The ABC comedy “Happy Endings†returns on Friday night after a two-month hiatus, with back-to-back episodes that may be the show’s last chance for salvation.
Last week, ABC released an ad that asked viewers to save “Happy Endings†from possible cancellation. Although there have been many “save our show†movements over the years, successful campaigns are few and far between and all of them were started by passionate fans, not the network that broadcasts the program in question. NBC’s “Chuck†was saved in part by a Subway sandwich campaign organized by fans. Viewers who watched “Jericho†on CBS sent peanuts to the network, which helped that drama stave off cancellation for another season.
The larger problem is that ABC seems to have no place for a struggling program like “Happy Endings†on its schedule.The show has averaged 3.5 million total viewers over the course of its third season and during that time, ABC has moved the show from Tuesday nights, to Sunday, back to Tuesday and now, to Friday. Even with the help of a DVR, that can be difficult to track.
Fans of “Happy Endings†in search of hope should perhaps look towards “Cougar Town,†another comedy with a dedicated following that began on ABC but, due to low ratings, moved to the cable channel TBS and gained a new lease on life. It had its premiere on TBS last January and has so far averaged 2.8 million total viewers each week, with 1.7 million adults falling between the ages of 18-to-49, the ratings category most important to advertisers. On Monday, TBS announced that it had already renewed “Cougar Town†for a second season on the channel, its fifth overall.
