Casey Wilson on 'Happy Endings'

To say that Casey Wilson didn’t get much time to shine on Saturday Night Live would be something of an understatement, as she — and Michaela “Biiiitch Pleeeeaze” Watkins — got the boot in 2009, after just two seasons. While Wilson’s characters weren’t exactly standouts (Dusty Velvet definitely wasn’t getting her own Christmas special anytime soon), she still had a good comedic presence on-screen and her impressions, particularly the one of Rachael Ray, should have kept her on much longer.

Alas, the funny lady is getting her happy ending in primetime, no less on a show called Happy Endings. Yes, it’s a 20-and-30-somethings exploring the complexities of love and life sitcom (which has been done to death), but as far as new shows go, this one deserves to go well past the one-year mark. [The Wednesday night ABC comedy is currently averaging about 5 million viewers, earning it “Strong Odds” of renewal from EW’s Lynette Rice and James Hibberd.]

If it does get picked up, it will be thanks largely in part to Wilson. While Adam Pally is the clear MVP on the show as Max, the gay friend who’s also a bit of bro, Wilson is the funniest female. Her single gal Penny is less shrill than Eliza Coupe’s Jane and far livelier than Elisha Cuthbert’s Alex.

There’s no question the writers are going to torture Penny with bad dates (a guy with the last name Hitler!) and boyfriends gone awry (drunken language barriers!) for quite some time, but that’s only because watching Wilson endure them is so much fun. Penny is no sad sack, though. Despite her semi-tragic love life, she can still hang with the guys, party with the girls, and if absolutely necessary, be your beard.

But Happy Endings isn’t the only place Wilson is showing off her comedic chops. She also has a reported movie gig in place alongside Lizzy Caplan and Adam Scott for the Adam McKay and Will Ferrell-produced Bachelorette (though producers for the feature say nothing is set in stone). Come to think of it, between this and Happy Endings, Wilson isn’t having the last laugh, she’s actually just getting started.

Do you think Casey Wilson is a standout on Happy Endings, too, PopWatchers? Let us know in the comments section below!

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