The funniest show on TV? Quite possibly. 'Happy Endings' takes a handful of familiar ingredients and turns them into gold.

'Happy Endings' is what the kids these days call 'a hangout show': where for the most part the characters are just hanging around their apartment or local bar/coffee shop dealing with typical sitcom storylines. Even the front cover of the DVD makes it look like every other Friends clone, with 3 guys and girls smiling in ever so slightly different ways at the camera. However, the show differentiates itself quickly by being so damn funny.

The first episode opens with Dave (Zach Knighton) being ditched at the altar by his now-ex-fiancée Alex (Elisha Cuthbert, or Jack Bauer's daughter for you 24 fans). Fortunately, this standard framing device is only important for a few episodes before the show wisely moves away to churning out as many jokes as possible. The married couple, Brad and Jane, are played by Damon Wayans, Jr. and Eliza Coupe respectively. Their relationship is odd, honest and strong; the show never focuses on how 'refreshing' or 'modern' it is for laughs. And please don't be scared off by the name 'Wayans'.

Completing the gang are Penny (Casey Wilson) and, my personal favourite, Max (Adam Pally), who dated briefly in college before Max realised he was gay. Max is completely different from all other gay characters on TV but the show doesn't go overboard in pointing out how great that is. A brilliant storyline in an early episode involves Max introducing Penny to a stereotypically gay friend of his, after she complains about him not being 'the gay of her dreams'. There's a really great resolution to that episode that I won't spoil here.

'Happy Endings' is so funny because it puts laughs first and foremost. That's not to say the storylines aren't great, but the show packs in the most laughs a minute as it possibly can. This is definitely a show for repeated viewing to get all the jokes you missed while you were already laughing.