The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
‘United States of Al’ puts war buddies on sitcom footing
LOS ANGELES » The makers of “United States of Al” are keenly aware they’re treading on sensitive ground with the new CBS series about two survivors of war.
Riley is a combat veteran back from the Mideast, camped in his dad’s garage and facing posttraumatic stress disorder and a tattered marriage. He can savor a recent win: helping bring Awalmir, aka Al, an Afghanistan translator and friend, to live with him in America — a land of promise as well as extreme culture shock for the Muslim newcomer.
Now consider this: “United States of Al” is a sitcom. It arrives Thursday (8:30 p.m. EDT), embraced by advocates for Afghan and Iraqi interpreters who aided U.S. troops. It has baggage as well, dinged by observers who take exception or worn the uniform in this day and age?”
After seeing several episodes, he considers the series and its characters as “very true” to his own experience, starting with the airport reunion of Al, played by Adhir Kalyan, and Riley, the former Marine played by Parker Young. Dean Norris (“Breaking Bad”) co-stars as Riley’s hospitable dad.
“It brought back a lot of good emotions,” Miervaldis said. “I choked up. I laughed. I wasn’t sure how else the other episodes would go, but I had the same reaction, having lived this life with my interpreter for almost five years.”
The series is under the wing of veteran producer Chuck Lorre, whose comedies have navigated weighty topics including addiction (“Mom”) and the perils of genius (“The Big Bang Theory”). He lists his first priorities for a project as laughter and characters that he and hopefully viewers will care about, Lorre said.
“United States of Al” has a lot to play with as a buddy comedy with a bonus fish-out-of-water angle. But there is also a “political element,” Lorre said. “It’s inescapable, the dire circumstances of thousands of interpreters in Afghanistan who were promised safe haven.”
The show’s creators, David Goetsch and Maria Ferrari, who worked with Lorre on “The Big Bang Theory” and produce the new series with him, say they approached the subject matter with respect and attention to perspective.
The writing staff includes three Afghan Americans and an Afghan-born writer, Goetsch and Ferrari said. Besides relying on No One Left Behind and other groups as resources, wordof-mouth brought them former translators willing to share their experiences.