There are few surprises to be had in The Manny, and its more dramatic moments feel more like obligatory interruptions to its romcom formula rather than elements to organically ground the story in something more substantial. Still, the characters are charming because of how imperfect they are: the kids are naive but well-meaning and sweet; while the adults don't always give advice that works, caught up in their own grown-up problems. So even if the show sort of rushes into its found family set-up, easygoing chemistry between the actors makes it easy to believe that these people would still listen to each other with respect despite any differences in background.

In these first two episodes watched for this review, Gaby's (the "manny") concerns over his father's ranch being threatened by Jimena's company aren't explored nearly as much as they probably should be. So the subplot that ends up becoming the most interesting to follow is, funnily enough, the relationship between Jimena's daughter Sofi and older son Santi, as they set aside their differences and try to help Santi get a date with his crush. The kids in these types of shows normally end up being purely ornamental, so it's nice to see the young ones get something a little weightier to work with for once.