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Happyish

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Happyish
Genre
Created byShalom Auslander
Written byShalom Auslander
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
Camera setupSingle camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesIn Cahoots
Showtime Networks
Original release
NetworkShowtime
ReleaseApril 5 (5-04) –
June 28, 2015 (2015-06-28)

Happyish (stylized as HAPPYish) is an American dark satirical comedy-drama television show created and written by Shalom Auslander and starring Steve Coogan, Kathryn Hahn, Bradley Whitford, Ellen Barkin and Hannah Hodson. Ken Kwapis helped develop the program and directed its pilot and three of the first season's episodes. It first aired on Showtime on April 5, 2015, as a sneak preview,[1] before its official premiere on April 26, 2015.[2] On July 24, 2015, Happyish was cancelled by Showtime due to low ratings.[3]

Synopsis

Thom Payne (Steve Coogan), a depressed middle-aged man, is confronted with new, younger bosses at the advertising firm at which he works. Thom's pursuit of happiness is seriously compromised and he finds he must content himself with feeling "happyish." His wife, Lee (Kathryn Hahn), is an artist who angrily struggles with balancing her work and motherhood.

Development and production

Shalom Auslander first pitched the show, then titled Pigs in Shit, to Showtime in fall 2011, and spent more than a year trying to get Philip Seymour Hoffman on board to play the lead character. Auslander has said that Hoffman expressed interest in the show from the start, but the casting was held up due to "endless lawyering." A pilot was shot with Hoffman in the lead role, but after his death on February 2, 2014, it appeared that the project would be discontinued. David Nevins, President of Showtime, came to Auslander in summer 2014, and broached the idea of finding a new star. Names including John C. Reilly, Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, Edward Norton, Woody Harrelson and Kevin Kline were considered until Steve Coogan signed on for the lead role in October 2014.[4]

Filming for the new pilot took place in Woodstock, New York from December 9–11, 2014. Part of the pilot was filmed at a house in the Byrdcliffe Art Colony, and additional locations were scouted in the neighborhood. Exterior shots were filmed at the "Welcome to Woodstock" sign on Route 212, Taco Juan's, the Golden Notebook, and at the Woodstock Library. After it was picked up to series by Showtime, filming was moved to New York City, but the crew returned to Woodstock around Christmas time to film the remaining exterior shots for the rest of the series.[5]

On January 12, 2015, Showtime announced the series pickup of Happyish, exactly one year after it was originally announced at a Television Critics Association session in 2014.[6] Showtime announced the series would premiere on April 26, 2015.[7] However, the series premiered as a sneak preview on April 5, 2015.[1] The series finale aired on June 28, 2015.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Starring Samuel Beckett, Albert Camus and Alois Alzheimer"Ken KwapisShalom AuslanderApril 5, 2015 (2015-04-05)0.430[8]
2"Starring Marc Chagall, Abuela and Adolf Hitler"Ken KwapisShalom AuslanderMay 3, 2015 (2015-05-03)0.237[9]
3"Starring Vladimir Nabokov, Hippocrates and God"Ken KwapisShalom AuslanderMay 10, 2015 (2015-05-10)0.208[10]
4"Starring Sigmund Freud, Charles Bukowski and Seven Billion Assholes"Gail MancusoShalom AuslanderMay 17, 2015 (2015-05-17)0.262[11]
5"Starring Josey Wales, Jesus Christ and The New York Times"Gail MancusoShalom AuslanderMay 24, 2015 (2015-05-24)0.343[12]
6"Starring Helen Keller, Moses and Lenny Bruce"Ken WhittinghamShalom AuslanderMay 31, 2015 (2015-05-31)0.250[13]
7"Starring David Ogilvy, Anton Chekhov and Gluten Enteropathy"Andrew McCarthyShalom AuslanderJune 7, 2015 (2015-06-07)0.229[14]
8"Starring Rene Descartes, Adweek and HRH The Princess of Arendelle"Ken WhittinghamShalom AuslanderJune 14, 2015 (2015-06-14)0.224[15]
9"Starring Mr. Mike, Joseph McCarthy and Alfred Bernhard Nobel"Jesse PeretzShalom AuslanderJune 21, 2015 (2015-06-21)0.197[16]
10"Starring Christopher Hitchens, Philip Larkin and Josef Stalin"Ken KwapisShalom AuslanderJune 28, 2015 (2015-06-28)0.261[17]

Reception

Happyish received mixed reviews. It has a score of 49 out of 100 based on 31 reviews on Metacritic.[18] Rotten Tomatoes gave the show a 30% 'rotten' rating based on 37 critic reviews, with the critical consensus "Instead of sly and shocking, Happyish comes off as shrill and self-satisfied, despite the efforts of its talented cast."[19]

References

  1. ^ a b Kondolojy, Amanda (March 27, 2015). "Showtime Offers a Sneak Preview of 'HAPPYish' After the Season Finale of 'Shameless' Sunday April 5". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  2. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (January 12, 2015). "'Happyish' Premieres on Showtime April 26". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  3. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 24, 2015). "'Happyish' Cancelled By Showtime After One Season". Deadline. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  4. ^ Rose, Lacey (April 22, 2015). "How Showtime's 'Happyish' Recovered After Philip Seymour Hoffman's Death". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  5. ^ Kemble, William (November 20, 2014). "New Showtime TV series to be shot partly in Woodstock". Daily Freeman News. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  6. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 16, 2014). "Showtime To Pick Up Drama 'The Affair', Philip Seymour Hoffman Comedy To Series". Deadline. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 12, 2015). "'Happyish' Picked Up To Series, 'Shameless' Renewed For Season 6". Deadline. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  8. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (April 7, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 25 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 4.5.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  9. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 5, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Sunday Cable Originals: 5.3.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  10. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 12, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 5.10.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 15, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  11. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 19, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 5.17.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 21, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  12. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 27, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 5.24.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  13. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 2, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 5.31.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  14. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 9, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 6.7.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  15. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 16, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 6.14.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  16. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 23, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 6.21.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  17. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 30, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 6.28.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  18. ^ "Happyish : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  19. ^ "Happyish: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
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