The series depicts events from September 2004, in which William Shatner played a hoax on the small town of Riverside, Iowa, by claiming to film a science fiction movie there. Unbeknownst to the residents of Riverside, the movie was in fact fake, a satire on the genre. In front of and behind the cameras, Shatner and his purported entourage performed a parody of Hollywood and celebrity culture. Producers designed the various plots and gags to elicit reactions from the townspeople. Shatner played the part of the eccentric star and improvisational actors were hired as members of his entourage.

Producers chose Riverside because it is the self-proclaimed future birthplace of Shatner's most enduring character, Captain James T. Kirk. Residents of Riverside were encouraged to audition for parts in the movie and take jobs on its crew.

Invasion Iowa was created by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who also created Spike TV's earlier "reality parody" series, The Joe Schmo Show, and its sequel, Joe Schmo 2.

In May 2009, the series was released as a two-disc region-1 DVD set.

• William Shatner as himself
• Desi Lydic as Disintegratrix 3000
• Ernie Grunwald as Steve Cook

• Invasion Iowa at IMDb  
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