Who Needs Friends When You Have Happy Endings?

In the fall of 2004, networks began looking for the next Friends.* 

Definition from  IMDB.com: "Three young men and three young women - of the BFF kind - live in the same apartment complex and face life and love in New York. They're not above sticking their noses into one another's businesses and swapping romantic partners, which always leads to the kind of hilarity average people will never experience - especially during breakups."

    I spent some time at lunch today defending Friends to a co-worker. She didn't see the big craze with it. I lamented over the heartbreaks, good times, and the inevitable "We were on a break." After Friends left, the viewing public got a lot of options thrown our way from 2004-2010. Some of these shows were terrible, and some included lasting favorites like: How I Met your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. But it took until the Spring of 2011 for something new. This show embodied the comedic situations, ride-or-die bonds, theme nights, and catchphrases of Friends better than any other show out there. This time, with a post-911, totally millennial lens.This show was called Happy Endings and it ran three seasons on ABC. First there were 13 beloved episodes and the 2nd and 3rd seasons ran 21 and 23 episodes, respectively. I just found out this Chicago-based group of college buddies have made the jump to Hulu and all seasons are streaming since January 2016!

     Situations that were taboo in early 90's sitcoms (Ross's wife leaving him for a woman and the threesome struggling to raise Ben together, Phoebe birthing her nieces and nephews for her brother and his wife) look like child's play compared to HE. The new normal of our diverse society has removed the stigma from situations and replaced horror with humor, like Adam Pally's Max bringing multiple female friends as a beard to dinner with his parents instead of admitting he is gay, or Elisha Cuthbert's Alex leaving her longtime fiance at the altar for a guy on roller blades (so 90's). Another common theme of the show is location. Both shows played off the major city they were set in, except the HE crew spent all of their free time drinking at Rosalita's Bar while the friends sipped coffee at Central Perk. Another uniting factor is that both shows led the actors to future roles and successes, some more than others (I'm looking at your decade vacation from acting, David Schwimmer). Although only off the air for three years and  nowhere close to syndication, the stars of HE bounced back well with projects since the cancellation of the show.    

Image courtesy of TV.com

       
     Alex's betrayal of Dave (Zach Knighton) is a cornerstone conflict of the series and it brought a lot of heartache to the group, but also a lot of laughs. Alex makes the perfect Rachel in this story, always misreading the conversation (guys thought she was a guy dressed like Marilyn Monroe for Halloween due to a deep-voiced cold), but coming through with her heart of gold. She also runs a fashion business like Rachel, sort of. Her boutique's only successful item was a baby onezie that teens wore as a belly shirt. Alex's hyper-organized sister Jane (Eliza Coupe) perfectly represents Monica. She is a neat-freak, teaches English to foreigners, whips up a mean brunch, will probably survive a zombie apocalypse, and always is competing. To complete the package, Jane volunteers advice when it is not needed. SNL alum Casey Wilson's Penny is in spirit, totally Phoebe, but with the put-together mindset and career. Her season 2 catchphrase  "Year of Penny!" is often used ironically as one setback after another befalls her personal and professional lives. Penny gets a condo, a promotion, an assistant (Jane the Virgin's Gina Rodriguez), and a few promising love interests, but disaster follows this girl everywhere.  If hipsters had been identified back in the 1990's, Phoebe might have dated one. Penny tried so hard to impress the hipsters that she ended up hating herself. She found she has too much passion and excitement to go through life ironically. 

     For the men, Dave is a free-spirited mix of Ross and Chandler. On the one hand, Dave is boring. Nobody is interested in his stories and his nice guy status is mostly present as relationship with Alex ebbs and flows through the series. On the other hand, Dave's job at the beginning of the series is basically a transponder like Chandler, but he quits to open up a meats of the world restaurant and settles for a steak sandwich food truck. Max is somewhat by default and somewhat totally perfect as the Joey of this group. Like Joey, Max cannot hold a steady job, and he finally buys a limo and drives people around Chicago. Much like Joey, Max enjoys meat, and can pick up anyone, man or woman. Penny dated him in college, and Alex crushes after him in one episode. Jane's husband Brad (Damon Wayans, Jr.) wears suits like Chandler, but he is much cooler. Brad always has the last word, plays basketball, befriends a secret group of black friends that get him, and yes, Brad does think that long polo Alex sold him is a shirt, not a dress. FUN FACT: In between seasons 1 and 2, Wayans appeared in a pilot for Fox's New Girl (another show that has made its own Friends-style group of misfit roommates), and after the first episode, was replaced with Winston Bisop after HE was renewed for a somewhat surprising 2nd season. Wayans later returned to New Girl for several seasons after HE completed.

My 5 Favorite Episodes for Newbie Viewers: 

5. Blax, Snakes, Home: The season 2 opener found Penny moving into a condo and throwing a Great Gatsby-themed housewarming. Too had the last inhabitant of the house was a crazy old cat lady who may be haunting Penny. Max spies in Brad to discover his group of cool, black friends and learns why Brad dubbed him "White Darryl."  Alex and Dave celebrate one year since their almost wedding and are spurred on by Jane to talk about the things the other did in their relationship that annoyed them. 

4. Like Father, Like Gun: This season 1 episode got Penny and Alex to double date a hot pair of Italians. Penny is only able to communicate to them in fluent Italian when she is plastered. Dave and Max use nerf guns to work out roomate issues. Jane encourages Brad to open up to his dad after a heart attack scare. His dad is played by his real-life dad, Damon Wayans.

3. Cocktails and Dreams: Dave's food truck becomes a speakeasy. Actor Colin Hanks befriends Dave and the gang stop going to the food truck because the drinks dive them weird dreams about Dave. 

2. More Like Stanksgiving: The group views a previously unseen episode of The Real World that followed them in their college days. Dave, who is 1/8 Navajo, insists on  holding a proper and traditional Thanksgiving.   

1. The Shershow Redemption: The gorup heads to hot mess buddy Shershow's wedding toward the end of season 1. This guy was wilder than Penny and Max combined and he suddenly has his life together. Penny brings a gay date to the wedding as her fiance while Alex gets blacklisted as a wedding jinx. Jane and Brad plan for a romantic weekend and end up renewing their vows. 

HONORABLE MENTION:

Any episode with Megan Mullally as Penny's mom, Dana. 

5.24.16 UPDATED: Here is more on the Happy Endings reunion panel and possible plans for an on screen reunion.