(CNN) -- With an acting career that spans three decades, Ralph Macchio is right at home in front of the camera. But with the new National Geographic reality show "American Gypsies" premiering at 9 ET Tuesday night, the 50-year-old actor is going behind the lens as an executive producer. With "American Gypsies," Macchio is training the spotlight on the New York-based Johns family, a Romany clan that's balancing holding on to its traditions while pursuing the American Dream, he said. "American Gypsies" was a bit like chasing a dream for Macchio, who said that the show's development took nearly five years as he bounced the concept around various networks.
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Actor Ralph Macchio now wears an executive producer hat
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The former "Karate Kid" star produces the new show "American Gypsies"
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The series, which airs on National Geographic, follows a Romany family in New York
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Macchio says the show peels back the curtain on a unique family and its culture
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