Created by Dan Fogelman, The Neighbors began on ABC in 2012 and ran for two seasons, with 44 episodes in total. The comedy follows the Weaver family, who move into a community called Hidden Hills. They discover that their neighbors are aliens living in human form. Much of the humor comes from the aliens’ difficulty understanding human behavior.
George Takei appears in four episodes as Big Bird, the father of alien leader Larry Bird. His first appearance comes at the end of the first season. Mark Hamill plays Commander Bill, and the two actors share a scene filled with references to Star Trek and Star Wars. Big Bird uses a device that looks like a toaster to communicate with Earth. He puts bread into it, and the bread arrives on Earth with a message burned into it.
Fogelman persuaded Takei to join the show by writing him a personal letter. In a 2013 interview, the creator explained that he had always wanted Takei to play Larry Bird’s father in the season’s final episode. Takei accepted the invitation.
