ROMEOVILLE – Very creative and very fun.

That’s how Gregory Vasquez Alexander, 8, of Romeoville, described “Moochie Kalala Detectives Club,” the new PBS TV show on WTTW Kids, Channel 11. Gregory plays a boy named Kyle, one of the show’s stars.

Gregory, whose acting and modeling career was launched when he was 2, has appeared in many commercials – including for Huggies and Trident – and two episodes of NBC’s “Chicago P.D.” He is certain kids will enjoy the show’s innovative approach to science.

“It’s about me and my older sister Mandy,” Gregory said of the show. “Our grandpa tells us crazy stories and then we have to see if they’re true. For instance, we went to the Museum of Science and Industry to learn about ‘hoagies’ and tornadoes.”

Evelyn Alumbreros, 11, of Wisconsin plays Mandy. Tim Kazurinsky from “Saturday Night Live” and “Police Academy” plays Grandpa, who blames tornado formation partly on the mythical beastly hoagies.

Kelli Feigley, managing director and partner with Dreaming Tree Films, an independent Chicago company that produces youth-centered media, said 250 kids attended the auditions for the pilot episode. Gregory was selected because he fit the role of Kyle so well, she said.

“He’s super-cute and just stood out,” Feigley said. “His sister [in the show] is a skeptic, but Kyle is high energy and dives right in. He really wants to listen to Grandpa and learn about everything he is saying.”

Feigley, the mother of three girls – ages 10, 8 and 6 – knew some children are “meh” about science. She wanted to create a captivating show starring real kids – not animated characters – that would encourage them to explore and experiment.

Because the show is Chicago-focused, families can watch the episodes together and then head out to that week's featured cultural institution for further learning and adventure, Feigley said. In addition, the website at MoochieKalala.com offers easy science activities, as well as downloadable content and additional resources.

Teachers and schools can also get involved, Feigley said, by requesting complimentary DVDs of selected episodes and extra science activities at MoochieKalala.com/educators.

Dan Soles, senior vice president and chief TV content officer at WTTW, knew “Moochie Kalala Detectives Club” was a winner as soon as he saw the pilot. The actors had good chemistry, the story was engaging and the setting showcased Chicago’s cultural centers, he said.

“No one’s ever done a show like this before,” Soles said.

Gregory said he’s never portrayed a character like Kyle either, and he’s finding it a refreshing change to be, what he called, a bratty kid.

“I’m not the one following the rules; Mandy’s the one always doing it,” Gregory said. “I just feel like I’m free to do whatever I want in this role.” His advice to other child actors is, “Learn your lines.”

As exciting as this sounds, Alex Vasquez, Gregory’s father, keeps Gregory’s acting in perspective, preferring to call it a hobby, like soccer is to other kids. Yet Alex also said Gregory’s talent was obvious, even when he was 2 years old.

“He had an outgoing personality and didn’t get flustered in front of the camera,” Alex said. “The biggest issue with kids at that age is whether or not they can listen to adults and take direction from them. We’d never had a problem with him following orders at home or anything like that.”

By age 3, Gregory was reading – which Alex credited to his late wife Kelly’s influence and the fact neither he nor Kelly babied their son. Later, Alex and Gregory studied Japanese together. They took a trip to Japan last fall.

However, Alex said he and Kelly did have some apprehension, wondering if the industry would negatively impact Gregory, as it has with other child actors, especially when they’ve had parents living vicariously through their children.

Still, whenever Alex suggests giving up acting for another activity, Gregory insists he wants to keep doing it for his mother, who died three years ago, Alex said. In actuality, the only time acting becomes a topic is when Gregory receives a call for an audition.

“Other than that, he goes to school and attends to his studies,” Alex said. “He plays with his action figures and his Xbox.”

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KNOW MORE

The "Moochie Kalala Detectives Club" runs for 18 weeks at 11 a.m. on Sundays, premiering today. Weekly episodes are repeated at 7 a.m. Saturdays. The show is geared to children age 5 through 11. To view clips of Gregory's other projects, visit Gregory-alexander.weebly.com.

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Dan Soles, senior vice president at PBS station WTTW Chicago, said he is always looking for locally produced shows for children. Contact him at dsoles@wttw.com.