(Deadline) Earlier this month, CBS released the first trailer for Chuck Lorre’s upcoming comedy United States of Al, which is set to debut on April 1. What should have been a delightful, fun look at the new sitcom turned into a backlash against the show.
Created by David Goetsch and Maria Ferrari, the series follows a friendship between Riley (Parker Young), a Marine combat veteran struggling to readjust to civilian life in Ohio, and Awalmir (“Al”) (Adhir Kalyan), the interpreter who served with his unit in Afghanistan and has just arrived to start a new life in America. Sounds harmless, right? Well, for many there are some red flags. For one, a non-Afghan actor is playing the titular role and in a time when authentic representation is paramount, it was a spark that started a substantial amount of backlash.
