“Happy Endings” charms Outfest crowd

I’m not an avid watcher of ABC’s Happy Endings but after watching an episode (never before aired) at Outfest Sunday and thoroughly laughing my head off during the panel that followed, I plan to become a regular viewer.

This show is a riot.

The show about the lives of six friends living in Chicago – including Adam Pally’s the gay character of Max Blum – was a candidate for cancellation early on but it is now a solid hit and will return for its third season this fall.

There was not a vacant seat inside the 600-seat DGA Theater as cast members Pally, Zachary Knighton (Dave), executive producers David Caspe and Jonathan Groff, and recurring guest star Stephen Guarino (Derrick) held court.

Pally joked that he was initially attracted to the role of eccentric slacker Max because it ‘was a job’ but then added that he considers the character to be ‘unbridled and rogue.’

‘I liked that he was a jokester and a prankster,’ he said. ‘I thought it would be fun. He can be insane and (his friends) accept him for that.’

As far as Max’s romantic life, it’s not known if James Wolk, who played his boyfriend, Max, for several episodes, will be returning anytime soon.

‘I’d like to find another relationship for Max to explore beyond Grant,’ Caspe said.

One gay character viewers may be seeing more of is that of Derrick, the gang’s extremely flamboyant stereotypically gay friend played by Guarino who married his boyfriend Eric at the end of last season.

‘I got gay married on the show and now we can get gay divorced,’ Guarino suggested. ‘I’m the old 90s way of seeing (the gay) community. When you guest star, you just have to jump in.’

Guarino joked that he landed his recurring role  because “I fucked all the writers on the show, that’s how I stay on the show.”

For his part, Pally has what he joked is his ‘dream storyline’ that includes the child of the recently-split Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes: ‘I have a pitch where Max goes on a quest with Suri Cruise – Max thinks he can save her and they go on a road trip.”

The second season of Happy Endings will be released on DVD on Oct. 2.