Happyish

:

Season 1
  • Network: SHOWTIME
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 26, 2015
User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 39 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 39
  3. Negative: 8 out of 39
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User Reviews

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  1. blazhennyi
    May 4, 2015
    9
    This show is of a piece with Transparent and Togetherness & Married - Self-aware middle class/mid-life existential crises ricocheting through family/friendships. The fantasy-fulfilment sequences are surprisingly good and the inspired casting of Coogan - I can't help but imagine this was a stroke of luck as Hoffman's presence would have overwhelmed- is a pleasant surprise. The 'profanity'This show is of a piece with Transparent and Togetherness & Married - Self-aware middle class/mid-life existential crises ricocheting through family/friendships. The fantasy-fulfilment sequences are surprisingly good and the inspired casting of Coogan - I can't help but imagine this was a stroke of luck as Hoffman's presence would have overwhelmed- is a pleasant surprise. The 'profanity' may jar in the American ear, but from my view, the humor is savvy and does not resort to toilet humor as implied by other reviews.… Expand
  2. Mike_M
    Apr 28, 2015
    8
    Two episodes in, it's a promising show. It's chock full of satire and insanity.
    It's too harsh for most people, which is where the low reviews are coming from.

    It's ballsy enough to have a main character who excessively hates certain aspects of culture and thinks he's above it all while he works for a major ad firm.
    You don't have to agree with everything he rants about to like the show.
  3. momus
    Jun 9, 2015
    8
    Happyish is not for everyone. At times it is pseudo-intellectual , cynical, and has that disillusioned arrogance towards the world one associates from a second semester college freshman. That being said a show like Happyish is needed on cable. It is witty, in your face cathartic fun that everyone needs. The existential crises that mark the shows center are not that of heady philosophyHappyish is not for everyone. At times it is pseudo-intellectual , cynical, and has that disillusioned arrogance towards the world one associates from a second semester college freshman. That being said a show like Happyish is needed on cable. It is witty, in your face cathartic fun that everyone needs. The existential crises that mark the shows center are not that of heady philosophy classes but those of commuting workers who have those moments in which nothing else is occupying them and thus are forced to face what life at such an age is. This show has yet to really find its pace but if it does, and tones back the eye rolling, it has potential to go the distance.… Expand
  4. msaluja
    Sep 13, 2015
    10
    Bring this show back! This is one of the wittiest shows that hit at the heart of anyone. You can relate to the characters and the acting is suberb! Please bring this show back, I am shocked that is gone after one season when it blows most shows away.
  5. BogKid
    Apr 27, 2015
    3
    I'm as liberal as the next guy. I'm certainly not a prude, but whoever wrote this show must have kept by his side the American Dictionary of Curses and Profanities. Sure everybody throws one into the conversation now and then. I sure do, but the profane (can't think of a better word) comments came so thick and fast in the opening kitchen scene that it became ridiculous and, oh yes,I'm as liberal as the next guy. I'm certainly not a prude, but whoever wrote this show must have kept by his side the American Dictionary of Curses and Profanities. Sure everybody throws one into the conversation now and then. I sure do, but the profane (can't think of a better word) comments came so thick and fast in the opening kitchen scene that it became ridiculous and, oh yes, damned annoying.

