The show in question is CBS’s “Courting Alex,� which debuts tonight at 9:30 p.m. Granted, the episode released to the press wasn’t great, but it was, at least, watchable, which is a good start in today’s sitcom landscape.
The show stars the infallibly likable Jenna Elfman as a workaholic lawyer who has a tough time putting down the cell phone and actually engaging with another human being.
Then she meets Scott, the impetuous owner of a tavern that a client of hers wants to buy and bulldoze to make way for a skyscraper. Fireworks fly between the two, and we sense Alex may soon lighten up.
It’s not groundbreaking stuff, but it is pleasant and mildly amusing.
Plus Elfman is engaging, as is the always welcome Dabney Coleman as her gruff dad. Yes, Dabney Coleman is in it, playing the same part he always plays – cranky yet lovable. But he does it so well that complaining seems unfair.
Coleman and Elfman have nice chemistry, and seem to be that rare TV parent and child who actually like each other. I also liked Hugh Bonneville as Elfman’s randy upstairs neighbor and confidant, although I did wonder how a strong woman like Alex became friends with such an obvious cad.
Josh Randall, who played Tom Cavanagh’s sidekick on “Ed,� is a bit bland as the love interest, and the show is a little too reliant on sappy pop songs.
Still, “Alex� signals a slight upswing in sitcoms. I smiled at it and laughed occasionally. And after the comedic wasteland of, say, “Four Kings,� that’s pretty positive.
“Courting Alex� airs at 9:30 p.m. Mondays on CBS.