Cuthbert touts her ‘Happy Endings’
Not all ìromantic situation comediesî have to be bland, sappy, formulaic hunks of junk.
To be fair, Elisha Cuthbert did not use those exact words. But itís kind of what she was suggesting as she championed her new series Happy Endings, which debuts Wednesday, April 13 on ABC and Citytv.
ìIím used to seeing what you see – every other thing thatís out there,î Cuthbert said. ìBut there are some surprises here in the sense that the characters (in Happy Endings) go in different places. And the comedy is a lot edgier than I anticipated.
ìI really want people to hang in. We have to set up some stuff in the pilot, obviously. But episodes two, three, four, it just gets better and better.î
Cuthbert, of course, has been a well-known Canadian actor since she was a kid. She became a familiar face in the United States largely through her role on 24, where she played Kim Bauer, the daughter of Jack Bauer.
In Happy Endings, Cuthbert plays Alex, a young woman at a crossroads in her life who gets the plot rolling by leaving her longtime boyfriend Dave (Zachary Knighton) at the altar, literally.
This action causes great turmoil not only for Alex and Dave, but also for their close circle of friends: Jane (Eliza Coupe), Brad (Damon Wayans Jr.), Max (Adam Pally) and Penny (Casey Wilson). Does the gang have to choose sides now?
Okay, weíre all thinking the same thing: Six attractive young people, romantic entanglements, another Friends wannabe, blah blah blah. In the past few months several seemingly similar shows have tried and failed. No one wants another Perfect Couples on their hands.
But we will say this for Happy Endings: The ensemble cast definitely is stronger than the ensemble casts on most of those other shows.
And Cuthbert insisted Happy Endings is not achingly predictable, notwithstanding the laboured nature of the initial setup.
ìAs the episodes progress itís almost the opposite of what youíd expect, which is that the guy who was left at the altar would be in shambles and my character would be running the town,î Cuthbert said. ìYou would assume that if sheís the one leaving, she would want freedom. But youíll start to discover that her reasons for leaving are a little deeper.î
Cuthbert stopped herself there.
ìWell, as deep as you can get on a comedy,î she said with a laugh. ìWeíre not going to start sitting and crying about why I left the altar. You know, itís a sitcom, 22 minutes, letís go!î
Cuthbert said Happy Endings came along at a perfect time for her, as she was determined to tap into her funny side.
ìMaybe thatís why I wasnít as stressed out as others about an air date and a pickup,î Cuthbert said. ìIíd said to everyone, ëI want to do a comedy. This is my priority. And if Iím not filming this, Iím going off and living my life and not doing anything else.í
ìThis is new for me, too. Iím used to one-hour drama. But itís really interesting. Youíll be surprised.î
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