4082 replies to this topic

[Dee2]

The series revolves around the lives of a group of friends whose little group will be rocked when the couple that brought them together, Alex and Dave, break up. This leaves the rest of the group (Max, Brad, Jane and Penny) in an awkward position of either trying to stay together as friends or having to choose sides.

Alex and Dave decide to stay friends, but there are many more complications down the road. Such as single friend Penny's long-suppressed feelings for Dave and their openly gay friend Max worries the breakup will traumatize him more than his parent's divorce. Meanwhile, Alex's sister, Jane and her husband Brad, a suburban couple desperately trying to start a family are now so shocked by what happened, they are having trouble concentrating on their plans of trying to conceive their first child.

The series premiere is scheduled for April 13, 2011, with a one hour premiere of two back-to-back episodes starting at 9:30 pm. The show will return to its usual timeslot of 10 pm the following week on April 20, 2011

Pilot Preview

Eliza Coupe Interview

Damon Wayans Jr Interview

Elisha Cuthbert & Zachary Knighton Interview

Early Review

It looks hilarious. Hopefully ABC gives it a chance.

[stinkymcgee]

Eh, I thought it looked like another Friends retread, from the promos during Modern Family this week. I don't watch MF live, so will wait to hear whether it's worth TiVoing.

[vb68]

I like Casey Wilson and Damon Wayans Jr., so I will probably check it out.

[CatsWithAxes]

their openly gay friend Max worries the breakup will traumatize him more than his parent's divorce.

This alone makes me not want to watch the show.

And then there's the fact that the preview isn't funny at all. Not to me, anyway.

[HarpsiPoet]

This show seems to have a lot positive buzz coming in the last couple of days, I'm actually pretty excited about this one. All the reviewers seem to agree this is the one new "group of friends" comedy to actually get it right, not to expect the typical lameness of shows like "Traffic Light" or "Perfect Couples", even though some of the commercials may make it look similar to those shows. The reviewers who expected more of the same all seemed to be pleasantly surprised by this one. TV Squad's review even called it "the funniest new comedy of the season", and those guys are usually pretty tough on most of the new comedies.

Even though on the surface this one might look like all the other new "Friends" type comedies, the reviews are comparing the tone of the show more to the smarter, fast-paced humor of shows like Community, Scrubs and Arrested Development. One review also said it has shades of Always Sunny. I guess that makes sense since the show shares a lot of the same writers/directors/producers from those shows. The Happy Endings showrunners and executive producers are Joe & Anthony Russo, most recognized as the directors & executive producers on Arrested Development and Community. There seems to be a lot of good talents behind this show, one of the reasons this one first caught my attention at least years pilot announcements.

I just hope the somewhat crappy timeslot (10PM on it's usual night, but at least it's starting @ 9:30 with 2 episodes on the premiere) The biggest problem will probably be people scared off thinking it's as bad as all the other previous (soon to be cancelled) "group of friends" rom/com type shows that have come out lately, hopefully people will at least give it a chance, because this sounds like it could be one of the funniest new shows in a while.

[Sandman]

I'm not holding my breath on SpawnofKiefer and her cougar-baitin', wedding-ditchin' ways, but Zachary Knighton played one of the few characters on FlashForward who didn't instantly fill me with murderous disdain (until the writers turned him into a giant hose-head), so there's that. (Of course, I could have said the same thing about Christine Woods, and look how Perfect Couples turned out.) I'm willing to give it a shot, but I'm ... wary.

[lambertman]

I wish I could be as boundlessly enthusiastic as our new forum mate, but the reviews I've read say this is going to be pretty terrible. I'm expecting a waste of the talents of the wonderful Eliza Coupe (as well as those of Casey Wilson).

I'll give it a shot, but nothing I've seen gives me hope.

[reggiejax]

I'm expecting a waste of the talents of the wonderful Eliza Coupe (as well as those of Casey Wilson).

Eliza Coupe indeed seems too talented for this dreck. Casey Wilson, on the other hand, will likely spend what's left of the rest of her career in crap like this, paying off her debt to society for foisting Bride Wars unto an unsuspecting public.

Edited by reggiejax, Apr 13, 2011 @ 8:16 PM.

[JustinCase]

I've seen the pilot and liked it. The characters do talk a bit Sitcomese, but it was funny. To me, it's the best of the "Friends"-like shows to come around in a while. And at least, this six-pack of friends includes one gay and one black character!

[samsnee]

I think I'm just sick of these Friends type shows, because this was pretty bad. Let's see, in the first 5 minutes, one of the characters had to remind us at least 3 times he was gay. Then we also got the quick cutaway accompanied by the "whoosh" sound. Then there's just the completely unbelievable premise that someone who was jilted at the altar would still hang out with his ex so soon after it was over. Just bad bad bad.

[bahamarita]

OK, I had insanely low expectations for this show and I am pleasantly surprised. I think it's pretty funny. YAY!

[JoeSpacely]

Yes, just enough diversity to avoid criticism.

So far, there are a few okay bits, but this reeks of "I've seen it before".

[orangeslice]

I don't think it's to bad, I've had a couple of laugh out loud moments, so I'll probably watch again

[ScarletPrincess]

Not bad. Light years better than Mr. Sunshine.

[Bruinsfan]

I was expecting it to be an unfunny sitcom like Traffic Light or completely unwatchable dreck like Perfect Couples, but I ended up liking all the characters and having quite a few belly laughs in both episodes. I'm in for the season.

