Red Bluff Daily News - Select TV
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1055381
November 24 - 30, 2018 The Daily News and North Valley Community Papers 5 By Kyla Brewer TV Media W ith endless entertainment at the touch of a button and abundant convenience food op- tions available, many modern cou- ples sink into a life of relative com- fort and predictability. But being comfortable can be awfully boring, especially on TV. A couple gets a taste of the sweet life in a new comedy, and so far audiences are eating it up. Damon Wayans Jr. ("New Girl") stars as Jake Davis, a successful ac- countant who lives a comfortable suburban life with his wife, restau- rant and bar designer Claire (Amber Stevens West, "The Carmichael Show"), in "Happy Together," airing Monday, Nov. 26, on CBS. Their lives have been turned upside down by Jake's client, Cooper James (Felix Mallard, "Neighbours"), an Austra - lian pop star who moves in with the couple in the hopes of escaping the paparazzi after a public breakup. As Cooper settles in, Jake and Claire begin to realize they may not be the hip couple they used to be and worry that their lives have be- come mundane. Cooper's presence inspires them to explore their wild sides and get fit, but they soon dis- cover that not acting their age has consequences. In contrast, the pop star revels in the laid-back atmo- sphere of Jake and Claire's subur- ban home, where he can relax away from the glitz and glamor of his celebrity lifestyle. Admittedly, it's a far-fetched premise for a sitcom, but the idea was actually inspired by a true sto- ry. Singer Harry Styles ("Dunkirk," 2017) from the British pop group One Direction once lived in the attic of producer Ben Winston's ("The Late Late Show With James Cor- den") humble home in London for several months. "Happy Together" may have been inspired by Styles' time living with Winston and his family, but the executive producer has made it clear that the comedy isn't a true-to-life retelling of the experience. "Although Harry and I are pro- ducing this show together," Win- ston explained on Twitter in Au- gust, "it is simply loosely inspired by our living situation. NO charac- ter and NO stories are based on anything real." Styles wasn't attached to the show in the beginning, but he has since signed on as an executive producer, alongside Winston and show creators Tim McAuliffe ("The Office") and Austen Earl ("9JKL"). Michael Rotenberg ("King of the Hill") and Jonathan Berry ("Inse- cure") also serve as executive pro- ducers of the new CBS comedy. So far, ratings for the series have been modest but fairly steady, with more than four million loyal view- ers regularly tuning in. That's no small feat, given the competition. "Happy Together" has held its own against such series as ABC's ratings juggernaut "Dancing with the Stars," Fox's medical drama "The Resident" and NBC's reality TV hit "The Voice." With such an unlikely premise, the series was initially on shaky ground, but it has managed to find its footing since premiering in early October. Much of the show's ap- peal is thanks to the comedic chemistry between its three stars. Wayans, Stevens West and Mallard have been praised for their timing and delivery as the trio of house- mates. Both Wayans and Stevens West have been rising through the ranks of American television for years. Australian actor Mallard may be a fresh face to American view- ers, but in his homeland he's well known for his work on the Austra- lian soap opera "Neighbours." The show's supporting cast in- cludes Stephnie Weir ("MADtv") as Claire's mother, Bonnie, a re- tired doctor. Victor Williams ("The King of Queens") portrays Claire's father, Gerald, a role that was originally supposed to be played by Tim Meadows ("Satur- day Night Live"), who had to leave the project because of oth- er commitments. Gerald, too, is a retired doctor. Chris Parnell ("Sat- urday Night Live") co-stars as Cooper's agent, Wayne. So far, "Happy Together" is amassing an impressive list of guest stars with late night host James Corden appearing as himself in the show's pilot, along with Dis- ney darling Peyton List ("Jessie") as Cooper's ex-girlfriend, vapid ce- leb Sierra Quinn. TV veteran Damon Wayans ("In Living Color"), the re- al-life father of series star Wayans Jr., appeared in an October episode of the show as — you guessed it — Jake's father. It wasn't the first time the father- son duo has acted together. They have appeared together many times, most recently in Wayans Jr.'s previous series "Happy Endings." In an ew.com article, the younger Wayans joked about how he con- vinced his dad to guest star in his latest series. 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