Happy Endings (TV series)
Happy Endings is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from April 13, 2011, to May 3, 2013. The single-camera ensemble comedy originally aired as a mid-season replacement with a one-hour premiere of two back-to-back episodes starting at 9:30pm ET/PT. In the weeks that followed, the show continued to air back-to-back episodes that began airing at 10pm ET/PT. The show was created by David Caspe, who along with Jonathan Groff (previously a showrunner on "Scrubs") served as the show's executive producers and showrunners. On  May 10, 2013, "Happy Endings" was canceled by ABC after three seasons. ABC's erratic scheduling of the third season, perhaps causing the season's lower ratings and subsequent cancellation, was called one of the "worst TV decisions" of the 2012–13 television season by the pop-culture website Vulture. Plot. "Happy Endings" follows the dysfunctional adventures of six best friends living in Chicago: "crazy-in-love" married couple, businessman overachiever Brad (Damon Wayans, Jr.) and his neurotic perfectionist wife Jane (Eliza Coupe); ditzy Alex (Elisha Cuthbert), a happy-go-lucky boutique owner and Jane's younger sister; daydreamer Dave (Zachary  Knighton), an aspiring restaurateur and food truck owner; slacker manchild Max (Adam Pally), who struggles to hold a job and maintain a consistent relationship; and outgoing party girl Penny (Casey Wilson), a serial dater on an eternal search for Mr. Right. The series begins with the wedding of Dave and Alex, which comes to an abrupt halt when Alex leaves Dave at the altar. The six friends must cope with a sudden change in the group dynamic as Dave and Alex mourn their relationship and the rest of the group try to preserve their friendship. Dave and Alex decide to  stay friends, but there are many more complications down the road. While the initial premise of Dave and Alex's broken engagement was the focal point in earlier episodes, this premise was mostly abandoned as the series went on. Instead, the focus shifted to the group dynamic of six best friends, in a similar vein of ensemble comedies like "Friends" and "How I Met Your Mother". Typically, each episode featured two plot lines, in which varying combinations of the six characters find themselves involved. Development and production. On January 19, 2010, ABC green-lit the pilot episode, which was written  by David Caspe and directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. The show is from production companies Sony Pictures Television, ABC Studios, and executive producer Jamie Tarses' FanFare Productions. Executive producers are Jamie Tarses, Jonathan Groff, and The Russo Brothers. Casting announcements began in February 2010, with Damon Wayans, Jr. first cast as Brad, Jane's husband who does whatever she says. Next to join the series was Casey Wilson as Penny, the group's desperate and single friend. Eliza Coupe and Adam Pally shortly joined that cast, with Coupe playing Jane, Alex's control freak sister who is married  to Brad, and Pally playing Max, Dave's close friend and roommate. Elisha Cuthbert later joined the cast as Alex, Dave's ex-fiancée who leaves him at the altar. Zachary Knighton was last actor to be cast as the newly single Dave. The pilot was ordered to series on May 13, 2010, as a mid-season entry in the 2010–11 United States network television schedule. On May 13, 2011, the show was renewed for a second season, which premiered on September 28, 2011. On October 13, 2011, the show received an additional episode order of 6 scripts from ABC , citing improved ratings for the series On November 3, 2011, ABC picked up the series for a full 22-episode second season. On May 11, 2012, "Happy Endings" was renewed for a third season of 22 episodes. This season premiered on October 23, 2012, at 9pm. Edits. In the sixth episode of the first season to air, "Of Mice and Jazz-Kwon-Do", Dave refers to the mouse he is trying to catch as "his bin Laden" and then went on to joke that he was referring to "Jessica bin Laden, a super hot Arab girl I went to  college with. She was the one that got away". The episode, which was taped prior to the death of Osama bin Laden, aired with ABC muting the final line, and removing the line entirely from online streams of the episode. The episode aired with the line unmuted on City in Canada and is also left intact on the DVD release. The ninth episode of the first season to air, "You've Got Male", originally included a kiss between Max and Ian and was seen among several promotional images released prior to the episode airing. The kiss was ultimately removed from  the episode. Before the episode aired, David Caspe explained that the kiss was cut purely as a creative decision and that there had been no pressure from the network to remove any gay content. Attempted continuation. On April 3, 2013, it was reported that Sony TV, which produces "Happy Endings", had approached a few networks about continuing