so it is to the writers’ credit that Aliens is instead fresh, funny and charming in a tart, sardonic way, one of the best sendups of adolescent angst since "The Wonder Years" and "Malcolm in the Middle" (and perhaps even "My So-Called Life").

Salon Heather Havrilesky

Aliens in America is packed with actual jokes and the story lines are tight and funny.

San Francisco Chronicle Tim Goodman

It's slightly unpolished in some areas but funny and charming and a perfect companion series to "Chris."

Detroit Free Press Mike Duffy

Aliens in America delivers the laughs. It's one of the most enjoyable members of this fall's freshman class.

PopMatters Todd R. Ramlow

While I expected the obvious jihadist jokes and Muslim stereotypes, the good news is that Aliens in America doesn’t just fall into such jingoistic scapegoating. Instead, it shows and complicates the process.

Newark Star-Ledger Alan Sepinwall

Aliens is very much in the vein of previous nerd comedies like "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Freaks and Geeks," though it's not as explosively funny as either one of them.

Boston Globe Matthew Gilbert

Aliens in America is decent, and quiet, and genuinely sweet.

Variety Brian Lowry

While the kids are alright, Pietz alone makes the series recommendable

Slate Troy Patterson

Because the show is sidling up to its premise very gently, it looks more like a sweet-natured high-school comedy than the risky riff on tolerance it teases us with.

USA Today Robert Bianco

All is fine, if not as good as it had been.

Washington Post Tom Shales

Despite plenty of surface sparkle, there is something discomforting about the show, and not just because it borrows tone and form from other sitcoms with youthful heroes, especially Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle."

The average user rating for this tv show is 7.9 (out of 10) based on 25 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Depal gave it a9:
Very entertaining. The characters are very well portrayed, especially the role of Raja. It's definitely worth watching!

Steven Dudley gave it a10:
Excellent.

Schuyler gave it a9:
I thought it was very clever and funny. It addresses some of the racism issues that we are facing today. I thought it was very good.

hello you gave it a3:
I'm suprise at the score as well. The show wasn't very funny at all, and most of the comedy was geared towards an ignorant white family being racist. It was pretty hilarious how every single joke dealt with race or the sister's big rack. From the father making the Indian boy clean his house like a slave, to the mom wanting to kick him out of the house, and then...to top it off...at the end they throw in a black guy to make fun of as well. All around a pretty bad show.

Shekhar K. gave it a9:
A very entertaining comedy, indeed !

Sammy gave it a5:
I'm a little surprised at the metascore of 77; I had no idea religious and racial intolerance were considered to be funny. I was ashamed of the family's instant dislike towards Raja, not to mention the students' ignorance and cruelty. Sure, the family's attitude towards Raja changes, but I think the intolerance thing will be prevalent in subsequent episodes, just from different sources. And like I said, it's not something that I find humorous. This show makes me ashamed to be American. I'm not giving this show lower than a five because all the actors did very fine jobs, and the actress playing the mother is just gorgeous! But I'm very disappointed regarding the conceit of the show.

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Aliens in America SERIES: CW, Monday 8:30p (30 minutes)

Aliens in America
SERIES: CW, Monday 8:30p (30 minutes)