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Happy Endings Season 3: The best sitcom on TV has been cancelled.
Zephyr_Fate
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Registered User regular
Happy Endings is a sitcom airing on ABC Tuesdays at 9pm, followed by the equally funny Don't Trust the B-- in Apt 23.
At first glance, the show seems like Friends 2011/2012, and for the most part, it is. Yet, there's something about the way the actors deliver their (admittedly unoriginal) lines that lends a certain charm to the show that's been missing in its contemporaries such as Modern Family or How I Met Your Mother. Primarily focusing on life, love and all the complications that come with it, it's actually really fun to watch these characters deal with it in their own charming ways. While staying tied to a Friends formula, it somehow feels funnier and fresher than that show did.
Anyway, here's a quick rundown of the characters:
Dave is a late 20-something office worker played by Zachary Knighton who, in the first few minutes of the pilot, is getting married to Alex, one of the other main characters of the show. They've been together for years, and in a way the wedding almost feels as if it's like the end (haha, who am I kidding, that show will never end) of How I Met Your Mother but then the big twist comes along, when a man on rollerblades objects to the wedding and Alex runs away. Cue the rest of the pilot episode with an inevitable reforming of a somewhat tenuous friendship between the two. He's kind of a goofball, dates a lot of women, comes off kinda douchey... oh hey, he's Ted! But not as much of a caricature.
Alex is Dave's ex-fiancee/runaway bride, and through a lot of arguing in the pilot eventually decides their group of friends is more important than their personal issues, and rejoins the group. She owns a small clothes shop in Chicago (where the show takes place). Yes, that IS Elisha Cuthbert from 24, and YES they do make a reference to that show in a joke, but what's surprising is that she has ACTUAL comedic timing! In a quirky, cute kinda way, but still! Also, Alex and Jane are sisters, though the show does not make many overt references to this. That's part of the reason why her and Dave stuck with the group and didn't force themselves apart so as not to hurt their friends.
Jane is married to Brad, the group's metrosexual black male, and I can't quite remember what she does for a living... anyway, yes, that is Eliza Coupe from the last season of Scrubs, and yes, she's just as funny here as she was there. She's Alex's sister, and her competitive nature and natural need to be the leader of the pack make for either hilarious or tense moments over the course of the show, as well as drive her into fits of mild rage. It's all pretty funny.
Brad met Jane through Dave in college, and is an investment banker. Played by Damon Wayans, Jr. (Don't you feel old now? Damon Wayans' SON is acting now! And yes, they do bring in Damon Wayans Sr. for an episode), he comes off either playing with black stereotypes (i.e., pretending he's from the hood) or... well, too gay/metrosexual to be married to a woman. He's an interesting mix of metrosexuality and rough-and-tough black personality.
Penny is played by Casey Wilson of SNL fame, and is one of the funnier characters on the show. Unfortunately she suffers from 'desperate to be in a relationship single chick' syndrome, but plays it off well with funny mannerisms and being, well, aaammmmmahhhzzing. She's also Max's BFF and is the reason she's part of the group to this day.
Max is the show's real highlight. He's a football-watching, beer-drinking, hypermasculine (more macho than the other guys on the show, surprisingly) gay guy who has occasional spurts of gayness that make him all the more adorable. He's probably the reason the show will be talked about (and is currently being talked about) because he subverts literally all gay character tropes out there. It also helps that they didn't pigeonhole him into a character who never gets any, because either Max is talking about having sex with dudes, or he's out on dates, or he's asking for dude's numbers. He's progressive in the best way, on top of being the funniest character on the show.
Anyway, the show may be hit-or-miss in general, but I really enjoy it. The jokes can get pretty edgy, and sometimes fall flat, but there's a lot of charm and heart in the show, and for 30 minutes of your day it's definitely not going to offend you. I, for one, think it's the surprise sitcom hit of the season.
Season 2, however, has shown that this show is easily on par with Childrens Hospital, Parks & Rec, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It has been firing on EVERY cylinder.
Renewed for a third season!
Happy Endings Season 1 is now out on DVD
Season 2 is now out on DVD!
Season 3 began October 23rd, 2012.
Zephyr_Fate on
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It really isn't a bad show, but again, everyone there looks(and mostly acts) like such d-bags that I can't really get into it.
Though I liked how they cast Eliza's Scrub's mate in one ep.
They may look like douchebags, but in the show they have a lot of heart and I find them to be a very funny cast with great chemistry.
And another good feature of the show is that each episode has gotten (aside from the fifth episode) progressively better.
I like the female cast very much and Damon Waynes Jr. is also pretty funny, hopefully since this show isn't on a hair-trigger cancelling network it'll stick around for a bit.
What a world we live in, where 90% of new sitcoms finally have no laugh tracks. I like it.
Yeah, the real problem is that none of the characters are posting rants about characters in TV shows being douchebags. Cause that's the biggest undouchey behavior one can exhibit.
Man, I wish I could find that video.
And then I saw Elisha Cuthbert's picture. And then I saw Denise's picture from Scrubs.
Then I watched the pilot on Hulu. And there's a scene in which Elisha Cuthbert and Denise are wearing tight work-out clothes and oh my god I think I just jizzed my pants.
I love this show.
If there's anything the OP is lacking, just let me know.
The subsequent episodes haven't been heavy on breakup drama, though, and Max has really grown on me since then. Now I honestly think this show can work if it's given a chance to develop a little more. The cast members all have pretty good chemistry with each other, and the personalities are all pretty funny and distinct.
I don't care too much for Dave, but he's alright.
https://twitter.com/Hooraydiation
Episode order for the season:
1. Pilot – April 13
2. Bo Fight (a.k.a. I’ll Be There for You) – May 18
3. Barefoot Pedaler – May 18
4. Dave of the Dead – May 4
5. The Quicksand Girlfriend – April 13
6. Why Can’t You Read Me (a.k.a. Don’t Shake My Foundation) – not scheduled
7. Of Mice and Jazz-Kwon-Do – May 4
8. Mein Coming Out – April 20
9. Your Couples Friends and Neighbor – April 20
10. You’ve Got Male – May 11
11. The Girl with the David Tattoo – May 11
12. Like Father, Like Gun – April 27
13. The Shershow Redemption – May 25
The fact that this show is actually funny and has other great characters is just gravy.
Agreed. Last night's post-breakup eps were clearly the weakest so far, but with that out of the way, the rest is pretty good stuff.
Also this show makes me feel old because I can relate with situations that the characters find themselves in.
Magic Online - Bertro
BUT, these past two episodes had the greatest Dave rant ever:
"Couple months go by, surprise! Herpes. Surprise number two, she's preggoz, and loooooooves cocaine. We try to make it work for a while but it's only a matter of time before she runs off with a roadie from Pantera. Before you know it, I'm a single dad living in this... torture-porn warehouse with a cross-eyed baby named Mitchell."
Just wait till that starts making you feel young
They also taught us that drunk-max is always Steven Seagal.
I enjoyed them, but part of that was because I have seen the future and knew that the drama wasn't going to be a permanent fixture.
Also, I'm using this image when I'm frustrated from now on:
and as I say that, it was just confirmed on the HE twitter (@happywrites) that it will probably on the DVD
https://twitter.com/Hooraydiation
We've all been Shershow.
Best line of dialogue of the entire comedy season this year.
Also:
All men must master this.