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").

July 2007

CREDITS FOR "ALIENS IN AMERICA" ON THE CW  

Day and time:                                       Mondays, 8:30-9:00 p.m. ET

Network debut:                                    October 1, 2007

Format:                                                A half-hour comedy set in the American heartland, "Aliens In America" is the story of the Tolchuck family, whose lives are turned upside down by the arrival of Raja, a Pakistani Muslim exchange student.

Cast:                                                    Dan Byrd as Justin Tolchuck

                                                            Adhir Kalyan as Raja Musharaff

                                                            Amy Pietz as Franny Tolchuck

                                                            Lindsey Shaw as Claire Tolchuck

                                                            And Scott Patterson as Gary Tolchuck

Executive Producers:                            Tim Doyle, Moses Port and David Guarascio

Co-Executive Producers:                      Richard Day and Michael Glouberman

Origination:                                           Vancouver, British Columbia

Produced by:                                        CBS Paramount Network Television Inc. and Warner Bros. Television

Media contact:                                      Pamela Morrison, (818) 977-6155

                                                            Pamela.Morrison@CWTV.com

                                 DAN BYRD

Justin Tolchuck in "Aliens In America"

            Dan Byrd plays Justin Tolchuck, a classic teenage outsider whose life is changed by the arrival of a Pakistani foreign exchange student, in The CW's new comedy "Aliens In America."

            Originally from Marietta, Georgia, Byrd began acting at the age of 8, and went on to develop his craft with performances in numerous theatrical productions in Atlanta. 

            Byrd's talent gained him early recognition at the 21^st Annual Young Artists Awards when he won the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role in the critically acclaimed television series "Any Day Now."  He also won the award for Best Child Actor Performance at the Burbank Film Festival for his role in the feature film "The First of May." 

            Byrd's other films include Wes Craven's "The Hills Have Eyes," about a suburban American Family being stalked by a group of psychotic desert-dwellers.  He also starred as the son of John Travolta's character in the film "Lonely Hearts," along with Selma Hayek and Jared Leto.  The film was based on a notorious real-life pair of murderers known as the "Lonely Hearts Killers."  Byrd also appeared in the independent film "Outlaw Trail" and the Tobe Hooper film "Mortuary."  In addition, Byrd starred alongside Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray in the teen take on a classic tale in the hit film "A Cinderella Story."  He also starred with Sandra Bullock in the drama "28 Days."

            In addition to his role on the series "Any Day Now," with Annie Potts, Byrd's many television roles include the dramatic series "Clubhouse," where he portrayed a classic Catholic high-school student, as well as the miniseries "Salem's Lot," with Rob Lowe, and "Firestarter 2: Rekindled," with Dennis Hopper.  His television movies include "Just Ask My Children," starring Virginia Madsen, and "The Price of a Broken Heart."  Byrd has also had numerous television guest appearances, including "Joan of Arcadia," "The Guardian," "Boomtown," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Judging Amy" and "State of Grace."

July 2007

                                 ADHIR KALYAN

Raja in "Aliens In America"

            Adhir Kalyan stars in The CW's new comedy "Aliens In America" as Raja, the fish-out-of-water Pakistani Muslim teenager who finds himself confronting American misconceptions in a small Wisconsin town. 

            Kalyan was born and raised in Durban, South Africa, where his mother, Sandy Kalyan, is a member of Parliament in the South African National Assembly.  He began his career in the South African theater, performing in productions of "Macbeth," "Oliver," "A Christmas Carol" and "The Ground Beneath Her Feet."  Moving to London in 2005, Kalyan landed memorable roles in the BBC series "Holby City VIII" and "Spooks V."  He also secured supporting roles in the independent films "Out Loud," "The Eastern Bride" and "The Sunflower," for director Lance Samuels.  

            Kalyan has an impressive command of languages and accents.  He speaks both Afrikaans and French, and has wide range of accents, including British, South African, Middle Eastern, Indian, Pakistani, Scottish, French and Australian, as well as several American accents. 

