Why Aren't You Watching: Happy Endings

Here's another classic television scenario: a critically acclaimed show that can't quite seem to catch on in the mainstream as well as it should, making its fans fear for its survival (the campaign to save this hilarious show begins now!). With all the fantastic comedies on TV today, its expected that a few might get lost in the shuffle, especially when they're place on the schedule gets shuffled more times than a deck of cards after going head to head with another comedy targeting the same demographic, but a stronger brand (the also fun New Girl). For those of you who enjoyed watching Happy Endings after Modern Family last year, you may not have even known it is already halfway through its third season and will finish it by doubling-up episodes on Fridays at 8pm starting March 29th on ABC. For those of you who have yet to appreciate the wacky fast-paced humor of this modern-friends gem of a show (more modern than How I Met Your Mother even), now is the perfect time to catch up and join in, and hopefully we'll all get our own happy ending as well. Seriously, just watch the opening minutes of the Season 2 premiere and tell us you're not enticed to stick around.

The series begins at the wedding of Dave (Zachary Knighton) and Alex (Elisha Cuthbert), who grew up up together along with Alex's older sister Jane (Eliza Coupe) and perpetually single Penny (Casey Wilson). However the wedding doesn't go to smoothly as some guy on roller blades comes in to declare his love for Alex and she runs out, leaving Dave at the alter. The initial premise then becomes how a tight-knit group of friends manage when their long-time couple friends split up, though this idea really only sticks for the first 5 episodes or so (for those catching up: ABC aired the first season out of order, so to spare yourself the potentially confusing or just annoying inconsistencies check here for the correct order to watch them), until each episode basically becomes a stand-alone, similar to Friends. The rest of the cast is filled out by Jane's husband Brad (Damon Wayans Jr., recognizable to those who saw the first episode of New Girl, this is the reason he couldn't stay on that show) and Penny's college ex-boyfriend Max (Adam Pally), who she inadvertently helped come out in what he describes as "his first gay relationship" since she is essentially his gay husband. All together they get involved in all sorts of shenanigans, helping each other out while never missing an opportunity for pile-ons (aka a good natured barrage of insults).

One part of what makes Happy Endings so original and modern is its tendency to play with sexual and racial stereotypes, as Max is a selfish slob (who turns into a hibernating Winnie the Pooh for the winter, eating honey by the fistful and speaking in growls) and Brad is a confident flamboyant ("So now a brother can't twirl?"). Furthermore, the theatrically clumsy Penny (who hits her big head so many times she's instructed to wear a helmet) is often seen dating a new guy every episode, something they all make notice of, including her ("Ah yeah David, I did take a whore's bath okay? I had a one night stand and didn't have time to shower so did I rub some dryer sheets on my pits and throw some water on my hush at Au Bon Pain? Yes I did": her eloquent response to being offered a '20s style drink called Whore's Bath). And despite the show's existence in a heightened multiple-jokes-per-minute and fast-paced world, the characters are aware of this and their own excessive quirks. However, these characters are much more than their most prominent traits, like how Jane's extreme type-A personality is much crazier than a simple obsession and far more versatile as she can be as wild as she is organized ("You lightly bite one security guard and they act like you're a criminal!"). Even the initially less-exciting characters of Dave and Alex have also grown into more vital parts of the group, with Alex's enthusiastic stupidity (she buys a racist parrot on Craigslist and names her clothing store Xela, pronounced "Shay-la") mixing well with any other character and Dave's... well, Dave-ness (once you see the season 2 episode where they discuss each of their roles in the group, you'll understand how he is the odd one out, without knowing himself quite as well as the others and constantly thinking he's the best at something: "If I'm not the cool one who am I?").

So if you're a fan of any of the other shows mentioned above or just love to laugh, come check out this ah-mah-zing show, you'll love its fun-loving characters and quick-witted writing as much as we do (and not just because of Penny's words of wisdom)