James Miervaldis, an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and helped bring the interpreter he worked with to America, is a booster. He heads the board of No One Left Behind, a nonprofit group that supports translators who receive hard-won special U.S. immigration visas. The group was among those consulted by the show s producers.
“We were nervous, Miervaldis said in an interview. “How was Hollywood going to capture this very serious situation, and make it funny and relatable to 99% of the country that hasn t been overseas 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.