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And Finally Artist News Business News Media
Future of Harry Styles sitcom in doubt
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 4 December 2018
The key to writing a good sitcom is to get the situation right before you start on the jokes. If people don’t buy into the situation, then the show is dead before the first gag. On an unrelated note, it looks like a comedy series loosely based on Harry Styles’ life might have been cancelled after just one series.
First unveiled earlier this year, ‘Happy Together’ is loosely based on a period early in Styles’ career post-‘X Factor’ when he moved in with TV producer Ben Winston and his wife. He only planned to stay with the couple for a few weeks, but he ended up being there closer to two years. “This would make a great sitcom”, they said of having a pop star lodger. A thing people regularly say incorrectly about their lives, although most people aren’t TV producers.
‘Happy Together’ began airing on US TV in October. But, according to The Sun, it has not been renewed for a second series, although no official statement has yet been made by broadcaster CBS.
A source told the newspaper: “CBS held a major announcement event last week and ‘Happy Together’ wasn’t included in the line-up for early next year – which was a real shock. They’ve confirmed that as yet they haven’t commissioned any new episodes beyond the initial thirteen part first run. It’s all looking very up in the air”.
The show stars Damon Wayans Jr and Amber Stevens as the married couple, with Felix Mallard playing the popstar who comes to live with them. Styles himself is credited as an Executive Producer, and the show was apparently heavily promoted in the States. However, reviews were far from glowing and ratings do not appear to have met expectations. The debut episode scored just under six million viewers, with audiences dropping to nearly four million by the middle of the series – although it has seen some increase since then. The ninth episode aired last night.
It is reportedly hoped that the show could still return again in 2019 in the same autumn slot it occupied this year, with a final decision on its future expected by May.
Now I come to think of it, ‘strange house guest disrupts an otherwise ordinary and stable life’ is a pretty well-established situation for comedy. And it has worked before. The other pitfall for a comedy series, I suppose, is if the jokes are all fucking dreadful. On an unrelated note, here’s the trailer for ‘Happy Together’:
