Note: The series premiere of Happyish debuts Sunday on Showtime and is now available to watch on YouTube.
I wish I could say Happyish had anything "ish" about it -- funny-ish, clever-ish, insightful-ish. Unfortunately, Showtime's new comedy, starring Steve Coogan (Philomena), never quite attains any of those things. While the series certainly has room to grow and carve out its own niche, the premiere isn't very promising, despite a strong cast that also includes Kathryn Hahn (Parks and Recreation) and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing).
Perhaps the biggest problem with Happyish is that it so desperately wants to come off as daring and edgy -- ironic, considering the show revolves around a 44-year-old ad man, Thom Payne (Coogan), who faces pressure to rebrand himself after his agency hires a pair of hip, young Swedish creatives to expand the company. Although, that inciting incident doesn't even happen until 12 minutes into the pilot.
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I wish I could say Happyish had anything "ish" about it -- funny-ish, clever-ish, insightful-ish. Unfortunately, Showtime's new comedy, starring Steve Coogan (Philomena), never quite attains any of those things. While the series certainly has room to grow and carve out its own niche, the premiere isn't very promising, despite a strong cast that also includes Kathryn Hahn (Parks and Recreation) and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing).
Perhaps the biggest problem with Happyish is that it so desperately wants to come off as daring and edgy -- ironic, considering the show revolves around a 44-year-old ad man, Thom Payne (Coogan), who faces pressure to rebrand himself after his agency hires a pair of hip, young Swedish creatives to expand the company. Although, that inciting incident doesn't even happen until 12 minutes into the pilot.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...