Season 1 of Happy Endings originally aired from April 13, 2011 to August 24, 2011 on Wednesdays on ABC. It received positive feedback from critics. The season contained 13 episodes.
Dave's fiance Alex suddenly leaves him at the altar the day of their wedding, putting their group of friends (Brad, Jane, Penny and Max) in an awkward position of having to choose sides. This also leads to disaster at Penny's birthday party the following week.
Dave has a one night stand with a girl he met at a bar. Feeling bad about just blowing her off, he decides to call her the next morning. But things go awry when he finds himself in a new relationship and the girl constantly smothers him. Meanwhile, Jane tries to help Alex find a new roommate, and Penny decides to find herself a more stereotypical "gay husband" to hang out with, after becoming tired of Max not being traditionally "gay enough" for her liking.
Jane convinces Brad to try and befriend a more sophisticated married couple. Max and Dave try to figure out why their stuff starts to disappear from their apartment, and Alex decides she is ready to start dating again after finding out Dave has been dating.
Max's parents (Alan Rachins and Caroline Aaron) come to visit and the gang tries to convince him to finally come out to them although he is afraid of how they would react. Penny meets the man of her dreams on a blind date, who she later finds out happens to have a rather infamous last name.
Brad's dad, who's in town for some medical exams, gets a clean bill of health from the doctor and proceeds to let loose much to Brad's discomfort. Penny who once studied in Italy is excited when she meets a gorgeous Italian guy. Problem is, he speaks no English and she finds she can only speak Italian when she's drunk.
Max doesn't act very grateful when Brad tries to hook him up with a guy from work and Penny has second thoughts after asking Jane along to her martial arts class. Dave misses his old digs as he adjusts to living with Max so he starts hanging out at Alex's place helping out with odd jobs.
The gang starts thinking about the coming "zombie apocalypse" after watching a horror movie, so Max and Jane compete to see who would survive if zombies did take over. For his response, Dave decides to quit his boring job and open a restaurant. Trying to keep up with her current boyfriend and his friends leaves Penny exhausted.
Now that Alex and Dave are no longer a couple, those his-and-hers tattoos don't seem like such a good idea anymore. Jane meddles when Max passes on what she considers the perfect guy and there are unexpected results when Brad takes on what he thinks is the world's worst waiter.
Dave's excited that the high school teacher who had a big influence on his life is in town. But when Penny goes on a date with Alan, she realizes he isn't quite what Dave thinks. Max organizes a protest against the coffee chain that has moved into the shop next to Alex's.
Alex's string of "girls' nights out" start to get on Penny's nerves; Max convinces Dave to track down and fight the man who ruined his wedding; Jane and Brad try to have a night out on the town.
Alex and Dave, determined to prove that they can co-exist in the same space, convince the rest of the gang to go to a Barefoot Pedaler concert, a band that was big in their college days. But things don't go as planned when members of Dave's old frat turn up and tell him they've seen the infamous wedding video; Jane gets progressively more drunk; Brad tries to avoid Alex and Dave's constant bickering; and Penny, who slept with a member of the band back in the day, is determined to go backstage.
Todd Linden, Steve Basilone, Annie Mebane & Sierra Teller Ornelas
Lee Shallat-Chemel
May 25, 2011
A sudden invitation to the wedding of old friend Shershow (T.J. Miller), a notorious slacker, brings unexpected consequences; Brad and Jane discover something shocking about their own marital status; a depressed Penny convinces Derrick (Stephen Guarino) to pose as her fiancé; and Shershow's fiancé (June Raphael) fears that Alex is the "wedding jinx".
Alex and Jane's sibling rivalry heats up; Dave makes a sex tape with a Lacrosse coach; Penny gets a new assistant at work. Alex and Jane's sibling rivalry heats up; Dave makes a sex tape with a Lacrosse coach; Penny gets a new assistant at work.
