United States Of Al
Season 1 M-Net (*101) 19:00 Comedy
Making a sitcom about war can be tougher than well-done steak, but new comedy series United States Of Al tries its best to bring emotion and levity to its dark and emotional subject matter. The show follows Al (Adhir Kaylan), an Afghan army interpreter who moves to United States to stay with his retired Marine friend Riley (Parker Young). They worked as a team in Afghanistan, but their new life is going to be hard work because
Riley has moved in with his cantankerous father Art
(Dean Norris) who can’t wrap his head around this unusual friendship that just seems to work.
“The United States is a country filled with immigrants trying to make a new life, and in doing so, they make friends and impart knowledge along the way,” says Adhir. “Al and Riley’s situation is just that. It’s an odd couple scenario where Al has to adapt his way of thinking and living when it comes to the self-proclaimed ‘greatest nation in the world’, whereas Riley is coming to terms with normal life away from a war-torn country.” The humour might seem dated at first, but there are some real dark comedic moments, like Al driving incredibly slowly because he’s trying to avoid roadside bombs in suburbia. “We take situations that aren’t funny and make them funny and somewhat relatable,” adds Adhir.
The relatability in Al and Riley’s odd friendship is what gives the show it’s distinct bursts of emotion. “The series is very much about connection and friendship. Hopefully when people watch this, they will laugh, they will cry, but they’ll take away something from watching the show and be able to use that in their lives,” says Adhir.