Article originally written for Seat42F.
Thomas Paine was one of our Founding Fathers who inspired
revolution against Great Britain. Thomas Payne was a bookseller and publisher,
not all the important in the grand scheme of things, but still remembered with
a small paragraph on Wikipedia. Thom Payne (Steve Coogan, Philomena) is a
little bit of both, an insignificant man who is becoming obsolete, but bristles
at the thought and really doesn’t want to let it happen. Showtime’s new half-hour
dramedy, HAPPYISH, is his story.
As HAPPYISH begins, Thom is turning 44, not old enough to be
an executive like his boss, Jonathan (Bradley Whitford, The West Wing, Trophy
Wife), nor is he young enough to be into the social media scene, like the young
Norwegians who just bought the advertising company Thom works for. The latter
would like to force him, in the nicest way possible, to adapt to their mindset,
but Thom just doesn’t want any of it. He’d rather write a book or rant about
how things used to be.
It seems likely that Thom’s story will ring rather familiar
to viewers of a certain age. Many people may keep themselves from flying off
the handle as Thom does, but it has to be frustrating to be asked to keep up
with a rapidly changing world on top of everything else going on in one’s life.
Thom is married with a young child; he doesn’t have time to be accustomed to
twitter, and justifiably thinking it is stupid, why should he? But that’s the
position he is in for his career, and one has to keep paddling or drown.
Thom’s home life doesn’t make things much easier. His wife,
Lee (Kathryn Hahn, Parks and Recreation), is loving, but not all that satisfied
with the way Thom’s ED pills and antidepressants interact, making them less
effective. His son, Julius (Sawyer Shipman, Adult Beginners), isn’t a bad kid,
but he’s young enough that he still needs a lot of attention from his parents.
Neither of them are obstacles per se, Thom glad to have them in his life, but
they certainly divide his attention.
Despite all of the misery, HAPPYISH is very enjoyable. Part
of that is the cast, which includes recurring players Carrie Preston (True
Blood), Andre Royo (The Wire), Molly Price (Third Watch), and co-star Ellen
Barkin (The New Normal). Hahn is absolutely fantastic, and the rest all make
the proceedings more fun. Thom may be unhappy, but those around him aren’t
always, and they are able to play off Thom’s broad actions well. It’s a really
good group of players.
Seeing Coogan play the role, it’s hard to imagine Philip
Seymour Hoffman as Thom, though Hoffman starred in the original pilot before
his death. Coogan, as he must, completely owns the role and uses his talents to
help shape the character. Coogan is a different type of actor than Hoffman was,
and while HAPPYISH might have been good without Coogan, it would be a different
show. I think this version is likely funnier. I’m glad, seeing the product,
that Showtime decided to move forward with this project even after losing its
star.
It’s funny that HAPPYISH premieres now, so soon after HBO’s
Togetherness ended its freshman run. I feel like the two shows share a lot of
DNA, having similar themes and quality. While Togetherness is more of an
ensemble and HAPPYISH has a stronger, more singular lead, both capture an authentic
spirit in a moment where they are especially relevant. I don’t know that both
are needed on the air, but I’d be hard pressed to say one should be cancelled
over the other.
HAPPYISH premieres Sunday, April 26th at 9:30
p.m. ET on Showtime.
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