July 2007

AMY PIETZ

Franny Tolchuck in "Aliens In America"

            Amy Pietz stars as Franny Tolchuck, the micro-managing mom in a Wisconsin family whose lives are turned upside down by the arrival of a Pakistani Muslim exchange student, in The CW's new comedy "Aliens In America."

Pietz is well-known to television audience for her portrayal of Annie, the wild neighbor on the hit comedy "Caroline In the City."  Her endearing performance in the role earned her a 1998 nomination from the Screen Actor's Guild for Best Actress in a Comedy.  Other television credits include regular roles on "Rodney," "The Weber Show" and "Muscle," as well as a recurring role on "Ally McBeal."  A favorite leading lady in telefilms, Pietz starred "Call for Help" and "All Lies End in Murder," and has guest starred on such shows as "Law & Order: SVU," "ER," CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", "The Drew Carey Show," "I'm With Her," "Conrad Bloom" and "the Division." 

On the big screen, her credits include "Rudy," "Jingle All The Way," "Dysenchanted," "Jell-Ohh Lady," which she also produced, and "The Whole Ten Yards."

Pietz has amassed an impressive resume of theater credits as well, including originating the role of Martha Boswell in the musical "The Boswell Sisters" at The Old Globe Theatre.  She has continued singing classic Boswell Sisters arrangements with the women from that show in their jazz trio, "Shout Sister," which has recorded two albums of 1930's New Orleans style jazz.  Other theater credits include "Christmas In Naples" at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Reprise LA musicals "Fiorello" and "Company," for which she was nominated for a 2004 Ovation Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.  She also appeared in "Lobby Hero" at the Odyssey Theatre, "A View From The Bridge" and "You Can't Take It With You," both at the famed Steppenwolf Theatre, "In The Flesh" at the Organic Theatre in Chicago, "The Love Of The Nightingale" at Chicago's Next Theatre, "A Dead Man's Apartment" at the Met Theatre and "Waiting for Lefty" at the Artistic Home.  At the Gascon Center Theatre, she produced the musical "Xanadu Live," which has now opened on Broadway.  Her love of radio plays has led her to do 15 plays with L.A. Theatre Works and "The Play's The Thing" on NPR.  Some of her favorites are "A View from the Bridge," "The South Paw," "After the Fall," "Voir Dire," "Dinosaur Dreams," "The Cherry Orchard," "Middle of the Night" and "Falsettos."   

                Pietz's work for charities is extensive, including a passion for the Winter Special Olympics.  She shared executive producer credit along with Brad Pitt on the film "The Tehuacan Project," which recently garnered director Andy Lauer a Humanitarian Award from the White House.  

                Pietz is a founding member of the Eclipse Theatre Company in Chicago and a graduate of the former Goodman School of Drama, which honored her with an "Excellence in the Arts" award for her work in radio, television and theatre.  When not acting or singing, she spends her time in service as a doula, coaching women with the births of their babies.  She considers this work a true calling.

                                     LINDSEY SHAW

Claire Tolchuck in "Aliens In America"

              Lindsey Shaw plays Claire, the beautiful and popular teenage daughter in a Wisconsin family whose lives are turned upside down by the arrival of a Pakistani Muslim exchange student, in The CW's new comedy "Aliens In America."

            Shaw cut a show biz path from her hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska, through Omaha, Kansas City, Dallas, New York and Los Angeles.  The daughter of a bookkeeper-accountant and a personal trainer, Shaw began her career with leading roles in a string of grade-school plays.  When she was only in the fourth grade, a Lincoln talent agency's radio announcement of a mass audition grabbed her attention.  She won representation there and embarked with her mom on regular commutes to Omaha and Kansas City for commercials and print ad modeling.  Dallas beckoned a couple of years down the road with an Agents' Expo, where 11-year-old Lindsey signed with a New York agency and set off for a summer in the Big Apple.

