Braff’s back but ‘Alex’ lacks comedic spark
J.D. gets into podcasting. That is the tiny premise of “Alex, Inc.,” a quasi-workplace, quasi-family comedy debuting tonight on ABC that marks the return of “Scrubs” star Zach Braff to series work.
Braff also serves as director and executive producer on this show based on Alex Blumberg’s podcast “StartUp,” so he has no one to blame but himself for this bland effort that recycles his better-known alter ego, right down to the voiceovers.
Here he’s Alex Schuman, tired of his happy news radio job working for a show that’s like “NPR on Prozac.” In an office meeting meltdown, he quits his job.
He stuns his public defender wife, Rooni (Tiya Sircar, “The Good Place”), by announcing he is going to start his own podcasting business. Naturally, she’s concerned about little things — like how they will feed their two adorable sitcom kids and afford their luxurious apartment. All she asks is that he please not dip into their 401(k) savings.
Do you really need me to tell you how that works out?
Alex manages to snag one employee away from his old job. Producer Deirdre (Hillary Anne Matthews) is madly in love with Alex for some reason that defies sanity. For business help of a vague kind, he turns to his cousin Eddie (Michael Imperioli, “The Sopranos”).
The workplace segments are rife with sexual innuendo that don’t creep so much as just haul off and whack you in the face.
Oblivious Deirdre yammers on about getting Alex’s “special sauce” or his “love muscle.” In one episode, Eddie becomes frustrated with Deirdre and announces grades for her breasts.
Say what? That’s just one cringeworthy moment.
Two of the three episodes ABC made available for review end the same way, with Alex learning a life lesson from his tween son.
In an upcoming episode, the show recycles that sitcom warhorse, juggling two dates — well, two meetings at the same time. It’s as old as the “Brady Bunch,” and given how this show works, how soon can we expect Alex to take a football to the nose right before a big presentation?
There are some funny bits: A grade school talent show features the most hilariously wretched cover of the “Dreamgirls” standard “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” and I would pay for the outtakes. The communal office space features some inventors developing a robot that can rock babies, only the bot keeps ejecting the test dolls into the air. These are asides to the bigger story, and that’s Alex and his dull struggle to get rich via audio play.
What “Alex, Inc.” cries out for is for that one character who doesn’t think Alex is amazing, smart, sexy, funny or God’s gift to humanity. “Scrubs” had the Janitor and Dr. Cox to torment J.D. Successful comedies, from “Will & Grace” to “Everybody Loves Raymond,” remember that friction can lead to the deepest laughs.
“Alex, Inc.” needs to invest in a clue.