HAPPYish

I'm not sure how this series would be perceived by young people, or by seniors, but as a middle-aged person, I feel like the topics covered in this series are dead-on.

Ignore the characters for a moment. If you focus just on them, you might see this series as a story of entitled people who have all they need (and more) but still feel unhappy. To me that's not the message at all. Through these characters the viewer is exploring a rather serious topic in our modern society. What makes us happy? Or perhaps more accurately, why are so many people unhappy? Anti-depressants are the most profitable pharmaceutical drug of this century. They don't really cure anything yet so many people are, or have been on them. Why? Are we all just a bunch of malcontents or is something really wrong here?

Statistics have shown that people in their 40's are the least happy demographic but that they find themselves again in their 50's. What changes in those few years? I believe it's that we go through a second rebellion. If we are smart, we concentrate on life, living, being with those we care about and caring less about how we look, and what other people think. Downscaling, shedding responsibilities, finding more time for leisurely pursuits and spending less time working or chasing a fleeting goal - these things are important.

We've all been sold a bill of good by our parents, schools, media and advertisers. Go to school, then college, fall in love, get married, buy a house, eat this, buy that, achieve success - and so on. Increasingly, people feel like this model of happiness doesn't fit for them.

Look around, people are quietly ditching our commercial culture for one that fits their real needs.

Despite persistent messages that consumption and conformity are the paths to happiness, many of us are increasingly learning that following our own path is what we really should be doing.

Great series. Very inspiring - but watch it with the attitude that much of what is depicted is metaphorical. It leaves the viewer to ponder what it is that they gave up to be just another cog in the machine.

And a side-note to the guy who said; "worst liberal self hating selfish ,me,me,me,me bull crap." This is not a story of liberals or conservatives. You have missed the point entirely. Depression and self-doubt do not favour any particular political persuasion. I suggest you re-watch without the political bias. Interpret Happyish in black and white and you'll miss the shades of grey in this, and in real life.

As a 50 something advertising copywriter I laughed and squirmed at the ad agency scenes, all so very true sadly.We've all seen 20 something creatives talking crap and getting away with it because the elder bosses are running scared in a digital world.

However aside from that the whole thing was a bit of a mish mash with the writer often putting speeches in the characters' mouths when they didn't gel with the character. A strong show runner would have deleted much of the script and tightened up the rest.No one seems to have dared confront the writer on anything.

I watched it all, to see how Thom would get on, but it was an uphill struggle against show off scriptwriting, ideas that should have been left on the cutting room floor and characters that were all universally unlikeable.

It seems that me and my wife are not alone in our thoughts and judgments about life these days :) I've been a director of advertising and PR for many years and when I became full of it I chose to be a videographer.

When I watching "Happyish" it is like meeting a good old friend. Together you can joke on any topic without any tolerance. You can be honest to each other and you feel mutual understanding. Every episode asking what is our life, what makes us happy or much more often unhappy? What is more important job or family? And why so many morons around? :)

I think the second name of "Happyish" should be "Wit works woe" or "The Mischief of Being Clever".

Great job done in scenario, acting, casting, shooting, lighting, props etc... I hope to see many seasons of this splendid story!

this is one of those shows, which i could see being easily misunderstood to the general public. to me the show is a satire of the ill-conceived notion of happiness we have advertised to us on a daily basis. and the writers do a wonderful job at portraying, and realistically making fun of, these little idiocies that are implanted within society today. the show shines a dimwitted light over the senseless actions and activities people take part of everyday, while also highlighting how advertising companies do whatever is necessary to direct you attention to the product. the actors do great at playing their rules, each character has their own set of emotions towards each problem, and you truly feel Thom Payne's (Steve Coogan) anger and dislike towards everything. the show was written great, and every actor in it is great, i just hope we get too see more it.

Excellent show! Great cast for the wittiest, life based comedy I've watched so far. It will sting, sometimes even hurt, to be confronted with some of the silliest things we all have to deal with in our lives, but if you are not a cynic it will make you laugh! Pertinent questions are asked and answered in this show. We've all stopped to think about the meaning of things and of life itself from time to time. This show is so brilliantly written that it will, most certainly, bring up that one question you keep asking yourself and your friends. It will deconstruct it and turn it into something laughable. It will make you Happy-ish!