https://decider.com/2018/05/02/happy-endings-finale-5th-anniversary/ Coupe, Wilson, Knighton, and Caspe talk about what made the show great. Spoiler When the cracked out hangout sitcom Happy Endings aired its final episode on May 3, 2013 —five years ago tomorrow (gasp!)— it was hard to believe it’d be the last we’d see of it. With a passionate and vocal cult following and seemingly endless amount of comedic potential, the series seemed ripe for a reboot. However, after USA ultimately passed on a fourth season, fans had to face the facts: Penny, Max, Brad, Jane, Dave, and Alex were likely gone for good… or were they? As series creator David Caspe admits, while he’s not holding out hope, he’s not entirely ready to give up on his baby, either. “I’m personally a little surprised that there hasn’t been someone who’s realistically approached us to do it. Our fanbase is rabid but I suppose the cult following is smaller than it seems. It’s been five years and if it hasn’t happened yet, I can’t imagine it happening now, but at the same time, it wouldn’t really surprise me if Hulu or even ABC called me and asked if we’d ever do more,” Caspe told Decider, though he’s clear in pointing out that he wouldn’t expect to capture lightning in a bottle twice. “If we redid it, it would be worse. It’s always worse. I don’t know that you could ever redo something and have it be bette, which would be a bummer because it’s such a great time in my life—I met my wife, I made so many great friends, I’m even working on a show now that [Adam] Pally’s in—but I’d do it in a heartbeat because I love them all so much.” It’s a sentiment shared by seemingly everyone involved in Happy Endings, with the cast still full of glowing things to say about each other as well as the team of writers, directors, and even Caspe himself. A true ensemble series, every one of the actors on the show had robust screen time and the ability to pair up with their castmates in different combinations, a collaborative opportunity which ultimately led to some of the show’s most memorable in-jokes and sight gags, few of which were improvised. As Casey Wilson (Penny Hartz) recalls, “I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that we did a ton of improv. We added tags to scenes, yeah, but Happy Endings was very well scripted. We absolutely were allowed to play and find what the funniest thing in each scene, but the writing was really strong.” In the end, it all came down to the chemistry between the actors, all of whom had a “weirdly awesome relationship unto themselves” when paired up, according to Wilson. “What I loved is that within each pair, it was like the blind leading the blind; your status changed depending on who you were doing a scene with. No one was better than anyone else; everyone was insane and stupid and the writers were great at picking up on dynamics.” The willingness of the actors—a group that included Wilson, Adam Pally, Zachary Knighton, Elisha Cuthbert, Damon Wayans Jr. and Eliza Coupe—to embrace that dynamic was what made Happy Endings such a rarity, a fact that was more evident than ever during Decider’s recent conversation with some of the show’s cast. On where 'Happy Endings' went wrong and how the show would fare differently if it was on now: Coupe: “I think if it was on now, people would be going crazy, especially if it was on one of the streaming networks—there’d be more leeway to be a little more edgy and not so cookie-cutter. I think maybe people weren’t necessarily ready for it, particularly the networks. If it was on now, it’d be gobbled up and we’d be winning in every category at the Emmys for comedy. With everything that’s going on in the world right now, people want to fucking laugh. We don’t want it to be silly, stupid humor; we want to feel like we’re in on the joke. I do feel like if it was on now, a lot of things would have to be a bigger deal, like Brad and Jane being an interracial couple or Max being a gay guy, just because of our president. It’s amazing that we didn’t have it in our faces quite so much back then, though of course it was still an issue.” Knighton: “I think there are a lot of answers. I don’t think we got the support from the network that we needed. Paul Lee had taken over after we were picked up and we weren’t his baby. We were supposed to premiere and then they moved us and put us on against the Olympics and it was all so strange. In fact, we all kinda thought there was no way it was going to even get past the first season because we knew that while we had a lot of love from people, we didn’t have the billboards. We actually wanted to crowdfund to get one single billboard at one point! I think we were just on the forefront on it and if maybe we’d come out a year later, it would’ve worked better. If we were on the air right now with the numbers other shows are putting out in 2018, we’d be a monster hit with the numbers we had. Basically, they fucked up and cancelled it and then all their shows tanked. That was around the time that execs wanted shows to get back to those Friends numbers and they hadn’t caught up with the concept of Netflix and streaming—now they’re letting shows stay on with a .5 or .6—we had a 2.1 or something!” Wilson: “I really think we suffered being in the crosshairs of network TV thinking they should have higher ratings and not realizing that they were at the beginning of the end. The ratings were better than a lot of network shows that are on now, but we got lost in the shuffle of the panic about network which is still happening. Even if it came out three years later when people started realizing that we had good numbers, we would have hung on, which is a bummer. Maybe it’s best to leave people wanting more, but we’d have loved at least another season.” Caspe: “In a field so hard to break through and be a hit—and I sort of specialize in things that aren’t hits—it’s hard to know if it would do better [if it came out now], but I will agree that we were definitely a victim of the time. All the ratings were dropping every single year but they kept cancelling stuff in the hopes that the stuff they put on the next year was going to do better. All that said, I think we have a very rabid fanbase but we’re really small. I don’t know if we’d ever be a huge hit, but I still think we should’ve stayed on the air. We were doing well enough that we should still be making the show, but who knows?” On the collaborative process between the 'Happy Endings' cast and crew: Pally: “You came to work every day and you couldn’t walk your way through it because you’d be exposed if you did. Even when you were distracted by your real life outside of the show, you were still dealing with five other people at the top of their game so you needed to deliver in every scene. I think those are the best ensembles in general, when everyone is raising everybody’s game, so that was a lucky thing again with the cast.” Coupe: “They threw a lot of wacky shit at us, and the great thing is that these characters were so specific that to get into the mindset was so fun. I had no idea how I would react as my character until I read it. It was usually the opposite of what a normal person would do with a crazy situation and that’s what made it so unique. The writing team was just phenomenal as well, so it was such a gift to be able to improv or play off that. I feel like I’d done shows prior and since then where it’s like, ‘OK, we’ve got some real crap writing here where the nugget of the idea is good but I’m going to have to elevate the shit out of it because I cannot in good conscience do crap.’ That was the greatest gift of being on that show—it was already elevated.” Wilson: “It’s a joke bag and it was really hard, funny jokes which don’t get to be on TV a lot, especially not now. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Brooklyn Nine-Nine are the last men standing in that regard. It was fast, it looked poppy and fun, but I think the storylines were incredibly strange. One of them was actually inspired by my husband [David Caspe]. His sister casually told us one day that in order to lose weight or not text a guy, she’d take Nyquil. We turned that into that wild storyline when Max and Penny take off-brand Nyquil called Nochetussin to regain power in our lives and our bodies. It’s so strange! They pushed what’s normal to a new level that makes it so hilarious. I remember [staff writer] Hilary Winston had this idea of Penny showing up to a wedding with her Skype dinner date and she danced on the floor with her computer. It was so sad but so funny! All that kind of stuff was just amazing to create.” On what made 'Happy Endings' so appealing to its cult following: Pally: “I think that it was a lot of things that you weren’t really seeing on television at the time and maybe still aren’t. It had a nice mix of a new energy and a new vibrance and a new bunch of characters. That was also why it didn’t work, if that makes sense. When something like that happens and there are just as many reasons that it didn’t work that it did, you usually get a strong fanbase. I really love it. If you look at every character and situation, there was something different about them that you’d never seen before. It was wrapped up in this nice bow of a TV sitcom that you felt you knew and then what you were getting was something completely original.” Coupe: “It was so quick and our generation —or, really, people from their late twenties to early forties— just really got it. It was quick-witted, topical but also just full of pop culture references. The crazy dynamics of the characters made it just a high-paced, fun, witty show to watch that just kind of hit every note. People were obsessed with Party Down, as was I. It’s just mad jokes and references you just got and it was just enough offbeat that you felt like you were onto something. I think that was the case with us, too.” Knighton: “There hadn’t really been a show where there were so many jokes per page of the script. I would say first and foremost, David Caspe really put together a team of people that tapped into something pretty spectacular. All those guys came up together and were new to the TV world. It starts with the writing and the cast had a lot of chemistry to elevate that. We all had so much fun working together and it was a magical little thing that unfortunately didn’t last that long.” Wilson: “I think it’s that it’s definitely so weird. At first glance, there’s a normal premise—six friends palling around before they get married or whatever—but as you dig deeper, it’s incredibly strange. Every one of those characters is a weirdo and on their own an outsider and a strange person. I feel like a lot of people can relate to that. A lot of shows want to spell out how much everyone loves each other, but on Happy Endings, you see how everyone treats each other is so terrible and amazing but filled with love. It was a super positive show in the weirdest way.” Caspe: “I wish I knew, I’d do it again! I think there’s that 1+1=3 cliche that I hate myself for even saying, but there was a special cast that worked incredibly well together, plus an awesome group of writers that clicked with each other. Those two meshed really well and turned out to be something that has connected to people for whatever reason. I do think the jokes on jokes on jokes thing had a lot to do with it—and I should say every script had 50% more jokes that were cut! Plus the fact that we were so unloved in many ways. It’s like how everyone loves their little band until everyone knows about them. If you found the show and really loved it, considering that no one else was really watching it and then it got cancelled, fans feel a sense of ownership over it. If it stayed on, there might not be such a cult following.” On the legacy of 'Happy Endings': Pally: “I think you’re seeing the influence of it more than anything. If you’re looking at casting rooms and stuff, we presented a happy, loving married couple whose arguments had nothing to do with the fact that they’re mixed race. Now that’s a trope you see on a lot of sitcoms. You see a lot of characters like Max now where their sexuality doesn’t matter, it’s more about their attitude. I think that’s kinda cool and if that’s our legacy, that’s one of the coolest things that we could have done.” Wilson: “It’s interesting, I always thought of the show as the little engine that could. It never reached the height of many shows but it had everything against it: it premiered mid-season, they tried to lay it off at terrible time slots. It had truly no reason to keep going, but it was the one show of all the pilots across all the networks that held on for Season 2 that year. It was amazing because none of us had ever really done much except for Elisha. I think it held on because the fans were so passionate. It was this little gem that no one really knew about, which was fun, but it turned a lot of things on its head. Optimism ran through the whole show. They were all so ridiculously optimistic despite the fact that their lives were chaos and shit. It really makes me laugh!” Jennifer Still is a writer and editor from New York who cares too way much about fictional characters and spends her time writing about them.
