To very little surprise, CW has cancelled their critically-lauded but viewer-ignored sitcom, Aliens in America.
The series premiered on October 1, 2007 and focuses on geeky Justin Tolchuk (Dan Byrd), Muslim exchange student Raja Musharaff (Adhir Kalyan), and Justin’s Wisconsin family. Aliens in America’s first 10 episodes aired on Monday nights and averaged an audience of two million. CW moved Aliens to Sunday nights and the ratings have dropped to as low as 810,000.
Coupled with the low ratings, cancellation rumors have recently been circulating because some of the show’s castmembers have been taking on other work. Kalyan has been signed on to a recurring but important role on FX’s Nip/Tuck. He’ll play a 16-year-old prodigy plastic surgeon. Scott Patterson, who plays Justin’s father, was reportedly also available for other projects.
Aliens’ season was cut short by the writers strike but, unlike other series (Bionic Woman, for example), they had shot most of their episodes prior to the shutdown. The sitcom’s first and only season is made up of 18 episodes and it looks like CW will air all of them. The series finale is scheduled to air on May 18, 2008. Stay tuned! 
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It just goes to prove, once again… just because an American network can steal a good idea from another country, it doesn’t mean that they can make it work. This show suddenly appeared right after the CBC ran its first successful season of “Little Mosque On The Prairie” in Canada. “Little Mosque” is a funny and smart, in its comparisons of a Muslim community and how they relate to “the rest of us”.
Alas, I never took the time to catch an episode of “Aliens In America” (likely because I considered it a rip-off of the CBC production), but I suspect that the series was never able to find that balance that it needed, to show the necessary respect for the Muslim religion, and to highlight the “human” foibles that we all have, regardless of how we worship.
John, It is too bad that you never checked it out, because then you would’ve found out that your suspicions were incorrect.
Enjoyed this show a lot… Bummer.
Loved the show……. too bad it didnt’ get the viewers…….
I have my list of shows, like everyone. But this was the only show I had, that made me feel, plain and simply, good.
So sad……I loved this show !
So, as usual, quality, funny shows are dropped and reality TV schlock like America’s Next Top Model is renewed. This show was funny and the premise was quite different than Little Mosque, which is also good. Oh well, more time for reading as one less TV favourite to watch in 2008-09.
What a shame. I really liked this show. It was really funny. Does anyone know if they are going to put it on DVD?
@Linda: No plans yet.