the series should ABC cancel it the following month, with USA being the most likely to pick up the show. When ABC confirmed that they had canceled the show on May 10, 2013, Sony TV was said to be shopping the show around  to other networks, with USA still reported as showing interest. Talks were underway by May 15, 2013, but showed signs of being unsuccessful as on May 16, 2013, the pickup was already labeled "unlikely" as a result of Sony TV and USA being unable to agree on a price. Two weeks later, despite coming to a general agreement regarding financials, it was reported on June 1, 2013, that USA had opted not to pick up the show, with the low ratings during the third season being a factor as it would have required "a large investment in marketing and promotion  to successfully re-launch the show. As of June 14, 2013, Sony TV was still talking to other distributors, with Amazon, Netflix, TBS, and NBC being named. At this point, there was just over two weeks left to finalize a deal as Sony's options on the cast contracts were set to expire on June 30, 2013. By June 27, 2013, there were no serious talks to revive the series on broadcast, cable or streaming networks, as both NBC and TBS had also passed on the show. On June 28, 2013, Sony announced that the series had officially ended, citing 	Happy Endings (TV series)
19832355	an inability to find a new home for the show before the expiration of their contracts with the cast as the sole reason behind the decision. Continuation hoax. On December 9, 2014, The Hollywood Reporter" reported that the show's set still exists despite filming ending on March 16, 2013. On February 6, 2015, the Twitter account of the show's writers room tweeted a link to a timer counting down to exactly 12:00a.m. CT on April 1, 2015, with the text 'It's almost a new day'. This quickly led to speculation that the series would be revived for  a fourth season, as the account also began following the Twitter accounts of Amazon, Netflix, and Yahoo! Screen - though by February 9, 2015, all three had denied having any involvement in a revival, while Sony had simply stated "No comment". The availability of the show's cast was also seen by some as giving credibility to theories of a revival – Eliza Coupe's show "Benched" was canceled in January 2015, Adam Pally's exit from "The Mindy Project" was announced in November 2014 with his final episode airing February 3, 2015, and Damon Wayans, Jr.'s departure from "New Girl  at the end of the fourth season was announced on February 5, 2015. Subsequent tweets made reference to episodes of the show – including Natalie Imbruglia's music video for Torn" – and also referencing "four seasons" by sharing a music video by The Four Seasons and the co-ordinates for a Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago. Other tweets also referenced "waiting" and "anticipation". In mid-March, cast member Adam Pally stated that "the origin of that 'Happy Endings' countdown clock was not intended to be where it is headed". Two days later Casey Wilson explained that it was a joke by  a suspected writers assistant and that she "[didn't] think it's a welcome joke for everyone. I don't love that [someone] did that" and also stated that there was nothing moving forward. On April 1, 2015, a tweet confirmed that the entire "new day" countdown had in fact been a 55-day April Fools prank. David Caspe then confirmed the story that Pally and Wilson had told weeks earlier - that a writer or writers assistant with access to the Twitter account had come up with the idea without his knowledge. He did note that after the initial speculation  began in early February, the buzz sparked the possibility of an actual reunion but ultimately nothing came of it. Caspe also noted that the cast and writers are all keen for a possible reunion and that he wouldn't be shocked if at some stage in the future something occurred. Episode 401. On July 19, 2016, it was announced that the cast of the show would reunite at "Entertainment Weekly"'s EW PopFest in October 2016 for a live reading of a lost episode of the series. It was quickly revealed via Twitter that the script would be newly written , and was not actually an unused script from the show. The "episode", titled "Happy to Be Here", reveals that the characters all went their separate ways after a fight between Jane and Brad on the night of Brooke's wedding at the end of the third season. 