Remember the days of WB classics like “Popular?” Could you ever imagine watching an episode and discussing its international cultural merits in a class at Georgetown?

The new CW show “Aliens in America” was not only discussed in classes this week, but there was also a screening of two episodes and a panel discussion including the writers, Moses Port and David Guarascio, on campus this past Tuesday evening.

SFS Professor Cynthia Schneider, who teaches Diplomacy & Culture, discussed “Aliens in America” with her class and its potential for playing a role in public diplomacy. Schneider introduced the night by saying the show is “both amusing and entertaining and raises a lot of interesting questions and hopefully is thought provoking.”

The show is built around the unusual premise of a family importing a friend for their son Justin (Dan Byrd), a friendless geek with low self-esteem. They expect their exchange student to be from somewhere in Europe and are stunned and terrified when Raja (Adhir Kalyan), a Muslim Pakistani, meets them at the airport.

The Tolchucks, a family filled with extremely stereotypical characters, live in the fictitious town of Medora, Wis. The mother, Franny (Amy Pietz), has an excellent Midwestern accent (natural, having been born in Wisconsin), often chiming in with “OK, hun.” All the residents of this small town are portrayed as ignorant and prejudiced towards things they don’t understand.

Justin describes how people at school were unsure of how to react to Raja. Surprisingly actually paying attention in class, Raja asks his teacher if the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in both the North and the South. After a long pause the teacher responds by saying, “That’s more of a college question.” The audience can appreciate the dramatic irony as Raja enters a hardware store to purchase supplies to make a model rocket and is swiftly ushered home in a cop car.

Justin is also a target and contributes to many funny moments in the show. For instance, while his hot, younger sister Claire (Lindsey Shaw) is thrilled to be ranked number three on the school’s list of “bangable chicks,” Justin is ranked number nine on this same list and is less than excited about it.

Still, some parts ring untrue. At the end of the third episode, it doesn’t seem believable that a local cop would really violate the family’s rights by taking their computers after suspicion of Raja’s terrorist intentions arise. And while it’s acknowledged that the family feels that their rights have been trampled on with no good explanation, the emotional distress that the family would be feeling is missing. Raja needs to be more fully developed into a three-dimensional character. So far, he is a perfect human, constantly conscious of others’ feelings and without any personal vices.

Additionally, while both sides of this intercultural friendship learn from each other, only Raja adapts to the new lifestyle he has encountered. Right now the story is focused on the Tolchucks’ reaction to Raja, but hopefully we will get to see more of Raja’s attitude and learn about his values.

Requiring the Tolchucks to adapt to and come to a better understanding of Raja’s character would strengthen the story. Raja’s reaction to the Tolchucks and Justin’s lifestyle is, however, encouraging. Raja appreciates Justin’s lifestyle and the freedoms he has in America. He also appreciates America not just for its prosperity, but also what it stands for.

Port and Guarascio didn’t approach creating “Aliens in America” with an agenda — they just wanted to write some great comedy. But Guarascio says he hopes that any form of media that can help to ease tensions will have some “ripple effects” in arenas outside of the entertainment industry.

Port and Guarascio said that because they are presenting a show with a prominent Muslim character, they feel that all eyes are on them and how they are going to treat this new development. They admitted that this caused them to be cautious in the beginning of the show because they are conscious of the idea that things could be amplified to ultimately take on meaning by the public of more than just the comedic material.

Intended for a teenage audience, this show has been shown at the Brookings Institute, and after only one week on air, experts are scrutinizing the long-term effects of the show. Obviously, the show is not just timely and funny — there is really something else beneath it.

Kalyan himself accurately described the show as “sharp, poignant [and] edgy.” He said that “the opportunity to be a part of a project that had not only the potential to be entertaining, but to challenge the audience through the medium of comedy and leave them with something to think about, was what drew me so strongly to this project.”

Luckily for viewers, Port and Guarascio have been able to capture the flavor of the unique intercultural teenage boy friendship and present it brilliantly.