    The writer is trying to surprise you by telling you that life under the white collar is not so great. In fact the best you can probably hope for is "Happy-ish". Creativity only exists under age 25. After age 40 your brain is dead anyway. The show is negative, negative, negative. It is also a good argument (if it were really true) to never cross the Hudson River into that urban asylum of hopelessness. I really did not like this show. I told my DVR to f--- "Happy-ness".    … Expand
  6. cindysandiego
    Jun 1, 2015
    1
    I didn't even get through the first episode. One guy referred to another guy's young kid as an **** which the father agreed with. Then two couples were graphically describing and critiquing another woman's (not present) vagina. Hilarity ensued. This scene was arguably misogynistic and definitely rude. I'm guessing the writers think they're being modern and edgy? Yuck.
  7. Knighthawk81
    Apr 27, 2015
    3
    Sometimes you have an idea, you're working on a project and something goes wrong. "Happyish" was a pilot that was filmed and ready to go, starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, when he died. Showtime kept the show alive and re-worked the pilot, this time with Steve Coogan. The problem is the end result feels forced. It feels uneven, and there's a question about what the end goal is. I can'tSometimes you have an idea, you're working on a project and something goes wrong. "Happyish" was a pilot that was filmed and ready to go, starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, when he died. Showtime kept the show alive and re-worked the pilot, this time with Steve Coogan. The problem is the end result feels forced. It feels uneven, and there's a question about what the end goal is. I can't help but wonder if I would feel differently about this pilot with its original cast and crew. As it is, it's hard to see this show lasting.… Expand
  8. rachiebabie
    Jul 11, 2016
    3
    In Happyish we follow protagonist Thomas Pain who is a depressing character that is mildly interesting. I know that Philip Seymour Hoffman was supposed to star in this series and I think he would have executed this character differently. He has a nuance about him or maybe it was just Hoffman's face that made him likeable and I think that likeability factor is important when you're playingIn Happyish we follow protagonist Thomas Pain who is a depressing character that is mildly interesting. I know that Philip Seymour Hoffman was supposed to star in this series and I think he would have executed this character differently. He has a nuance about him or maybe it was just Hoffman's face that made him likeable and I think that likeability factor is important when you're playing a depressed/hopeless character because it makes the audience root for you instead of being indifferent, which is sadly how I felt about Thomas Pain. This show was trying too hard to be funny. I really did not enjoy the voice over as it seemed overly written and contrived. Although, I didn't find the pilot entertaining or redeeming in anyway to continue watching the series, I was left with one thought that is worth contemplating...can happyness be attained by applying the "fake it till you make it" attitude? The optimist in me wants to scream "yes."… Expand
  9. Kaleeshi
    Nov 6, 2015
    10
    Brilliant and beyond the Freshman attitude with sharp dialogue, laying bare the nothingness
    of post post modernism and the loss of historic consciousness. Too bad the the overuse of
    the F word. It does not need it moreover that overuse draws attention away. Pensive silence at
    times would make a much stronger point. Yet, this show is the best out there in terms of helping
    critical awareness.
  10. Ekhart
    Apr 23, 2019
    1
    A litany of negativity and the cringy philosophy of a lost 40-something who has nothing but vitriol for the new digital society. Comes off as very immature, trying to impress the viewer with its constant edginess. The worst part however is the constant narcissism. The MC swears and throws tantrums to get attention at any moment. I really wonder what the creator's intention was, because atA litany of negativity and the cringy philosophy of a lost 40-something who has nothing but vitriol for the new digital society. Comes off as very immature, trying to impress the viewer with its constant edginess. The worst part however is the constant narcissism. The MC swears and throws tantrums to get attention at any moment. I really wonder what the creator's intention was, because at best it shows comically disgusting humans we should all be afraid to become. Absolutely no redeeming qualities. An epithet of self-loathing and hatred to the completely caricatured young.… Expand
  11. Biology1
    Sep 27, 2020
    8
    Refreshing to watch a sitcom without canned laughter or predicatable puns. This isn't trying to make every other second a rib tickler, rather it is the kind of comedy that allows for reflection not just escapism.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
49

Mixed or average reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 31
  3. Negative: 5 out of 31
  1. Newark Star-Ledger
    Reviewed by: Vicki Hyman
    Apr 27, 2015
    42
    Hoffman was replaced by the talented British comic actor Steve Coogan, and I can't fault his performance. I can fault Auslander for writing Thom as a sanctimonious, pedantic, needling, incessantly outraged man of privilege and then expecting us to care about him.
    Read full review
  2. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    Apr 27, 2015
    50
    After three episodes, my head is bumping against my joy ceiling--with Happyish.
    Read full review
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mary McNamara
    Apr 27, 2015
    40
    The show is very much about Thom and his "struggles," which are far too often presented in a series of high-decibel, gratuitously profane diatribes about the habits of others without benefit of anything remotely resembling personal perspective.
    Read full review
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