Copyright Screen Rant
While How I Met Your Mother is an excellent 2010s comedy, Happy Endings is a better sitcom from this decade. The ABC series begins with the canceled wedding of Dave Rose Jr. (Zachary Knighton) and Alex Kerkovich (Elisha Cuthbert) but quickly establishes itself as a memorable, smart, and funny story about long-term pals. Although How I Met Your Mother and its divisive finale are still discussed all the time, Happy Endings is unfortunately left out of many conversations about the best 2010s TV series. There's so much to enjoy about the three-season sitcom, and it's definitely time it got more recognition. Why Happy Endings Is Better Than How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother might get more acclaim, and it's often seen as a stronger show than Friends, but ultimately, Happy Endings is a more entertaining and well-crafted series because it has silly storylines that have aged well and doesn't have any boring episodes. Rather than wondering why Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) is so sexist and wishing that almost all of his storylines had been less problematic, we can tune into Happy Endings and enjoy good-natured characters who are having fun on their journeys. One of the best Happy Endings episodes is season 1, "Dave of the Dead," when the characters see a horror film and think about what it would be like if zombies were real. It's still humorous, over a decade after it aired in 2011. We can definitely imagine ourselves having that kind of conversation with our own friends. Each season has plenty of great storylines, like in season 3, when Jane Kerkovich-Williams (Elisha Coupe) shares that her birthday is Christmas, but she didn't want to tell anyone. That hits the same quirky note as Barney's "P.L.E.A.SE." job joke, and every episode has that same memorable humor. Happy Endings is also a more solid show because it follows the typical "friends hanging out in the big city" sitcom format without disappointing viewers. Since it doesn't have a premise that promises anything other than laughs and entertainment, we can enjoy the ride rather than feeling let down. The first time we watched Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) navigating the dating pool and trying to find his person, we were likely intrigued because we wanted to know who The Mother was. That's the draw of the show and its smart, unique narrative structure, after all. But a tough realization when rewatching HIMYM is how challenging it is to like Ted, which makes his quest for love feel less meaningful and interesting than it should. It also means that the finale has become one of the least beloved sitcom endings. It was understandably hard for a lot of fans to get on board with The Mother actually dying, and that can sour many people's feelings about the show in general. Why Happy Endings Is The Ultimate 2010s Friendship Sitcom Although Happy Endings was canceled after season 3 and therefore doesn't have a real series finale, it still feels more satisfying than How I Met Your Mother. And that's because it's a more compelling exploration of friendship than the more popular series. While we know Ted and his pals care about each other, it's possible to view the friendship plotlines as the weakest part of the show. Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan) arguably doesn't have a genuine bond with Ted or Barney, and it takes a while to feel like Lily and Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders) actually get along all that well. The Happy Endings group, on the other hand, clearly loves spending time together. And since Dave and Alex get back together only to split up in the season 3 finale, the show is less about the characters' quest for love and more about their long-term platonic relationships. Rather than Barney or Ted getting the others involved in their dating schemes, Dave, Alex, and their pals help each other through frustrating family dynamics and even get annoyed with each other. One of the funniest friendship storylines is in season 3's "Cazsh Dummy Spillionaires" when Penny Hartz (Casey Wilson) gets injured and Max Blum (Adam Pally) doesn't want her to get better because he likes the physical therapist she's working with. It's a sweet and realistic plot point, not a goofy or offensive one. Where You Can Watch Happy Endings We can stream Happy Endings on Hulu, and since there are only three seasons, it won't take that long to get through it. Although it has a lot in common with other sitcoms about friendships, Happy Endings has a light-hearted, quirky tone that makes its episodes particularly fun.
