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ABC Network is really rolling out the new shows for this season and I got to do a screening and interview with the cast and crew of Alex, Inc. Fans of the classic show Scrubbs, both Zach Braff (actor) and Matt Tarses (producer) were apart of the creation of Alex,Inc. So they teamed up together to produce this fun, multicultural family sitcom and it was a pleasure to do an intimate interview with the cast and crew of Alex, INC.

ALEX, INC. – ABC’s “Alex, Inc.” stars Audyssie James as Soraya, Elisha Henig as Ben, Tiya Sircar as Rooni, Zach Braff as Alex, Hillary Anne Matthews as Deirdre and Michael Imperioli as Eddie. (ABC/Craig Sjodin)

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 (Zach Braff) is a successful radio producer with a whip-smart, public defender wife Rooni (Tiya Sircar) and two confident, quirky children, Ben (Elisha Henig) and Soraya (Audyssie James). After years of making the kind of content that brings no creative fulfillment, 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 (Hillary Anne Matthews), and his fast-talking, unemployed second cousin, Eddie (Michael Imperioli), Alex navigates the crazy world of start-ups while trying to keep his marriage and family a priority.

Interviewing with Zach, Matt and Tiya

Photo Credit: Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

Zach expresses how Alex,INC will be a great sitcom to watch with the whole family

Zach: One thing that kept coming up and I know you all can relate is that even though there’s so much great TV out now, I kept hearing there’s not a ton that we all wanna watch together. Like, we all love these shows that you can’t watch with your kids and your kids all have their shows that they love to watch.

A theme that kept coming up as the producer in me with the little lightbulb went every — a theme was, you know, after dinner, before we put our kids down, there’s not a ton of content that we all wanna watch together. And I actually — I was dating a woman for a bit who had a nine-year-old and I experienced that. I was like he wants to go watch his shows. We don’t wanna watch that. Like, we only watch Shark Tank together [CHUCKLES] because he happened to love Shark Tank. But so I kinda — that was another thing in my head was I would like to do something — it feels like to me like that’s an area where there’s more content. Obviously ABC’s great at it with Blackish and Modern Family and stuff like that. So, I felt like a great space to do it.

Photo Credit: Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

Tiya professes how she got chosen for this series

Tiya: Well, it was originally written she was Persian-American as the woman who she’s based on is in real life. And, you know, when I got this job I thought, oh, Hollywood. Like, guys, I can’t play a Persian-American, but these guys were like, well, we’re gonna — let’s change her and let’s make her you. And then the more we all got to know each other and, you know, I’m — they had me come in and meet the writers and we had this two hour conversation about my upbringing in Texas and my parents’ upbringing in Calcutta and, you know, when they came over as grad students and their experience as, you know, like Indian immigrants.

And we just talked for a long time and then slowly this character evolved from who she was on paper to so closely related to who I am in real life, which I have never gotten to play before. I mean in my — [OVERLAP]

Zach :  We brought your parents in. Tell ‘em about that.

Matt :   [CHUCKLES] Oh, my God, her parents.

Tiya :   Well, so, that’s another amazing part of this story for me anyway. You know, they wanted to get to know me and they wanted me to get to know the writers. And as we were talking, they were asking a lot of questions about my parents, ’cause they knew they were gonna be writing that and wanted to get some more information. And so I was talking about my parents stories that I’ve grown up listening to, and I happened to mention that my parents were coming in town the next day to visit.

Photo Credit: Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

Zack’s thoughts on podcasts and the power of social media in today society

Zach: Yeah, sometimes too much. I need to cut back, because as you all know Twitter’s so crazy these days.

 And you will get yourself so riled up and mad. So, I’m trying to tiptoe [CHUCKLES] and use Twitter less, because I start my day with it sometimes. And then I’ll just get all — I start my day all riled up and mad at Twitter.

But I do think it’s great for — social media is wonderful for getting your word out there about obviously projects and saying, hey, obviously if you’re following me, you might like other stuff I’ve done. I have this new thing that you might like. And then occasionally I can’t help myself but get politically, but I try and curb it a little bit.

Photo Credit: Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

Matt and Zack explains how the multicultural family aspect was important for the show’s theme

Matt: This [show]  is based on this real podcast and the real couple that — you know, it’s about a guy, but his wife is — she’s a Persian-American. And so we just wanted to preserve — we looked for all kinds of actresses, but we liked the idea of this. She has — there’s a little bit in the podcast, not a lot about her — kind of about her parents and about her. Their difference in — you know, the different cultures. We tried to find the best actor we could find who was, you know, not the same– who’s different, have this kind of multicultural, multiracial –and Tiya was the best one we found.

Zack: We open to any woman of color, but this particular woman of color. [Tiya] came in and blew our socks off.

Matt:  I mean she’s so good and so — and they are good together. And I feel like we found these two kids who are incredible actors and who look like they could be their kids. And it’s like there’s a — so it was really — it was great. That’s almost my favorite part of the show is just that picture of the four of them together.

Photo Credit: Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

How Tiya was appreciative of being able to portray an actual depiction of an Indian-American family

Tiya: I’ve gotten to play, you know, lots of ethnically ambiguous characters, you know, and just I happen to be Indian-American but it has no bearing on the character, you know, in the television show or the film. And then I’ve also gotten to play like a smattering of actually Indian-American characters. But this character is so — I mean she’s from Texas.

So, and these two guys and just specifically were like, look, you know, we want this to be as, you know, accurate a portrayal as an Indian-American family or an Indian-American character as possible. So, even if — you said even if it’s down to like the right kind of tea that they’re drinking, and I was like that’s good because we are very particular about tea. So, I really appreciate how much of an effort, you know, producers and writers have made to like make this authentic and not just sort of like an stereotypical idea of what an Indian-American family looks like. So, thanks, guys.

Photo Credit: Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

I grew up on Scrubs so it was so exciting to interview Zach. I also am very proud of Tiya, who gets to represent an Indian American woman and mother. I appreciate that this show is highlighting different types of families. It is 2018, the world is becoming more and more diverse and the representation of these types of families are pretty cool. I love the concept of the show, especially since so many people are quitting corporate America to pursue an entrepreneurial dream! I can’t wait to watch more!

ALEX, INC. – ABC’s “Alex, Inc.” stars Michael Imperioli as Eddie, Hillary Anne Matthews as Deirdre, Elisha Henig as Ben, Zach Braff as Alex, Audyssie James as Soraya and Tiya Sircar as Rooni. (ABC/Bob D’Amico)

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ALEX, INC series premiere tonight on Wednesday, March 28 at 8:30pm|7:30c

Do you love the concept of a multicultural family sitcom?