There’s no TV tragedy greater than a fantastic show being cancelled before its time. ABC’s Happy Endings did get a solid three seasons on the air, but there could have been plenty of additional laughs to be had from the antics of the most dysfunctional set of friends on primetime. Even the executive producers on the series, the talented Russo brothers, felt the show's loss keenly. While the brothers are now famous for their contributions to the Marvel franchise, Joe Russo has made it clear that their big screen success hasn’t made them forget the unhappy ending to Happy Endings.
That show was one of the most favorite things that we’ve done and it was just an amazing experience for us. It was a heartbreaker for us that the show couldn’t have gone on longer than it did.
Knowing that the Russo brothers have as much lingering love for the show as fans helps with the loss a bit, all things considered. Not all producers would necessarily have room in their hearts for a sitcom when they’ve become big names in one of the biggest film franchises of all time. Joe Russo’s admission to Forbes certainly shows that it wasn’t a lack of creative dedication that led to the show’s cancellation in 2013.
A lack of talented performers wasn’t a problem, either. The regular six cast members were hysterical in their own right, and Happy Endings always mixed up the pairings so that interactions between the crazy characters were never stale. The ensemble made up a group of friends that was definitely fun to watch, even if most of us wouldn’t necessarily want to join in. Those “pile-ons” tended to escalate quickly. Sadly, poor ratings and an airtime in the Friday night death slot killed the sitcom.
Of course, now that we’re in an age of television in which it feels like there are more revivals and reboots than original series, there is the question of whether or not there’s the possibility for Happy Ending to get another go. Happy Endings continuing on a streaming service could serve. Endings star Adam Pally even has some experience with shows moving from network to streaming thanks to his role on The Mindy Project, which hopped to Hulu after cancellation by Fox. According to Joe Russo, however, new streaming material is not likely to be in our future.
There was certainly talk of reviving it as a series but it just never happened. Sometimes those things work out and sometimes they don’t.
Anthony Russo was quick to chime in and say that he and his brother would be first in line of the fate of Happy Endings changed, but too much time may have passed for the cast and executive producers to find a way to all gather together for another season or two. On the plus side, Hulu has landed the rights to all three seasons of Happy Endings, so we can binge-watch to our hearts’ delight with only the click of a mouse.
