ABC's 'Happy Endings': Came for the Gay, Stayed for the Funny

The main cast of Happy Endings (S)

Last summer, I found myself channel surfing one day, when I saw something weird. I had landed on a show called 'Happy Endings'. Generally I prefer to watch shows from beginning to end, so coming in on the middle of an episode, I wanted to move on quickly. I kept moving, but not before I was able to catch a minute or two of the show. In those short minutes, I saw something interesting: a man giving another man his number. This in itself wasn't particularly strange; gay characters are becoming more and more prominent on prime time television. What I found odd was that neither of them were wearing scarves, or sweater vests; neither of them had particularly effeminate voices or mannerisms; they weren't at all theatrical or peppy. These were just two guys. As I said, I moved on because I didn't want to come in mid-season or mid-episode, but as someone who's always wanted to see more diverse gay characters on TV, I made a mental note to check out the show later. And I'm glad I did, because I've come to enjoy both the show's humour and its depiction of gay characters.

For those of you who haven't heard of it, Happy Endings is an ABC sitcom about the lives of six friends in Chicago. In the pilot episode, a core couple of the group breaks up, and the initial premise is that the group is going to have to learn to deal with these new circumstances. It mainly just seems like a gimmick to try and ward off accusations of "Oh, it's just another Friends knockoff," but by the second season the show had gotten enough of a hold if its own characters and style to distinguish itself, so that aspect became less prominent. The premise itself - following the personal lives and misadventures of six friends in a major city - isn't exactly original, but the writing and characterisation are enough to set this show apart. The cast are all very talented, and their chemistry is both charming and hilarious. The lack of studio audience and quicker pacing make this show funnier than Friends, in my opinion, but there's another reason I enjoy it more than most sitcoms, and that has to do with its gay characters.

Max in full bear mode (S)

Max Blum, played by Adam Pally, is one of the three male leads in the series. In the group, he's the lazy and immature one; he loves food, movies, video games, and incidentally, men. I've seen plenty of gay characters on film and television, and I can honestly say that I haven't found any as relatable or entertaining to me as Max. His acerbically insulting sense of humour, his total lack of ambition or responsibility, the way he dislikes children despite being incredibly childish himself... okay, these aren't necessarily positive qualities, but the point is that they're all things I can relate to personally. I laugh at Max because he's a funny character, but also because I can see myself doing much of what he does. Until Max, I'd never felt so in touch with another gay person, real or fictional. As a so-called 'straight-acting gay', I don't see much of myself in most of the gay characters on TV. The Wills and Jacks, the Kurts and Blaines, the Mitchells and Cams – entertaining as they are, I just don't feel any connection to them beyond sharing an orientation. As such, I really appreciate when creators come up with characters like Max.

The issue of gay representation on TV comes up quite often, and many of us complain about only seeing one type of gay guy represented on screen. It's a legitimate complaint - nobody likes to be pigeonholed because of their orientation, or for any other reason. On the other hand, characters like Max that defy the stereotypes are often criticised for supposedly pandering to a heterosexual audience. Guys like Max are said to be 'unrealistic' or 'not gay enough' because they hang out with straight people and have 'straight interests'. Now, I may not have my biology degree yet, but I'm pretty sure they've never found a link between the "Musical Theatre Gene" and the "Likes Dudes Gene". The fact is, there are many, many types of gay people out there. Bears and twinks, femme and butch, and anything and everything in between. I mean, come on people, there's a reason our symbol is the rainbow. If we want accurate representation, we need diverse representation. We shouldn't have this one gay character mold, then stick it into every show and say "There, now we're represented." What we should have is a variety of well-rounded characters with identities beyond just their orientation. No one character is 'too gay' or 'not gay enough'. The fact is, some of us fall into the stereotypes. Some of us defy them. And some of us just throw them out the window. Individually, I don't complain about Kurts or Jacks or Camerons. The problem exists when there are no Maxes to balance them out.

