A recent issue of Entertainment Weekly had the following to say about ABC’s Happy Endings: “This pretty damn funny sitcom … flew under the radar last season … It’s not perfect … but hey, neither was Friends when it started.” Interesting … a reference to Friends in a brief review of the show; could that foretell good things?
Well, when the show premiered in the Spring, I gave it a quick scan. For whatever reason it’s fairly easy to get a feel for comedies — good, bad, recycled, and not my brand sitcoms all make themselves pretty clear pretty fast. What I remember of the Happy Endings pilot is that it wasn’t for me, but could the show really have been tracking on a Friends-like trajectory? If so, it was definitely worth a second look, which I decided to give it for its season two premiere.
I’m not sure what show EW columnist Jessica Shaw was watching, but it can’t have been the season premiere of Happy Endings. And aside from the fact that there are six friends — three girls and three guys — some of whom are involved and some of whom once were, I don’t know what about the show would make anyone think of Friends, contextually or otherwise.
The only tolerable moment came when Max (Adam Pally) was talking to Alex (Elisha Cuthbert) about how Brad (Damon Wayans Jr.) had hurt his feelings, and he was ruining movie endings for her. For that ninety seconds or so I felt a good vibe, but that was about it.
What was really interesting to me was this: upon seeing Eliza Coupe, best known by most of us as intern Joe on Scrubs, I knew hers was going to be the most annoying character on the show (she plays Jane). Sure, Elisha Cuthbert’s no peach (remember little Kim Bauer on 24?), but Joe was really bad. So what was so surprising was that Penny (Casey Wilson) very rapidly beat out Coupe’s Jane for most annoying. Maybe it was her plot — the spinster nonsense — or maybe not, but, as strange as it sounds, I had to hand it to Coupe for losing that battle.
The show also kind of just proves why a couple that breaks up when one dumps the other at the alter shouldn’t continue to hang out. Alex and Dave’s (Zachary Knighton) battle of lies wasn’t funny, and can you really imagine it would have taken them a year to have that fight? They more realistically would have been yelling that at one another in public on week three!
There’s no comparison to a show like Friends here, and I don’t even know that Happy Endings would want one, but here’s something that the new series does need to learn from the celebrated one: group chemistry and cohesiveness. The fact that all six friends were together a bunch of times didn’t make them a unit. In fact, in some ways it felt more like a lot of the recently failed shows that featured multiple couples who rotated in the same universe, as opposed to real group series like Friends or even How I Met Your Mother. Maybe that’s because of the rift between Alex and Dave, or because the actors are still getting comfortable as a unit, but it wasn’t there … and boy was that obvious.
![Happy Endings needs to live up to its first season [51CfktXjlyL. SL160 ] (IMAGE)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CfktXjlyL._SL160_.jpg "Happy Endings needs to live up to its first season [51CfktXjlyL. SL160 ] (IMAGE)")
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Oct 04, 2011 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
Wow…I completely disagree with you. I watch “Happy Endings” consistently every week. Why? It has the most cohesive cast on any sitcom on tv today (yes, even more than “Modern Family,” which I also love – other favorites, for humor-brand understanding – “Community,” “Cougar Town,” and “The Middle”). Just watching the actors bounce lines off of each other cracks me up. You can tell in their body language, nuances, facial expressions, etc. that they all really enjoy working together – and it translates on screen. Out of all the shows I’ve listed, I laugh at this one the hardest. In fact, I’ve seen every episode at least 3 times because there are hidden jokes all over the place. Quick one liners, off and sometimes obscure references, and…this you wouldn’t know since you’ve only watched the show twice…references to, not past shows, but simple comments that really show how well rounded these characters are. Yes, the show is goofy…but it is a comedy! Penny and Jane are two of the funniest characters on tv…I don’t understand how you could even think them annoying. Maybe try actually watching a few episodes in a row? It has been said that the brand of comedy here isn’t for everyone – so maybe you won’t like it. I, for one, love smart, intelligent, quick humor that you have to pay close attention too. I’m a big nuance person. This show gets it.
*POST AUTHOR*
It’s a good thing there’s a lot out there for us all! :)
Funny that you chose those shows to group together. I like Modern Family and The Middle a lot, but felt just as confused by the love for Community and Cougar Town as I did for Happy Endings. I’ve said this before, but I’ve seen almost two full seasons of Community, because I kept on thinking I should be enjoying it … I finally stopped because I had yet to laugh more than once or twice.
Ha! I was wondering if you would love this show, considering how much I hated it. Then I find out we also have the same opinions about Community and The Show Formerly Known as Cougar Town. Strange world.
Personally, I am likewise a fan of intelligent, nuanced, rapid-fire humor, but must find the characters likable first (i.e., not want to see them shot in the face). It’s why I had to stop watching HIMYM, and why so many new sitcoms fail utterly for me.
There are shows that are intelligently written, and then there are the shows that so desperately want to be seen as intelligently written and worthy of critical acclaim that the showrunner can be seen screaming at the audience through the thin veil of characters. It’s a bit off-putting. It’s a subtle difference to be sure, but I end up feeling pandered to and annoyed.
Actually, I found all of the Friends clones that were cancelled last season to be immensely more watchable than Happy Endings. Give Victor Fresco another show, already.
*POST AUTHOR*
It’s funny that you said “not want to see them shot in the face” … I decided to temper my review and so decided not to include this, but I was waiting for the characters to be hit by a devastating natural disaster. :)
By and large, I’ve found myself very disappointed with the new sitcoms on broadcast television. And it’s either because they’re ridiculously lowbrow – like How to be a Gentleman – or because they’re exactly as you say: trying to be intelligent and sophisticated but falling far short – 2 Broke Girls, New Girl, Whitney, (I could go on and on from this season alone). New comedy has been a wasteland on TV for too long … was it like this ten years ago?
I don’t think any regular readers ever expect you to hold back your honest opinion, but I was happy to fill in the blank.
I agree with everything you said here, except for 2 Broke Girls trying to be intelligent and sophisticated. In my mind, it’s the exact opposite, and is one of the most traditional (if dirty) of the new batch of sitcoms: well-worn jokes, familiar situations, and stereotypical characters, but charming actors. Nothing about it strains the viewer’s intellect at all (and I actually enjoy watching it), and it’s a show that basically could have aired unchanged at any point in the past twenty years.
And yes, it’s pretty much been a comedy wasteland ever since the NBC Thursday night monopoly fell apart.
*POST AUTHOR*
Granted I only caught the pilot, but part of what I got from Two Broke Girls was that annoying, “witty” offhand reference line that’s supposed to make you think, “wow, how smart was that that they connected it to that other thing!” It rarely works, and too many comedies today use it nonstop and FAIL EVERY TIME! To me that’s one of the tools a show employs to seem intelligent and sophisticated — like Frasier used to do … only well. :)
If we’re going off this episode alone, I totally agree with you. But I do think the show is strong in general. If you get a chance, you should try the first season. It’s much better than the 2nd season premiere. :)
*POST AUTHOR*
Oh sure, that’s what they always say! ;)