Ellen DeGeneres (C) at the Mark Twain Prize ceremony in Washington, October 22, 2012 (Photo : REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
"One Big Happy" is a new comedy series from NBC produced by TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres starring Elisha Cuthbert as Lizzy, a lesbian living with her straight male best friend.
Cuthbert was known for her roles from "24," "Happy Endings," and "The Girl Next Door". In the pilot episode of "One Big Happy," viewers find out that Lizzy and Luke (Nick Zano) have been best friends for a while. He was the first to embrace her when she came out, and he has known she is a lesbian even before she realized it.
Lizzy and Luke decided to have a baby together, and all is well. Until Luke falls madly in love with Prudence (Kelly Brook). Luke and Prudence got married in Vegas in a matter of days. Lizzy protested.
Luke did not know Lizzy is already carrying his child when he married the soon-to-be deported British Prudence. Ultimately, Luke has to decide: Does he pick the mother of his child, or his new wife? He picked Lizzy.
After cooling down, Lizzy realized she wants Luke to be happy. She ran off to the airport, got down on one knee, and asked Prudence to be a branch in her family tree with Luke. Prudence accepted.
The pilot episode of "One Big Happy" aired Mar. 17 on NBC. The sitcom shows a lot of promise, but it could use less clichéd jokes. Much more is expected from series creator and pilot writer Liz Feldman, former writer on "Ellen" and part of the popular "Funny or Die" website. Feldman is also a part of "2 Broke Girls" behind the scenes.
Thus, those who enjoy "2 Broke Girls" may also like "One Big Happy." Both comedies are bound to share an audience although the plotlines vary greatly. At its core, however, both shows are about quirky relationships founded on friendly banter spiced up by snappy, snarky exchanges.
