Alex, Inc.

Alex, Inc. is an enjoyably comfy fit among all of those fellow ABC family comedies. Braff and Imperioli are the name brands, but the wife and kids quickly make their own strong and appealing impressions.

Sarcar and Braff have minimal chemistry, but the story elements about Rooni’s attempt to make sense of Alex’s decisions and help him on this journey work well enough. Both kids are scene-stealingly cute, in different ways.

Based on Alex Blumberg's podcast "Startup," the word "podcast" is about the only thing that makes Alex, Inc. feel like a 21st-century enterprise, from the title character's adorable yet precocious sitcom children to his supportive if understandably concerned wife (Tiya Sircar).

The trouble with a show insisting that someone is a genius is that it has to go ahead and prove it, and nothing Alex does is particularly convincing in this arena.

This guy left a great job to get away from cloying sunniness and dig into serious, life-changing stories. That has resulted in a sitcom that is filled with almost nothing but cloying sunniness.

The new series is simply too old-fashioned to feel relevant. ... Worst of all, the most memorable jokes involve Alex repeatedly falling down.

Alex, Inc. is painful. ... Braff is a big roadblock, but he's far from its only obstacle. The dialogue sounds nothing like normal human speech; it is far too on the nose and hammy. The way Alex builds a business and a podcast is farcical.