No Sitcom Deserves The Vaunted “Netflix Bump” More Than ‘Happy Endings’

There’s good TV, there’s great TV, and then there’s the whirlwind of comedic excellence known as Happy Endings. Airing from 2011 to 2013 on ABC, David Caspe’s single-camera hangout comedy is best known for its immensely talented cast, brilliant writing, and staggering amount of jokes that continuously subverted expectations in both quantity and quality. The series amassed a passionate cult following and despite only lasting for three seasons, Happy Endings continued to find new fans when debuting on Hulu and HBO Max. But Netflix is a whole new ballgame.

On June 1, 2021, all 57 episodes of Happy Endings were added to Netflix (a special pandemic episode is also available on YouTube). Thanks to the streaming goliath’s irrefutable popularity, Netflix can attract a sizable new audience for overlooked shows that premiered on different networks. Adam Brody’s Crackle series StartUp was the most recent beneficiary of this phenomenon, but programs such as You, Schitt’s Creek, Riverdale, Good Girls, All American, and Cobra Kai have all seen a surge in viewership thanks to the ubiquitous nature of the streaming service. While those shows certainly merit extra attention, no sitcom deserves the vaunted Netflix Bump more than Happy Endings.

The series ostensibly centers on a cadre of six endearing weirdos forced to reassess their friend group after Alex (Elisha Cuthbert) leaves Dave (Zachary Knighton) at the alter. While the show didn’t entirely abandon that premise, it didn’t harp on the will they/won’t they of it all and instead embraced the unique comedic gifts of the actors. Happy Endings endures in the hearts of TV fans thanks to the crackling comedic chemistry of Cuthbert, Knighton, Eliza Coupe, Damon Wayans Jr., Casey Wilson, and Adam Pally. Caspe and company created strong characters with distinct personalities and let them go ham as single joke setups were routinely given multiple punchlines at a breakneck pace.

In August of 2018, I rewatched Happy Endings and wrote an extremely detailed article highlighting the funniest joke from each episode (and like 100 more). If you’re on the fence about starting a new show — a friendly reminder that you can binge the entire series in about 20 hours — here are a few of the quips that make Happy Endings one of the wittiest, laugh-out-loud funniest shows in television history.

The series is pure joy. Pure, ridiculous, feel-good joy. From Damon Wayans Jr. perfecting the art of physical comedy and Eliza Coupe’s pitch-perfect reaction shots to the hundreds of weird, random, hilarious offbeat jokes, I guarantee that you won’t regret pressing play on Happy Endings.

Happy Endings is now streaming on Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu.