Tuesday, March 27, 2018

ABC Mid-Season Pilot Review: Alex, Inc. - Premieres Wednesday (March 28); Netflix Orders 3rd Season of One Day at a Time

Alex, Inc.

Alex, Inc. - Wednesdays at 8:30PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at 8:30PM ET/PT


by Pavan

Based on Alex Blumberg's successful podcast StartUp, comedy series Alex, Inc. is all about the things that happen – the good, the bad and the ugly – when a journalist and family man quits his job to start his own company. He quickly discovers it's going to be a lot harder than he thought. Alex Schuman is a successful radio producer with a whip-smart, public defender wife, Meheroon, (aka "Rooni") and two confident, quirky children, Ben and Soraya. After years of making the kind of content that brings no creative fulfilment, in what most would consider an early mid-life crisis, Alex decides to risk everything – including his savings – to start his own business. Armed only with the help of his overenthusiastic producer, Deirdre, and his fast-talking, unemployed second cousin, Eddie, Alex navigates the crazy world of start-ups while trying to keep his marriage and family a priority.

Cast Details:


Zach Braff as Alex Schuman
Michael Imperioli as Eddie
Tiya Sircar as Rooni Schuman
Hillary Anne Matthews as Deirdre
Elisha Henig as Ben Schuman
Audyssie James as Soraya Schuman

Zach Braff (Alex) is one a New Jersey native and one of his most notable characters is that of Dr. John "J.D." Dorian on the beloved television series Scrubs. During the half-hour comedy's nine-year run, Braff earned a Primetime Emmy® and three consecutive Golden Globe nominations (2005-07) for his starring role. Scrubs also received numerous Emmy nominations for Best Comedy Series and Best Comedy Writing. In addition to directing seven episodes of Scrubs (including the show's landmark 100th episode), Braff made his feature film debut behind the camera as the director and writer of his original comedy-drama, Garden State, in which he also starred. Braff shot the coming-of-age film in his home state for a budget of $2.5 million, resulting in a $5 million unprecedented sale to two studios, Fox Searchlight and Miramax, during its premiere at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

Michael Imperioli (Eddie) is best known for his starring role as Christopher Moltisanti in the acclaimed TV series The Sopranos, which earned him a Best Supporting Actor Emmy® Award. He also wrote five episodes of the show. He has also starred in TV series such as Detroit 1-8-7 and Life on Mars, both on ABC. In addition, he was the co-screenwriter of the film Summer of Sam, directed by Spike Lee. Imperioli has appeared in six of Lee's films and has also acted in films by Martin Scorsese, Abel Ferrara, Walter Hill, Peter Jackson and the Hughes brothers.

Tiya Sircar (Rooni) has recently been seen in the NBC comedy The Good Place, with Entertainment Weekly recently dubbing her the series "scene stealer." She appears in the critically acclaimed series opposite Kristen Bell and Ted Danson in multiple shifting roles, from an altruistic human rights lawyer to a power-hungry demon. In the wake of recent guest roles on such series as Master of None and The Mindy Project, Sircar has also exercised her comedic and dramatic chops on The Witches of East End, The Vampire Diaries, The Crazy Ones, Hannah Montana and The Suite Life on Deck.

Hillary Anne Matthews (Deidre) is an actor and improviser, and has appeared in Netflix's Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later, Fox's New Girl, Comedy Central's Drunk History, Seeso's The UCB Show, YouTube Red's Single by 30 and the go90 series Drive Share, created by Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer.

Elisha Henig (Ben) fell in love with acting after taking an acting class at the age of 8, and made his debut performance as Richard the Third at the end-of-class demo. At the age of 10, he started appearing in television roles, including guest appearances on Grey's Anatomy, Rizzoli & Isles, Code Black, Transparent and Mr. Robot.

Audyssie James (Soraya) started acting at the age of 6 with a guest-starring role on Sesame Street. She also has done scores of commercials, including three with her father, Antquon. Multi-ethnic, she was born to Simone and Antquon James and has a younger sister, Aella.


Pilot Plot:

"The Unfair Advantage" (airs Wednesday, March 28 at 8:30PM ET/PT)

With the help of wife Rooni and their children, Alex Schuman quits his prominent job to start his own podcast company telling real stories that matter. He hires his cousin Eddie and former producer, Deirdre, to help achieve his dream. Meanwhile, Ben performs magic at the school talent show which teaches Alex an important lesson about his future. Chris Sacca appears as himself. The episode was written by Matt Tarses and directed by Zach Braff.

