ListNook

WintersDoomsday Apr 14, 2026 +267

One of the funniest shows of all time that no one watched for whatever reason. I adored it tremendously.

267

Lightningstruckagain Apr 14, 2026 +80

It got moved to a new time like every week. Impossible to find in pre streaming days. Hilarious show that deserved better.

80

rissaaah Apr 14, 2026 +40

They also aired the S1 episodes out of order.

40

j01101111sh Apr 15, 2026 +3

They're still on streaming out of order which is completely insane. Or at least they were when I watched it

3

Horror-Atmosphere-90 Apr 14, 2026 +13

I thought the commercials for it looked absolutely awful. I didn’t watch it in first-run at all, had no idea how hilarious it actually was until years later

13

BigRigGig35 Apr 15, 2026 +5

The writing was phenomenal. Max’s line of “I’m willing to work for, at minimum, league maximum because there’s no way you ge the max for min” is one of my favourite lines in any show

5

rkcus Apr 15, 2026 +3

Penny was was my favourite character on the show. Casey Wilson killed it!! Her speech at shershows wedding where she topples tonthe ground over the podium “ Im going down” kills me. I miss this show so much.

3

SarahArabic2 Apr 14, 2026 +3

this is my first time hearing about it

3

killshelter Apr 14, 2026 +336

She’s right, this show would’ve killed in the streaming era. I miss it dearly.

336

tore_a_bore_a Apr 14, 2026 +101

My favorite sitcom to rewatch on Hulu. So many jokes per minute

101

Bd_3 Apr 14, 2026 +19

I was surprised it never took off after finally getting on netflix a couple years ago.

19

Equal-Possession-316 Apr 14, 2026 +59

It really would’ve been a Schitt’s Creek, style slow-burn hit on Netflix or Hulu. Honestly, a simple “all seasons drop this Friday” campaign could still revive it.

59

Brock_Hard_Canuck Apr 15, 2026 +7

Better Off Ted, too. If there had been like 5 or 6 seasons available of that on Netflix, I would have binge-watched the shit out of it.

7

BetterNothingman Apr 14, 2026 +13

Hitching the wagon to Danny Masterson and Ashton Kutcher didn't help later on. That said, "The Girl Next Door" is still one of my favorites.

13

Sisiwakanamaru Apr 14, 2026 +65

I felt like "Happy Endings" unlocked the potential of Elisha Cuthbert in comedies, she's great on timing and physical comedies. I hope she'll do something like "Happy Endings" again in the future.

65

solman52 Apr 14, 2026 +60

Plus she can really go to town on some ribs.

60

topheavyhookjaws Apr 14, 2026 +12

But can she still be friends with her pig friends?

12

ItchyGoiter Apr 14, 2026 +30

The entire cast was a breath of fresh air and I'm surprised none of them have become bigger stars, especially Cuthbert as she at least had some name recognition at the time.

30

Horror-Atmosphere-90 Apr 14, 2026 +5

Everybody is my favorite but she might actually be my favorite

5

drugsbowed Apr 14, 2026 +13

The Girl Next Door was a pivotal moment in my teenage years.

13

MeatTornado25 Apr 14, 2026 +1

It would've gotten half as many episodes and still canceled after a couple seasons anyway.

1

canadian_xpress Apr 14, 2026 +195

Adam Pally was S Tier. Having him play a gay character who isn't camp but is instead a sloppy frat bro was so innovative to me.

195

papabeard88 Apr 16, 2026 +4

I love the episode where Penny is mad at him for not being a stereotype, and he's like "we already have an offensive stereotypical gay guy, it's you".

4

travio Apr 14, 2026 +260

The most successful of ABC's poorly named shows around that time with Selfie, Don't Trust the B, Cougar Town, Trophy Wife and probably a few more I forgot.

260

Zinfan1 Apr 14, 2026 +76

Wasn't on ABC but "New Girl" always seemed to fit alongside those shows.

76

zombie_rust Apr 14, 2026 +67

On a related note, Damon Wayans Jr. had left New Girl to be a part of Happy Endings and then came back to NG after HE ended.

67

lylastermind Apr 14, 2026 +52

They even worked it into the story with a line about how "he's off hanging out with another group of white people"

52

zombie_rust Apr 14, 2026 +7

Good call! I forgot about that line.

7

Sisiwakanamaru Apr 14, 2026 +38

New Girl felt spiritually an ABC show, which is interesting considering ABC Studios folded into 20th Television.

38

amoeba-tower Apr 14, 2026 +9

Between the camera work, lighting, and the zeitgeist capturing characters and plots, I really don't think it was spiritually ABC.

9

travio Apr 14, 2026 +14

Better than the original working title: Chicks and Dicks.

