On Friday, developments in Boston were so crazy and fast-moving that it was unclear throughout the day which, if any, network primetime shows would actually air that night. For a brief window, it looked like “Happy Endings” was going to air another of its Friday double-features, and I posted a sneak preview clip (embedded again at the top of this post), but of course all the networks wound up pre-empting their primetime schedules to focus on what had happened in Watertown.
With the “Happy Endings” finale tentatively scheduled for this coming Friday, it was unclear what would happen to those two episodes set for last week. For a few days, the episodes were available on Hulu, iTunes, etc., and it looked like ABC might just skip airing them altogether. Today, though, it was decided to just slide the scheduling a week. So last week’s episodes will now air this Friday at 8 & 8:30, and the season’s final two episodes will air at the same time on Friday, May 3. Because of this, the episodes are no longer available online (though if you already bought them off of iTunes, score.)
Two things to keep in mind with this move: First, later this week, you will want to make absolutely sure your DVRs are actually set to record these episodes. When a lot of Monday primetime shows were bumped by Hurricane Sandy coverage in the fall, everyone’s DVRs treated them as repeats when they actually aired the following week, and did not record them. Set a manual recording if need be, and ensure the same thing for the following week.
Second, because of all these complications, you will pretty much have to throw out the ratings for these episodes, and maybe for the finale. Though given how poorly the show has predictably done since moving to Friday, any renewal decision ABC might make wouldn’t be based on the Friday ratings, anyway; and if the rumors of USA acquiring the show are true (and take any such rumors this time of year with a grain of salt), then that decision also won’t be based on the ratings on Friday. If “Happy Endings” survives, it’ll be because one set of executives or another likes the show enough to keep it around in spite of the numbers.