[bparhad]

I wasn't crazy about the pilot, but the second episode had me laughing hysterically. Granted, I had pretty low expectations, but I enjoyed it. I'll be tuning in next week.

[Merve]

These 2 episodes were pretty fucking terrible. It was just an hour of every Friends or Rules of Engagement cliché everywhere, but in single-camera format. I didn't even laugh once. Way worse than Perfect Couples and Traffic Light. But to be fair, both those shows took 4 or 5 episodes to find their footing. Maybe this one will be the same. I might give it another shot next week.

Two good points:
- It's refreshing to see a gay character who isn't stereotypically gay. (Modern Family, take note!)
- Max and Brad have some fun banter going on.

[voiceover]

I appreciate the fact that they didn't comedy-away the wedding disaster. And they're a likable group and I laughed more than once. Certainly the best of the new comedies I've seen this season.

Plus, I love that "Anthropologie exploded"ness of the ex-couple's apartment.

[little ghost]

Sue me. I didn't really mind it. I'll definitely be tuning in for the next few weeks.

[biakbiak]

The Wayans genes run deep.

[Bunny LaJoya]

Yeah, Damon Jr. has said that people joke that Damon Sr. just birthed him himself, because they resemble each other so strongly.

I'm kind of enjoying this show! Even Casey Wilson!

I wasn't crazy about the pilot, but the second episode had me laughing hysterically. Granted, I had pretty low expectations, but I enjoyed it. I'll be tuning in next week.

Agreed on all points.

Edited by Bunny LaJoya, Apr 14, 2011 @ 1:45 AM.

[arc]

Pilot was pretty bad, second ep was pretty good. Every commercial break in the second episode, I was surprised how much energy there was - in the best way, it felt like they'd covered as much ground in an act or two than most sitcoms do in a full episode.

[Dee2]

Pilot episode was rough, Jane's breakdown saved it.
Second episode was much better paced & the jokes were funnier.
Brad/Penny/Max's banter was funny.

[HarpsiPoet]

I liked it! Thought it was a really fun show, smart move putting the first two episodes together. I agree with everyone who says it's the first of the "Friends" type shows this season that's actually funny. The big difference with this one is the characters are actually interesting and funny. I especially liked Casey Wilson and Adam Pally's characters, Penny and Max. I already love Casey's character just from the trailer alone, her birthday party meltdown and picking a fight with the younger girl at the gym were great parts they included in the trailer. I also like the interesting approach they took with Max the gay character, who seems to instead act way more like a schlubby straight guy.

[Sandman]

Pilot episode was rough, Jane's breakdown saved it.
Second episode was much better paced & the jokes were funnier.
Brad/Penny/Max's banter was funny.

Yeah, the second episode was a huge improvement, especially for Max and Penny. I didn't hold out much hope for either of them after "Even I think rollerblades are too gay, and I slept with a dude last night," and "I'm going into the bathroom to cry my eyes out, and then I will be back to physically fight you." Because those lines are just lazy. And not at all funny.

Eliza Coupe is probably the strongest comedian in the group, and I'm afraid Elisha Cuthbert is the weakest.

Far, far better than Perfect Couples.

[babyblackcat]

I really disliked Traffic Light and Perfect Couples, and was expecting more of the same, but this was pretty good. I missed the first few minutes of the pilot, but agree the 2nd episode was much better and it was a great move to put them back to back. There seems to be some good chemistry there too, and I didn't want to punch any of the characters.
I'll stick with it and see how it goes.

[SanDiego]

Mr. SanDiego and I were expecting the worse (Mr. Sunshine, Traffic Light are two that jump to mind), but were extremely surprised that ABC offered up a pilot that was actually watchable and funny, with a great cast. Loved everything about it (except Elisha's bleach blonde hair). Didn't realize that Jane and Alex were sisters (did they mention that somewhere?). I never get tired of ensemble casts like this, as long as they are likeable and the writers actually give them good material. And it's a good sign that I can remember their names!

[braggtastic]

Where is this show supposed to take place? Chicago? I saw Chicago on the window of one of the bars/restaurants they were in, but it may be part of a chain name. It's not as clever as the Chicago-based My Boys, but it reminds me of it in some way. However if it is Chicago-based, it needs to look less LA. It's way too sunny.

Edited by braggtastic, Apr 14, 2011 @ 9:57 AM.

[balevinson]

I keep watching Traffic Light, Perfect Couples, Mr. Sunshine and Mad Love in hopes of witnessing it when they hit their stride, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen.

I thought both eps of HE were fun and filled with several smiles -- not to mention a few laugh out loud moments. And you could tell the tight scripts were written by experienced talent, and then punched by comics.

Here's hoping they can keep things going. We need more single-camera, laughtrack-free comedies, not less.

On the other hand, maybe I was just happy to learn that Cougar Town is finally coming back next week! =]

Edited by balevinson, Apr 14, 2011 @ 10:01 AM.

[bparhad]

Where is this show supposed to take place? Chicago?

It's supposed to be Chiacgo. In the second episode, Dave mentioned buying a couples pass to the Field Museum with Fedora Girl, and I remember it surprising me, because the city they were in looked nothing like Chicago.

Edited by bparhad, Apr 14, 2011 @ 10:13 AM.