14

OldJames47 Apr 14, 2026 +53

Add “Better Off Ted” to that list.

53

ds0 Apr 14, 2026 +44

That and Don’t Trust the B turned into some of my favorites watching them. ABC was just making Fabergè omelettes and throwing away the shells.

44

UsefulCrab4181 Apr 14, 2026 +8

Agreed. Ted and the B were both just stacked with great casts and hilarious writing. Found them both later and they are on my “periodic rewatch” list.

8

Zebraitis Apr 14, 2026 +8

Don't trust the B was groundbreaking. Nothing else like it, before or after. Krysten Ritter excelled.

8

notmixedtogether Apr 14, 2026 +21

Better Off Ted was so dang good. It had me rolling constantly.

21

CrunkleStan Apr 14, 2026 +5

the episode where they’re required to swear still cracks me up, and the bloopers are great

5

Inaword_Slob Apr 14, 2026 +3

I'd like to add Life in Pieces too.

3

KimberlyWexlersFoot Apr 14, 2026 +4

Sounds like a breaking bad spinoff for Ted Beneke From the producers of Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul, we bring you Better off Ted.

4

Clithzbee Apr 14, 2026 +23

It's not more successful than Cougar Town is it?

23

Sisiwakanamaru Apr 14, 2026 +39

Cougar Town was saved by TBS, so I would say, Cougar Town is more successful than Happy Endings

39

Spazmer Apr 14, 2026 +14

I don't think it was ABC but The New Adventures of Old Christine fits too. Funny, but stupid name.

14

TheEgonaut Apr 14, 2026 +4

CBS, IIRC. And it had Coulson!

4

SassMattster Apr 14, 2026 +5

Cougar Town ran twice as many seasons as Happy Endings, it was definitely more successful

5

Snake_Plissken224 Apr 14, 2026 +10

Say what you will about the title, every once in a awhile theres a guy on the sublistnook asking where to get a rub and tug

10

wishyouwould Apr 14, 2026 +1

Stoplight, was that ABC?

1

MikeRowePeenis Apr 14, 2026 +1

I thought Cougar Town did really well?

1

zowietremendously Apr 14, 2026

Wipeout was a big hit.

0

double_positive Apr 14, 2026 +32

I watched it while it was on ABC. I loved it then. They changed the schedule time so much I lost track of it eventually. Great show and it's nostalgic because it was at an interesting time of my life too. And surprisingly the Russo Brothers (Marvel) directed and produced a few episodes from season 1.

32

Sisiwakanamaru Apr 14, 2026 +17

Also, Ludwig Göransson was the composer for the series, he also worked on New Girl and Community at that time.

17

someone_sometwo Apr 14, 2026 +3

Mando!

3

TheEgonaut Apr 14, 2026 +2

Black Panther too!

2

Throsty Apr 14, 2026

Bounced around more than Dolly Parton on a trampoline.

0

necksnotty Apr 14, 2026 +29

Brad and Jane were television’s greatest couple

29

beefytrout Apr 14, 2026 +12

**b****, it is 5:30 in the morning!**

12

Spoonacus Apr 17, 2026 +3

"B****! It is 5:30!" is a common expression in our house. It's like the successor to "It's 4:00 in the f****** morning!"

3

unsaltedbutter Apr 14, 2026 +8

Their condo was interesting too, I often tried to figure out the layout.

8

wer-erldturninggggg Apr 14, 2026 +133

Yeah this show slaps! Felt like Community meets Friends. Once they figured out how to make Dave and Alex properly funny characters instead of Ross and Rachel variations, the show hits a gear that most sitcoms wish they could hit. Such a shame it came out in the wrong era of television.

133

wishyouwould Apr 14, 2026 +14

"Community meets Friends" is such a great description.

14

CompetitiveProject4 Apr 14, 2026 +6

I’m guessing that’s why they got Happy Endings producers to take over Community season 4 It’s not as bad as people say, but it is definitely different and trying to find its footing

6

eldrunko Apr 14, 2026

This might be unpopular, but I don't like what they did with those two characters. Alex later was basically a moron, and Dave went from your regular Joe, to a progressively snobish and effeminate guy. It was weird. Love the show to death though.

0

shanesol Apr 14, 2026 +16

It veered every character into their most basic caricature form of themselves by season 3, hard agree. Love the show and I still binge it from time to time, but you can see the end

16

nuisible Apr 14, 2026 +13

Alex being a complete moron is my favorite part of the show.

13

TheAngush Apr 14, 2026 +7

Agreed. "I'm not as dumb as I am" remains my favourite line (and The Marry Prankster my favourite episode) of the series.

