That’s what we wanted. There’s a story about a kid whose parents get deported. That’s very close to exactly how all that happened, and obviously that’s something which, by its nature, is a little more political. But then there’s another story about just a guy trying to get a big rock off his property, which I think is something that anybody could relate to. To me, the idea of that big rock that you can’t get rid of is such a great analogy for the American dream. The story of America — that anybody can be what they want to be, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, you can do it, anybody can live the American dream — is that true? I mean, it depends what your background is. For some people it’s a lot harder.

For many of these characters the American dream is a tangible thing, not just an idea or a myth. Was it the same for you?

For me, the idea of America had come from movies and TV shows, and so I thought all of America was New York or L.A. And then I moved here — I moved to Iowa. That’s not an America you really see. So, really, the image of America in the rest of the world on one side is sort of this power that can cause harm. On the other side, it’s this place where it’s almost like utopian, where anybody can do whatever they want to do — for these characters, that is part of the America they think they’re coming to. And they have that struggle in different ways.

The Kabir episode, the one where his parents get deported, in some ways is the bleakest episode. There’s something really interesting about that story to me, as someone who’s had to negotiate the American immigration system. Generally a story is about: Protagonist has an obstacle, they learn how to overcome that obstacle, and in their journey they learn something about themselves. Here you’re dealing with the American immigration system, which is an immovable hurdle. You’re completely powerless against it. So the protagonist in the story, no matter what he learns about himself, is not going to be able to defeat the system.

Considering its mix of experiences, do you think “Little America” has an optimistic view of this country? And do you share that view?

Listen, despite all the issues, I personally do feel optimistic about this country. It is my home, and I chose it to be my home for a reason. Maybe it’s a little stupid to be thinking like this right now. But I do feel optimistic in this country, and so the show obviously has that perspective in it, too.