ABC
Years from now, sitcom fans will still be stuck mourning the end of the cut-off-in-its-prime Happy Endings, the ABC series that ran for three glorious and brief (but not gloriously brief) seasons, the brainchild of creator David Caspe, a revolving door of solid directors (including Fred Savage, the Russo brothers and Beth McCarthy-Miller, among many others), and a seriously game cast. The series may have centered on a standard-sounding premise – a group of six friends live and love in Chicago, kicking off after one of them leaves another one at the altar on their wedding day (sort of like if Barry was part of the core cast of Friends) – but its outlandishly clever humor and believable beating heart set it apart.
It was good. It was really good. And you didn’t watch it, because ABC cancelled it.
But despite the loss of the show, many of its talents have journeyed elsewhere. Damon Wayans Jr. is back on New Girl, Adam Pally pops up just everywhere (and makes every project he touches better, just by virtue of his demented, high-pitched humor), and now Casey Wilson is about to embark on what just might be the natural progression of Happy Endings, a new sitcom that’s – yes! – also the work of Caspe.
NBC has ordered a new sitcom from the duo (who, adorably, are engaged to each other in real life) that looks to carry on the tradition of taking a seemingly silly (and way sitcom-y) premise and turning it into something genuinely special. Caspe and Seth Gordon (The Goldbergs) will serve as the show’s executive producers and creators, with Wilson and Ken Marino on board to star.
The Wrap reports that the show centeres on a couple who “bonded over their mutual love of nachos” and “have been inseparable ever since, according to NBC. As Jake (Marino) prepares to propose, Annie (Wilson) lets loose on him for his inability to commit. He decides to wait to propose until he can do it perfectly.” (Side note: nachos are delicious, but there’s also the sort of dumb-dumb meet-cute plot driver that other rom-coms earnestly pass off as an actual reason for romance, and we doubt that Marry Me will take such a crispy, tasty treat so seriously.) Entertainment Weekly clarifies that plotline a bit, however, sharing that “the story revolves around an inseparable longtime couple, Annie (Wilson) and Jake (Childrens Hospital‘s Ken Marino), who return from a two-week island vacation, and after a botched proposal plan, they decide to put off getting engaged until they can get it together.”
See? It’s about a happy ending that’s not even an ending just yet – kind of like Happy Endings (RIP, Happy Endings.)
The rest of the show’s cast is just as funny, and includes Sarah Wright, John Gemberling, Tymberlee Hill and Tim Meadows (an SNL alum, just like Wilson).
Wilson and Caspe have already proven their skills when it comes to taking classic situations and turning them into original (and very memorable) final products. Marino, who is best known for his film work, also has a background in TV shows that skewer expectations that should add quite nicely to the Marry Me mix. Look no further than Burning Love, Marino’s own send-up of reality dating shows (which, also adorably, he created alongside his own wife, Erica Oyama), for proof of that. Marry Me sounds like a solid marrying (sorry) of those sensibilities. And, fine, we’ll admit it – we’re just happy at the possibility of getting Wilson on our television every week, spouting off Caspe-penned witticisms.
There’s no word on when Marry Me will debut – we’ll go out on a limb here and say “fall” – but it’s already our most anticipated comedy title of the year. It sounds ah-mah-zing.