7

wer-erldturninggggg Apr 14, 2026 +10

Personally loved those changes. Two “straight” characters in a sitcom is at least 1 too many. Reminds me of Jeff and Britta in Community. Those characters also got infinitely more funny once the creator mixed things up. Particularly Britta, who went from the most boring to one of the funniest characters in the span of a few episodes.

10

BucketOfTruthiness Apr 14, 2026 +6

Jeff to Britta later on in the series "you seemed smarter than me when I met you."

6

ezikial2517 Apr 14, 2026 +8

I also loved the show, but thought they fumbled Dave & Alex, most egregiously in the 3rd season. It would have been a lot more interesting seeing Dave & Penny navigate a new relationship together rather than a repeat of the couple we saw break up in the opening minutes. It took so long to get Dave and Alex back to a functioning friendship, I really disliked the backslide they did.

8

PopeRaunchyIV Apr 14, 2026 +1

Harsh barley, bro...

1

eunoiared Apr 14, 2026 +37

“I wish my last name was a cookie" somehow is my favorite quote from her character.

37

Iliketacosandcats Apr 14, 2026 +36

I'll always be partial to "I'm not as dumb as I am"

36

Inside_Dimension2319 Apr 14, 2026 +17

“I read it in a book I heard.”

17

chumpette Apr 14, 2026 +7

Soh kewt

7

qawsedrf12 Apr 14, 2026 +14

My wife and I still reference getting drunk and eating ribs

14

coldpizza66 Apr 14, 2026 +5

may this type of love find me (and hopefully not run away from me with a dude in roller blades)

5

etang77 Apr 14, 2026 +12

Wow, 15 years already?!

12

WintersDoomsday Apr 14, 2026 +6

Yep cause it was ahead of its time it felt more recent.

6

coldpizza66 Apr 14, 2026 +13

This show is my Jessica Bin Laden, the one that got away I STILL think about it constantly and laugh alone at the jokes when they pop into my mind. The Barefoot Pedaler is one of the FUNNIEST episodes on TV. *"I already have it in my day planner: from 9pm until question mark - RAGE"*

13

Pergmanexe Apr 14, 2026 +12

As a young gay, this was an important show for me.

12

HankPanky69 Apr 14, 2026 +12

YEAR OF PENNY!

12

skidstud Apr 14, 2026 +27

Always blows my mind when an article gets published with a typo in the headline

27

CTeam19 Apr 14, 2026 +2

Same with Posts. Listnook used to downvote them into hell. I wish we still did.

2

Shabloinks Apr 14, 2026 +7

The table read and zoom episode was also funny as hell

7

WTWIV Apr 14, 2026 +7

*Cuthbert

7

SmarmyYardarm Apr 14, 2026 +25

The wife and I watched every episode when it aired, and whenever an actor from it is in anything else we’d say, “Hey, they were in that show.”

25

happymisery Apr 14, 2026 +2

yeah, happened every week in our house watching Magnum PI

2

Tofu92600 Apr 14, 2026 +45

This show has been my f4cking hill ever since it came out and was canceled. This was the new Friends, this deserved 10 seasons and a reunion. Instead How I met Your Mother got the spotlight and the cult following only to go on for too long and down the drain, fumbling its ending. Happy Endings deserved a better reception.

45

Arinoch Apr 14, 2026 +19

I’ve always said exactly that, “this should have been the new Friends.” Feels good to see someone else say it. Then I go back to being sad it’s gone.

19

maxative Apr 14, 2026 +9

I think it did poorly because people assumed it was a Friends knock-off and the pilot had such a different feel to the rest of the season.

9

smitty9112 Apr 15, 2026 +3

>instead how I met your mother got the spotlight How I met your mother had already been airing for more than half a decade and was already very popular by the time Happy Endings came out. I believe you are thinking of New Girl. It debuted the same year as Happy Endings.

3

rolltied Apr 14, 2026 +6

I still say whisker basket way more than one normally should because of this show. Damn shame it was cancelled way before its time.

6

Rambl3On Apr 14, 2026 +4

Such a fun little show that should’ve had a little bit longer run. All the actors were great!

4

Archamasse Apr 14, 2026 +5

I laughed so hard at Nochetussin I gave myself a headache.

5

Short-Royal-9490 Apr 15, 2026 +1

My friends and I call any cough syrup Nochetussin to this very day!!!

1

zowietremendously Apr 14, 2026 +5

I'm old enough to remember when Elisha Ann Cuthbert was on Popular Mechanics for Kids. She was also The Girl Next Door. And she was a foot model.

5

Gambit1138 Apr 14, 2026 +5

“Oh my gosh when I get drunk I speak Italian/I eat ribs” is just one of those scenes that’s burned into my memory

5

Muadibased Apr 14, 2026 +3

That whole micro-genre of late 00s/early 10s, single-camera network sitcoms had more than a few real gems. It's too bad that they came at a time before the ratings bottom fell out and they couldn't be sustainable on a network, and just before streaming came in. Happy Endings especially would've been perfect for current day Hulu, just banging out 8-10 episodes per year for 5-6 season.

