Happy Endings Season 3 Premiere Review

Emily Grossberg ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff

It was a long wait for “Happy Endings” to return to fall television, but once again the whole gang draws us back into their wacky ways, complete with body casts, drugging, puppets and a hot physical therapist wearing a Jim McMahon jersey and tight bike shorts. But what else would viewers expect?
Season three of the hit comedy show begins tonight with Penny (played by the ever-hilarious Casey Wilson) suited up in a full body cast after a slight incident of falling down multiple flights of stairs. She then takes Max (Adam Pally) as her own personal servant as she recovers. Pally’s irresistible goofed up charm makes the show so much more fun to watch than it already is, partially because he is so odd and also because he’s got that eccentric quality that makes girls (and guys) absolutely adore him.
The last season left us with Alex (Elisha Cuthbert, as quirky as ever) and Dave (Zachary Knighton, with a newly highlighted goatee), contemplating starting up their relationship for the first time since Alex left Dave at the altar during the series premiere. The witty banter and laid-back approach to their relationship makes this dorky duo as charming as ever. What’s refreshing about the whole “Alex and Dave” thing is that the show takes a different approach on the relationship, eliminating a lot of pointless drama that usually accompanies these types of situations and adds in whimsical humor instead.
On the other side of the couple spectrum, uptight Jane (played by Eliza Coupe) and the newly unemployed Brad (Damon Wayans Jr.) introduce a totally new dynamic between the two, where Brad is a stay at home husband, or at least as far as Jane thinks. The relationship between these two is so weird and uncomfortable that there is no better way to create a new dynamic more perfect for the couple.
The odd lingo the writers throw in matched with the physical interaction of the group make the show warm, relatable and altogether hilarious. It is not a mean-spirited show in any way, an approach that a lot of cynical comedies take nowadays. It is full of true, sharp humor. The cast gels together to create an ensemble that seems to genuinely care for one another, and definitely gets the audience to care about their lives as well.
Here’s to another winning season! “Happy Endings” premieres Tuesday night at 9/8c on ABC.