Analysis:

The first three production episodes were available to us for review: "The Unfair Advantage," "The Wax Museum" and "The Mother In-Law." The first two are airing first March 28 and April 4. The latter doesn't have an airdate yet. I was quite surprised how good this show is as I watched each episode. The premiere episode was a lot of set-up and it wasn't as good (or funny) as the other two episodes I saw. But it got better after that! Zach Braff really shines in this series and he still has that Scrubs charm and quirky fun. He brings his family life to this show along with starting a new business. Both aspects of the show are solid. His family - the wife and two kids are really good in this. The wife is of Indian descent, so that is refreshing to see on broadcast television, especially not in a traditional family. It's something unique at least. The children are obviously of mixed race, with the son looking more white, and the daughter looking more Indian.

His work life is also interesting. He quits his high profile job and ends up creating a start-up business about a podcast. Seems random, but, hey it works. He teams up with his cousin Eddie, played by Michael Imperioli, and Deidre, who definitely has a thing for Alex. It's a funny three person team, as Deidre brings a lot of laughs and Eddie plays the straight guy to Alex. I think this is Imperioli's first regular sitcom and he certainly plays it well. He is always good in everything he does and is a great actor. By the time I got to the third episode, "The Mother In-Law," it was full on laughs and heart. Alex's mother in-law was very funny and she played off well with Alex. It has the ABC family brand and charm to it.

Conclusion:

This is a solid series. It has a great leading man in Zach Braff, who is a proven star for comedy. It has a great supporting cast, both in Alex's home life and workplace. The series should fit in very well sandwiched in between ABC's top comedies: The Goldbergs and Modern Family. Sophomore comedy Speechless is a more proven and funnier show, but Alex, Inc. is just getting started and it has a good shot, I think. It just fits ABC's comedy brand very well and of the two new ABC comedies premiering this week, this is the better one. With The Middle ending this season, Alex, Inc. has a better shot of returning next season, if it performs. Because the quality is pretty good and it gets funnier as the episodes go on. Give Alex, Inc. a chance, because it has the recipe of comedy success.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 3.5/5
Funniness: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at 8:30PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

  • ABC Official Site
  • TV.com
  • epguides.com
  • Internet Movie Database
  • Wikipedia
  • Alex, Inc. Photo Gallery

    Preview:





  • Finally, this is it! One Day at a Time has been renewed for Season 3! Netflix has ordered 13 half-hour episodes, coming in 2019. Returning cast includes Justina Machado, Rita Moreno, Todd Grinnell, Stephen Toblowsky, Isabella Gomez and Marcel Ruiz. Executive Producers include Norman Lear, co-creators/co-showrunners Gloria Calderon Kellett and Mike Royce, Michael Garcia and Brent Miller. Produced by Sony Pictures Television for Netflix. A reimagining of the iconic Norman Lear sitcom, One Day at a Time is a hilarious and heartfelt comedy that follows three generations of a Cuban-American family sometimes-reluctantly cohabitating and navigating the ups and downs of life. A newly-single mom and military veteran journeys through the triumphs and tribulations that come with raising two strong-willed, mega-millennial children, all the while enlisting the "help" of her old-school mother and her building manager-turned-invaluable confidante. Through a contemporary lens, One Day at a Time offers a glimpse at what life looks like, in good times and bad -- and how those around you somehow make it all worthwhile.


    Sitcoms Airing Tonight

    Thursday, June 8

    Young Sheldon - "Pancake Sunday and Textbook Flirting" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
    Mary struggles to make new friends while Mandy pushes Georgie to date another woman.

    Ghosts - "Alberta's Descendant" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
    Alberta is thrilled when a living relative, Alicia (Ashley D. Kelley), visits Woodstone to learn more about her, but things take a turn when she hits it off with Todd (Rodrigo Fernandez Stoll), Sam’s podcast co-host. Also, Nigel uses his knowledge of Trevor and Hetty’s secret tryst to try to blackmail Hetty.

    Animal Control - "Dogs and Geese" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
    Dispatch radios a report of a goose on the loose; the precinct hosts an adoption day.

    Animal Control - "Pigs and Minks" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
    The team welcomes back Patel even though he is still on suspension; Shred and Victoria are called into the principal's office on a school visit; Rick heads back into the field with Frank.

    Complete TV Listings


    Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 5)