3

LilSwampGod Apr 14, 2026 +2

I adore this show so much

2

FSafari Apr 14, 2026 +3

They fucked up the episode order on streaming too because they were aired in the wrong order and it’s still such a cult hit. It should have been way bigger, it was such a respectable successor to the 90s friend sitcoms

3

wishyouwould Apr 14, 2026 +2

Goddamnit I miss this show.

2

LiminalSapien Apr 14, 2026 +2

Man I had such a crush on alicia back in the day

2

MrPleiades Apr 14, 2026 +2

Ill never not be mad. Great show, taken too soon.

2

WickedDeviled Apr 14, 2026 +2

My hot take is this show was better than Friends and was criminally overlooked.

2

kaptain__katnip Apr 14, 2026 +2

Ahhh Happy Endings, or as my wife and I call it "bizarro New Girl." You can take any actor from that show and swap them with someone on New Girl, and neither show would be worse off... Everyone except Zachary Knighton. I swear he single handily killed that show. If you swap him with Jake Johnson, New Girl doesn't make it past season 2 and Happy Endings becomes a legit hit.

2

braumbles Apr 14, 2026 +2

On a scale of fur to scales I prefer scales.

2

MissKhary Apr 15, 2026 +2

I still think about that racist parrot.

2

Hot_Tadpole_6481 Apr 14, 2026 +4

She is so fine

4

Mother_Airline_6276 Apr 14, 2026 +1

Bruh. They misspelled her last name.

1

dorkimoe Apr 14, 2026 +1

Discovered it after it aired. One of my favorites. Perfect show

1

MischiefRatt Apr 14, 2026 +1

This was such a good show that I was never able to watch!

1

TyhmensAndSaperstein Apr 14, 2026 +1

She's a Stone Cold Fox.

1

Friendly_Fat_Guy Apr 15, 2026 +1

This show is such a hidden gem. I do feel like the name of the show makes people not take the recommendation to heart though especially considering how the show starts.

1

Stupidbloodfart2020 Apr 15, 2026 +1

The episode where Penny buys a car had me cackling. Anytime someone crashes through glass is hysterical!

1

Rosetti Apr 14, 2026 -4

After hearing so much hype about this show I finally watched it a few months ago, and honestly I'm not really that sure what the fuss was about? It's ok, but I'm not sure what people find so special about it? Edit: Are you guys seriously downvoting me just because I expressed that I'm not crazy about this show? I didn't even insult it.

-4

thealthor Apr 14, 2026 +3

I watched it when it was brand new and it was just OK at the time. It certainly wasn't anything exciting or groundbreaking compared to any other show, so not really sure why the one dude is trying to compare it to someone not watching the biggest medical drama of it's time.

3

ItchyGoiter Apr 14, 2026 +2

Because at the time it was more novel. "I finally watched ER, what's the fuss?"

2

Rosetti Apr 14, 2026 -2

How was it novel? I don't think your point about ER is really relevant and it's needlessly flippant. I didn't watch Seinfeld, New Girl, The Wire, or The Office until many years after their release and enjoyed all of those. It's not like Happy Endings was some kinda of Citizen Cane/Pulp Fiction of sitcoms that dramatically changed them forever ...Unless, you're telling me that is the case, I'm which case I'd love to hear your argument for it?

-2

ItchyGoiter Apr 14, 2026 +4

Nobody is claiming it's masterpiece. But it was unique and innovative for its time. You asked what made it special and that's the answer. A fast paced feel good ensemble sitcom without a laugh track, Chicago-focused, starting after 2 main characters broke up, sex-forward, had an interracial couple as main cast, not "office style" (vs "Modern Family" which shared a bunch of similarities otherwise and was much more popular). The chemistry between the cast was very good and storylines were fun. It was an updated version of Friends for the big city 20-40 singles crowd.

4

Rosetti Apr 14, 2026 +1

That's fair enough, and I appreciate you sharing your view. I'm not sure why I've been downvoted so heavily. I just personally wasn't crazy about the show, and I expressed that. I'm not saying it's garbage or anything, I just don't quite get the huge praise this show receives every time its mentioned on listnook.

1

ItchyGoiter Apr 14, 2026 +1

It scratched an itch for a lot of people in a certain demographic, now entering middle age, so there's a lot of nostalgia.

1

Everything You Wanted to Know About ABC's Happy Endings, According to Elisha Cuthert — For the cult sitcom’s 15th anniversary, one of its stars revisits some of her eccentric character’s most memorable moments.

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