939 days later (the exact number of days since the final episode aired and the live reading), they all reunite after Alex and Scotty came up with a plan to fake Scotty's death to bring them all back together. Eventually Alex's deception is revealed (as is the fact that Scotty actually  killed himself while attempting to fake his death) and Jane and Brad reconcile. In the closing moments of the episode, it is revealed that the entire series was actually a dream Dave was having the night before his wedding to Alex, and after waking her up he inadvertently gives her the idea to leave him at the altar. Ongoing revival attempts. There has been multiple reports in the years since the show ended that Sony is attempting to work on a revival, but to date nothing has come to fruition. In April 2020 Casey Wilson confirmed that there has been  truth to the reports that Sony has attempted to get a revival underway multiple times but has always fallen apart when at least one cast member is under another deal with another studio. And The Pandemmy Goes To.... In April 2020, Casey Wilson also confirmed that there would be an upcoming reading of new material, which was announced in July 2020 would be streamed on July 20, 2020, via the Sony Pictures Television YouTube page. In addition to performing the new scripted material, which is titled "And The Pandemmy Goes To...", a live Q&A with the cast also took place . The event was organised to raise money for Color of Change and World Central Kitchen supporting Black Lives Matter and COVID-19 relief. Stephen Guarino reprised his role as Derrick in a cameo during the episode. During the Q&A, it was revealed that the episode was originally planned to be a table read of new material, similar to the reading of "Episode 401" at EW PopFest in October 2016, but after other shows such as "30 Rock" and "" remotely-produced full episodes the decision was made to produce and present it as an episode of the show. Section::::"Marry Me". "Marry Me  is a sitcom television series created and executive produced by David Caspe that aired on NBC, which premiered on October 14, 2014. It has been implied that both series exist in the same universe. Both shows are set in Chicago and Derrick, a recurring character played by Stephen Guarino, appears on both shows. Three of the original six series regulars on Marry Me" – Casey Wilson, Ken Marino and Sarah Wright Olsen – also appeared on "Happy Endings", albeit in different roles. John Gemberling, also a series regular, appeared on "Happy Endings", however as his character wasn't named — he was merely  credited as 'Thief' — it is unclear whether the two characters are considered separate people. In addition, several guest stars on "Happy Endings" — including Rob Huebel, Nat Faxon and Ryan Hansen — also had guest appearances as different characters on "Marry Me". Release. Broadcast. Season one. The first season of the show premiered on ABC on April 13, 2011, and concluded on May 25. The premiere aired at a special time at 9:31pm after "Modern Family" and was followed by another episode in the show's regular timeslot at 10pm. The show was originally set to air a single episode each  week that followed, but ABC decided to air a fourth episode immediately after the third episode on April 20, 2011, at 10:30pm. On April 29, 2011, it was announced that the show would air two episodes a week for three weeks at 10pm and 10:30pm beginning May 4, 2011. The season also aired mostly out of the intended broadcast order to make the initial episodes more "stand alone" in an effort to get more people invested in the show.<ref name="e10/11order"></ref> As a result, the episodes "Bo Fight" and "Barefoot Pedaler", which were intended to air as the second  and third episodes as they show the events in the weeks after Alex and Dave's wedding, aired as episodes 10 and 11. It was later revealed that the decision to air the episodes out-of-order was ultimately made by ABC. The episodes later appeared in the intended order on the DVD release. The episode "Why Can't You Read Me?" was initially left unaired, however it later aired on August 24, 2011. Season two. The second season of the show premiered September 28, 2011, and ended on April 4, 2012. The season saw the show move to the  9:30pm timeslot, previously occupied by "Cougar Town". The show then left the schedule to make room for "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23". Despite picking up the show for a full 22-episode second season, the 21st episode to air was labeled as the season finale by ABC as they needed to premiere "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23" on April 11, 2012. The episode, titled KickBall 2: The Kickening, later aired on E4 in the UK on May 17, 2012, and also aired in other international markets, despite the episode officially being held until the  third season. Additionally, the episode was excluded from the second season DVD. Season three. The third season of the show premiered on October 23, 2012, and ended on May 3, 2013. The season saw the show move again, this time to the Tuesday at 9pm timeslot, where it aired immediately after "Dancing with the Stars". The first six episodes of the season aired in Canada on City, two days prior to the American broadcasts airing on ABC. "KickBall 2: The Kickening", an episode from season two that previously did not air on ABC, made its debut as part of  the third season on ABC and City on January 13, 2013, despite having aired internationally as part of season