            In New York, Shaw voiced a radio spot for the U.S. Open and posed for print ads before she and her dedicated mother headed for Los Angeles, where Shaw studied at The Jeremiah Comey Film Acting Studios and with manager/private comedy coach Pat Cutler.  Shaw continued to do commercials before landing her first big break in the role of Moze on the hit Nickelodeon series "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide."

            Shaw excels at a variety of sports, including volleyball, softball, swimming, tennis, karate, roller skating and badminton, when she isn't busy rooting for the University of Nebraska's team, The Cornhuskers.  A straight-A, honor student, she also enjoys solitary pursuits such as reading contemporary novels - John Grisham is a favorite author - writing and surfing the Internet.  She currently lives in Los Angeles.

July 2007

SCOTT PATTERSON

Gary Tolchuck in "Aliens In America"

            An accomplished actor in film, television and theater, Scott Patterson is well-known to The CW audience from seven seasons as diner owner Luke Danes in the hit series "Gilmore Girls."  Patterson now brings his many talents to network's new comedy "Aliens In America," as Gary Tolchuck, the aspiring entrepreneur dad of a Wisconsin family whose lives are turned upside down by the arrival of a Pakistani Muslim exchange student.

            Patterson was born in Philadelphia, and raised in New Jersey.  He attended Rutgers University and pursued a degree in comparative literature.  He studied acting in New York with renowned coaches Robert Lewis and Sondra Lee, and was exposed to the teachings of such luminaries as Paul Newman, Arthur Penn and Frank Corsaro at The Actors Studio, where he appeared in numerous productions, including "Rasputin" and "Miss Julie." 

            Patterson recently completed filming on the upcoming feature film "Saw IV."  He also appeared on the big screen in "Her Best Move," directed by Norm Hunter; "Little Big League," with Timothy Busfield and Jason Robards; and in "Three Wishes," with Patrick Swayze and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.  He also starred in the independent films "Highway 395" and "Rhapsody in Bloom," with Penelope Ann Miller.

            On television, in addition to his memorable role as Luke on "Gilmore Girls," he has landed many romantic roles.  On "Seinfeld," Patterson was deemed "spongeworthy" by Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).  He had a profound effect on Grace (Debra Messing) in the "Das Boob" episode of "Will & Grace," and he played the love interests of Jennifer Grey in "It's Like, You Know" and Sharon Lawrence's character in "Fired Up."  He has also guest starred on "Arli$$" and "Get Real," and voiced the character of Lieutenant Farraday in the 2004 animated series "Justice League Unlimited," from Warner Bros. Animation.

            Patterson lives in Los Angeles.

TIM DOYLE

Executive Producer of "Aliens In America"

            Tim Doyle grew up in Glendale, California, the fifth son in a large, unwieldy family.  He attended the USC Film School as an undergrad and graduate, venturing out finally for a job with Disney writing TV comedy on a primetime puppet show called "Dinosaurs."  

            Doyle has been writing and producing television ever since, providing enthusiastic service to such well-regarded programs as "Roseanne," "Grace Under Fire," "Ellen," "Sports Night," "Andy Richter Controls The Universe," "Jake In Progress" and "Still Standing," not to mention his uninterrupted stream of very clever unsold pilots.  Doyle lives in Glendale with his wife and small child in a house much nicer than the one he grew up in.

July 2007

MOSES PORT & DAVID GUARASCIO

Executive Producers of "Aliens In America"

            Moses Port and David Guarascio met at the University of Pennsylvania, where they hosted a late-night radio show.

            Port and Guarascio broke into television in 1992 on the critically acclaimed "Mad About You."  After several successful seasons they moved on to the hit comedy "Just Shoot Me" where they eventually became executive producers and showrunners.  

            They were creators and executive producers of the series "Happy Family" in 2003, as well as the pilot "Lies and The Wives We Tell Them To" in 2005.  They also served as executive producers on the pilot "Inseparable" in 2006.

            In addition to creating and executive producing "Aliens in America" this season, they are also the executive producers of the new comedy "The IT Crowd."