HAPPYish

HAPPYish is a captivating American comedy-drama television series masterfully created by critically acclaimed author and playwright Shalom Auslander. It was originally released by Showtime in 2015, consisting of a single, intriguing season with ten well-crafted episodes.

The series serves as a poignant, yet immensely hilarious, social commentary on the relentless pursuit of happiness in contemporary society, particularly in the hyper-competitive and fast-paced world of advertising. Its narrative subtly highlights the pervasive problem of artificially induced lifestyle ideals, propagated largely by the incessantly invasive advertising and media industries.

In the series, Steve Coogan, the British comedian and actor known for his sharp wit, charisma, and comedic timing, takes the helm as Thom Payne, a middle-aged veteran adman employed at a high-flying New York ad agency. Payne woke up one morning to find himself on his forty-fourth birthday, feeling overtaken by the ever-evolving digital age and a rapidly changing advertising industry.

Payne is caught in a corporate culture that worships youth and incessant innovation; his anxieties are further aggravated when his company is taken over by a couple of young wunderkinds from Sweden who are spouting new-age corporate lingo and aggressively promoting a digital-first approach. On the personal front, Thom juggles a complex relationship with his artist wife, Lee, played by the talented Kathryn Hahn, who has her struggles with notion of happiness and sense of purpose. Their life is also complicated by their offbeat son, Julius, who is described as being "quirky."

Payne's professional life becomes a rollercoaster of existential despair, filled with angst over his relevance or seeming lack thereof, and a constant struggle against the omnipresent ageism in the industry. All the while, he is grappling with personal issues that mirror societal expectations and norms, wrestling with glowing screens of various sizes, and intermittently consulting his hallucinatory 'guides', played by iconic figures like Keebler elves and Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver.

With its punchy dialogue, paradoxical situations, and hallucinatory scenes, HAPPYish paints a potentially bleak, yet undeniably humorous, landscape of modern life, offering a refreshingly different take on the concept of happiness as expressed by various sectors of society. It deftly unravels and questions the 'ideals' of a perfect life commonly portrayed in media and advertising and explores how these can be unrealistic, unsustainable, and even detrimental.

Further cementing its appeal is the seamless integration of strong supporting characters, brought alive by a stellar ensemble cast. Ellen Barkin features as Dani Kirschenbloom, a headhunter with a no-nonsense approach, while Bradley Whitford plays Jonathan Cooke, Thom’s boss and friend, seemingly at ease with his lifestyle. Each supporting character is well-rounded with their own quirks, desires, and fears, adding depth to the narrative as well as offering eclectic viewpoints on happiness and personal fulfilment.

HAPPYish is also noteworthy for its incorporation of satirical elements, absurdist humor, and social critique, all of which are neatly enveloped within a narrative that provides plenty of laugh-out-loud moments while focusing on relatable human experiences and emotions. Viewers will find themselves laughing, cringing, and reflecting as they witness the bittersweet struggles of Thom Payne and his bid to redefine happiness in his terms amidst a fast-moving, continually shifting landscape of life and work.

In a nutshell, HAPPYish is a dramatic comedy series that beautifully arranges life’s tragedies and comedies into a refreshing, honest, and sometimes uncomfortable, portrayal of midlife crisis, marital dynamics, workplace politics, and the vulnerabilities of living in a digital age. Showtime’s HAPPYish is a must-see for viewers seeking a thought-provoking series that does not shy away from the conversation of what happiness means in our current age and how we might just be chasing a superficial, contrived version of it.