Can there be a happy ending for ABC’s comedy Happy Endings? The critically acclaimed, but low rated, sitcom ended its third season on Friday with a modest jump in its ratings, but still remains on the bubble for a fourth season renewal.
The comedy, which follows six friends in their late twenties, has spent its three seasons fighting for viewers and yearly renewals. While Happy Endings enjoyed modest success in its second season, airing on ABC’s strong Tuesday night comedy block, this season has seen the show moved to three different dates and times, finishing its run relegated to the no-man’s land of Friday night.
While the show’s producing team of David Caspe and Jonathan Groff has repeatedly expressed their belief that ABC believes in the show, the network has sent mixed messages this year with the repeated moves to new timeslots and an ad campaign asking fans to “Save Happy Endings” by watching the show in its Friday timeslot.
ABC has yet to announce its final list of renewals for next season, so there remains hope that Happy Endings will be granted a fourth season on the network. However, should the show receive the ax, reports indicate that cable network USA has expressed interest in picking the show up for a fourth season. USA is apparently looking to branch out beyond its current brand of programing and move into half hour comedies to complement its current slate of hour-long dramas. Taking on a known entity like Happy Endings would help to anchor any comedy line-up the network put together.
While the migration of Happy Endings to USA is only speculation until ABC makes an official decision, a move from network to cable has been successfully accomplished in the past, as Cougar Town, which was canceled by ABC, successfully made the move to TBS.