added this to my "going to sleep" rotation. forgot how rough the pilot was. but damn am i excited to rewatch
I think the wedding portion of the pilot sucks, but the rest of is pretty funny. Especially Penny's bday dinner.
bumping this because david caspe the creator of happy endings is the creator of black monday. pilot is here totally different vibe but still really good pilot
Just finished a rewatch. Show holds up. The season finale did seem like a series finale. Wish we’d have gotten a couple more years. But, oddly the end is kind of satisfying. About to start Don’t trust the B rewatch
Are any of them on anything now? I think I saw Pally has yet another show debuting this year that probably will be canceled.
Eliza Coupe has Future Man, but that only has one season left. Casey Wilson is on Black Monday, but I doubt that would stop her from being in this. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are keeping everyone employed these days.
I saw Jane in a trailer for the new Veronica Mars show. And yes, I refuse to view her as anything other than Jane.
She was only in the first episode, and not in a significant role. She spent her 8 minutes talking about blowjobs and being spied on by her ex husband.
When I started Chuckles & Hugs in 2011 I had no way of knowing my business partner Robert Hugs would die in late 2011
just like It feels good will forever remind me of Rick and Morty, Take on Me belongs to Happy Endings in my memory bank. I can’t hear that song without thinking about the our best friend wedding episode
This is one of my favorite jokes. Well, first, I texted him to see if he wanted to go see that new gay Four Tops cover band, The Four Tops.
https://deadline.com/2020/07/happy-...demic-themed-zoom-charity-special-1202985025/ The long-in-the-works Happy Endings charity cast reunion has been officially confirmed. Cast members Eliza Coupe, Elisha Cuthbert, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans Jr., Casey Wilson and a surprise guest will reunite and perform new scripted material from the writers of Happy Endings entitled “And The Pandemmy Goes To…” Following the event will be a special live fan Q&A with the cast. The event will premiere on the Sony Pictures Television YouTube page on Monday, July 20 at 4 p.m. PT. The special, organized by Happy Endings studio SPT, aims to raise money for Color of Change and José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen supporting Black Lives Matter and COVID-19 relief efforts. “For years, the people (and multiple networks) have spoken: they do not want this show to continue,” Happy Endings creator David Caspe said. “Undeterred, we were finally able to convince them to at least let us do just one weird Zoom thing, as long as we did it ourselves and it was for charity. So if you wanna watch, please donate to Color of Change and World Central Kitchen, two incredible organizations fighting to make the world a safer, more equitable, just place for all.” Happy Endings premiered on ABC in 2011 and ran for three seasons. There had been chatter recently that ABC may be interested in a revival or reboot.
That Netflix show, The Ranch, has concluded. Max has done a bunch of stuff. Currently doing Crossing Swords and Indebted. Brad did New Girl but his CBS show got cancelled Penny is in some show called Black Monday.
It’s one of the only funny Zoom things I’ve watched, which is a low bar . But the good news is that their chemistry is still there.
It was kinda meh until the last 10 minutes. Then Max said,”You have a sickness” to Penny and I was dead.
After a rewatch, A+ episode. I missed so much that first time.....the basement joke, the rimjob joke.......I just love me some Jane, ok?
The Live Q&A was great near the end when they are asked about their favorite scenes that don't involve their own character.
My wife and I just started a rewatch of the series. I’m 10 minutes in and once again furious we only got 3 seasons.