WATCH THIS Tonight: Welcome to Sweden on NBC!

By Delaina Dixon | July 10, 2014 | Entertainment

Welcome to Sweden, the story of an American man who moves with his Swedish girlfriend to her hometown in Stockholm ΓÇô and culture clash hilarity ensues ΓÇô premieres on NBC tonight.

TV DivaGal already knows what you’re thinking. How can this show possibly speak to divas of a certain hue like us?

That’s the question the DivaGals posed to creator and star Greg Poehler, who based the series on his real-life experiences, while we dined at a private luncheon inside Aquavit, a pretty famous Swedish restaurant in New York City. And his answer was pretty awesome.

“It’s a show about my life, and my wife’s family is really white,” Greg shared with a chuckle. “But the focus of the show is to show how we’re all really alike,” as his character Bruce Evans deals with his own struggles to fit into a culture where he, as an American, is a minority. “As an immigrant, you face a certain level of discrimination, and I think people of color or minorities in any culture can relate.”

The series, which was shot on location in Sweden (the first season has already been a major hit in the country), boasts a team of Swedish writers who had some interesting suggestions for Greg’s character.

“They really wanted me to be a gun-loving American,” he explained.

That may be from the country’s love of the classic soapy American series Dallas, which still airs in the country. Greg did quench their thirst ΓÇô sort of. “Patrick Duffy plays my father on the show, and he kinda loves guns.”

Greg also shared that there’s been “an incredible influx of Middle Eastern people to Sweden, so certainly the dynamics of that culture are changing.” Well, we certainly hope they’ll be reading DivaGalsDaily from now on!
Just in case you were wondering: Yes, Greg is the brother of Amy Poehler ΓÇô one of the funniest white chicks around.

Welcome to Sweden premieres Thursday, July 10 at 9 p.m. on NBC.

photo credit: NBC