two. On December 4, 2012, ABC announced that on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, "Dancing with the Stars" would re-take the Tuesday 9pm hour, leaving the fate of unaired episodes unclear. On December 21, 2012, ABC announced that new episodes of both "Happy Endings" and "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23" would replace the cancelled drama "666 Park Avenue" for three weeks on January 6, January 13, and January 20, while maintaining its current timeslot. Only two of  the three scheduled episodes aired in the Sunday timeslot. On January 22, 2013, ABC announced that it had removed "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23" from the schedule and would instead air back-to-back "Happy Endings" concurrently on Tuesdays, but it was removed from the timeslot after episodes 12 and 13 aired. However, on February 13, 2013, ABC announced that, starting March 29, the series would move to Fridays at 8pm ET/PT with back-to-back original episodes. On April 19, 2013, ABC preempted its primetime programming in favor of coverage of the manhunt for  Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, after the Boston Marathon bombing, pushing back the season finale date to May 3, 2013. Online. Full episodes of the series were initially available for streaming on both ABC.com and Hulu. While ABC.com removed the show, full episodes still remain available to stream on Hulu and to purchase on digital stores. On February 29, 2012, ABC premiered the first of a six-part webisode series titled "Happy Rides", which follows the events from Penny deciding to get rid of her storage space, which leads to her selling her first car. The webisodes were sponsored by  Subaru. In 2014, VH1 acquired the syndication rights and made all episodes available online using VH1's "TV Everywhere" platforms and the VH1 app but this is no longer available. As of April 2021, the series is available to stream on HBO Max, in the correct production order. As of June 1, 2021, the series is available to stream on Netflix, in the US. Syndication. On December 10, 2013, it was announced that VH1 has acquired all three seasons, with a marathon of all 57 episodes planned for December 31, 2013 and running through New Year's Day. The series  initially aired in two-hour blocks every Wednesday, beginning in January 2014. In addition to airing the show, the network licensed rights to showcase episodes of the series online via its "TV Everywhere" platforms and also on the new VH1 App. Beginning August 30, 2014, Logo also started airing all three seasons, beginning with a marathon on Labor Day weekend. Neither network carries the show anymore. The show aired in Australia in syndication on 111. On January 1, 2016, all three seasons began streaming on Hulu and it is also available on Netflix in select countries. Reception. Critical reception. The  series initially received a mixed response from critics, many comparing it to several similar "relationship sitcoms" that had premiered around the same time - "Perfect Couples", "Mad Love", "Traffic Light" and "Friends with Benefits". However, as the first season progressed, reviews became increasingly positive - with several critics admitting that the show had grown on them since the pilot. "Happy Endings" was the second "relationship sitcom" of the season to be renewed for a second season. BuddyTV ranked "Happy Endings" #7 on its list of 2011's best new TV shows. The second season received widespread critical acclaim, landing on multiple "Best  of Year" lists; The New York Magazine, The A.V. Club, Hulu, the Associated Press, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Yahoo!TV all included the series in lists of the top television programs of 2011. The third season continued to receive critical acclaim. Verne Gay of "Newsday" wrote that "The show exists on the same cosmic (and comic) TV plane as "Scrubs", "Arrested Development" and that other late bloomer, "Cougar Town"." Maureen Ryan of "The Huffington Post" stated that ""Happy Endings" has so many things going for it that the occasional weak story line or meh scene is not a big deal  at all. It's one of the sharpest and warm-hearted comedies on the air, and I enjoy it a lot more than "Modern Family"." Anna Peele of "Esquire" claimed the show to be the "New and Improved "Community"." With the show facing possible cancellation due to low ratings, "Rolling Stone" declared that "Happy Endings" was "the most underrated, under-watched series on TV, that may also be the funniest", and went on to say "Despite flying under the radar, "Happy Endings" has stayed afloat for three seasons by earning both critical acclaim and a devoted fan following. Blending comedic  elements of "Friends", "Arrested Development", and "30 Rock", it manages to serve up something new and refreshing by being both consumed by and annoyed with the frenetic world we live in. It's biting, but easy to swallow – social commentary at its best."