    Thursday, June 8

    • Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules/Ladies Man) - Catch Kaley on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
    • Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Tom appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
    • Lea Michele (The Mayor/Scream Queens) - Lea is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
    • Janelle James (Abbott Elementary) - Janelle appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
    • Chris Messina (The Mindy Project) - Chris will be on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
    • Laurie Metcalf (The Conners/Roseanne/The McCarthys/The Norm Show) - Laurie chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
    • Boris Kodjoe (The Last Man on Earth/Second Time Around) - Boris is a guest on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
    • Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever) - Maitreyi talks about Never Have I Ever Live with Kelly and Mark, (check your listings) and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
    • Eva Longoria (Telenovela) - Eva appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
    • Marcus Scribner (grown-ish/black-ish) - Marcus joins the Tam Fam to discuss the final season of grown-ish on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
    • Nia Long (Uncle Buck/The Cleveland Show/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) - Nia appears on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
    • Lauren London (The Game) - Lauren is a guest on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
    • Fortune Feimster (Kenan/Bless the Harts/Champions) - Fortune appears on a repeat of The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings. She also talks about FUBAR on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
    • Kelsey Grammer (Frasier/Partners/Cheers) - Kelsey is telling Rachael about his recent movie, the Frasier revival and what he's got going on next on a repeat of Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
    • Marilu Henner (Evening Shade/Taxi) - Marilu talks about Hallmark's Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Haunted by Murder on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
    • Vivica A. Fox (Mr. Box Office/Getting Personal/Arsenio/Out All Night) - Vivica stops by to discuss her involvement with the Tony Awards and her Fox Soul talk show Cocktails with Queens on Sherri, so check your local listings.
    • Marsha Warfield (Night Court/Empty Nest) - Marsha drops by to talk about her iconic comedy career, her The Book of Marsha comedy tour and finally sees the green room at Sherri that was inspired by her, so check your local listings.
    • Sarah Jessica Parker (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City/Square Pegs) - Sarah will be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.


    New on DVD/Blu-ray (January-June)

    Cheers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Gimme a Break! - The Complete Series (VEI) Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (VEI) Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series

    01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
    01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
    02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
    02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
    03/28 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
    04/04 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Fifth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
    04/18 - Blondie - The Complete 1957 Television Series (Blu-ray)
    04/25 - Cheers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
    05/23 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Eleven / The Complete Season Twelve
    05/23 - Go On - The Complete Series
    05/23 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (Universal)
    05/29 - Gimme a Break! - The Complete Series (VEI)
    05/29 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (VEI)
    05/30 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
    06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
    06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
    More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


    Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

    06/08 - The CW Summer 2023 Premiere Dates; Peacock's Bupkis Gets NBC Airing
    06/07 - Hallmark's Christmas in July Programming; The Lincoln Lawyer Season 2 Launches July 6
    06/06 - New Superman Animated Series Coming to Adult Swim; TV Stars Come Together in Netflix Film
    06/05 - Shout! TV's ALF Reunion; Hulu's This Fool Season Two Premieres July 28
    06/04 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 5, 2023)
    06/03 - SitcomsOnline Digest: ABC Declares Rating Victories for 22-23 Season; Australian Version of The Office in the Works
    06/02 - HBO Renews Somebody Somewhere for a Third Season; Remembering Marlene Clark of Sanford and Son and Other Sitcom Stars We Recently Lost
    06/01 - MeTV's Marry Me Block on June 4; TBS Sets Miracle Workers: End Times Premiere Date for July 10
    05/31 - Amazon Freevee's Jury Duty Gets Special Release; Stars on Mars Fan Experience
    05/30 - 75th Emmy Awards Nominations on July 12; Final Season of HBO's How to with John Wilson
    05/29 - Memorial Day 2023 TV Sitcom Marathons
    05/28 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 29, 2023)
    05/27 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Wins 2022-2023 Ratings Game; Netflix Ends Sharing of Passwords
    05/26 - Prime Video Renews Priyanka Chopra Series; Sex and the City 25th Anniversary Event in NYC
    05/25 - Brady Bunch House on the Market; The Family Stallone Gets 2nd Season
    05/24 - Antenna TV's Father Knows Best Father's Day Fest Marathon; Netflix Gets Glamorous This June
    05/23 - CBS Summer 2023 Reality Schedule; Apple TV+ Announces Peanuts Programming
    05/22 - More Details on Zoey 102; New Lifetime Movie Series Coming July 8
    05/21 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 22, 2023)
    05/20 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Showtime Looking to Bring Back Two Old Favorites; Disney+ Removing Content
    05/19 - Futurama Triumphantly Returns July 24; Final Season of Physical Drops August 2; Primo Premieres May 19 on Amazon Freevee
    05/18 - The CW Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; Netflix Upfront 2023
    05/17 - Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront 2023; Sarah Silverman HBO Special Premieres May 27
    05/16 - ABC Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; FX's Summer 2023 Slate
    05/15 - FOX Announces 2023-24 Programming Slate; iCarly Season 3 Premieres June 1
    05/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 15, 2023)
    05/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Night Court Season Finale Brings Back a Familiar Face; Comedy Central Renews Digman! for Second Season
    05/12 - NBC Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; Hulu Orders Deli Boys from Onyx Collective
    05/11 - CBS Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; The CW Summer Lineup Has Comedies
    05/10 - Minx Returns in July on STARZ; Never Have I Ever Final Episodes Premieres June 8, Trailer Drops
    05/09 - The CW Acquires Son of a Critch; FX's The Bear Returns June 22
    05/08 - NBC's Hot Wheels Gets Celeb Judges; Zooey Deschanel's Max Series Premieres May 23