I think a large part of the problem is a tendency we have to over-identify with characters just because they're gay. Being gay is a unique experience, and there's no way a straight person could fully understand it. When we see a gay character on TV, we instantly identify with them in a way we never could with a straight character. We put ourselves in their shoes. But when that character says or does things we wouldn't, we feel disconnected. We say "This guy doesn't represent us! That's not what we're like". I know, because that's exactly how I've felt about a number of gay TV characters. But I've come to realise that not all gay characters have to be like me - it's just nice when at least some of them are. Straight people don't have to identify with every straight character they see, and the same goes for us.

Penny finally gets a real gay husband in Derek (S)

This brings me to another reason Happy Endings stands out to me as a gay-friendly show. Max is the only gay lead on the show, but there are a number of recurring and supporting characters who are also gay, and they're all different. When Penny bemoans the fact that she doesn't have a 'real' gay friend, Max sets out to find her the most-over-the-top, offensively stereotypical "Sex-and-the-City gay" he can, and boy does he succeed. High-strung, energetic, theatrical, and stylish, Derek is basically the antithesis to Max. And I wasn't bothered by his character at all. Derek, played wonderfully by Stephen Guarino, is a really fun character, and I take no issue with him or men like him. It's just annoying that on some shows (*cough* Modern Family *cough*), that seems to be the only type of gay they can write. In another episode, Brad sets up his gay coworker with Max, not realising that they have nothing in common besides liking men. This prompts Max to declare Brad a "gaycist" for thinking all gay men are compatible partners. Not only does the show portray a variety of gay characters, but it also consciously uses Max as a lens to look at and challenge society's perceptions and expectations of gay men. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I think it's surprisingly mature for what is ostensibly just a lighthearted prime time comedy.

Another refreshing thing to see on this show is straight male characters who aren't afraid to show typically 'gay' or 'feminine' traits. For example, take Brad, who makes up half of the group's yuppie 'type A' couple. He is well-groomed, fashionable, and enjoys going to the spa. He likes beer, but he's also confessed that his smoothie budget is out of control ("Daddy don't do domestic papaya!"). He loves watching sports just as much as he loves watching The Bachelor with his wife. Then there's Dave, a romantic and a dreamer, and arguably the most sensitive and emotional member of the group. He's been shown crying, writing love songs, and virtually every shirt he owns is a V-neck. When Alex leaves him at the altar, Dave suffers an emotional breakdown on the level most writers reserve only for female characters who have been dumped.

It's also nice to see that Max's friends are comfortable with his orientation.  His love and sex lives have been made the focus of a few episodes, and in season 2 Max got both a big on-screen kiss and a serious on-screen relationship, with his friends showing nothing but support. But for me, one of the most heartening moments of the show came in its fourth episode, "Mein Coming Out", in which Max's parents come to visit and he asks Jane to be his beard. At one point, Brad and his wife Jane are conversing alone, after a conversation with Max in which Jane urged him to come out to his parents. Basically, Brad tells Jane that Max needs to come out to his parents on his own time, and his straight friends have no right to tell him otherwise. As someone who's been told to both come out sooner, and stay in the closet longer, Brad's realisation meant a lot to me, especially coming from a straight character.

Happy Endings isn't a perfect show. It began as a mid-season replacement, so the first season (or rather, half-season) can be a little hit-and-miss, and in the beginning the characters seem a little too mean. But I stuck it out, mostly because of Max. It really did grow on me, and after getting a shot at a full second season, I think it's really hit its stride. I also found it irritating when Max described things he doesn't like as 'gay' (although he seems to have dropped the habit in season 2). And, like most shows, it almost completely ignores most sexual minorities besides homosexual men. But for my money, Happy Endings is currently one of the most gay-friendly shows on mainstream network television. If you're interested in that sort of thing, or if you're just a fan of snappy, well-written ensemble comedies, I suggest checking it out.