Happy Endings premieres tonight (ABC, 9:30), and it’s the fifth Friends-esque romance-oriented comedy to debut this season. (NBC is still sitting on Love Bites and Friends with Benefits, though, so it may well hit lucky number seven before the fall.) Happy is the liveliest of the bunch — though compared to the already-canceled Perfect Couples, that’s not saying much — and it’s the only one attempting any kind of edginess. Still, these shows all have an awful lot in common, which becomes clear in our handy breakdown chart.
 Happy Endings |
 Better with You |
 Mad Love |
 Perfect Couples |
 Traffic Light |
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| Six Main Characters |  |
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| Jaded Married Couple Who Roll Eyes at Lovey-Dovey New Couple | |
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| Single, Caddish Guy Pal | |
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| Whipped Guy | |
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| Intense, Controlling Woman | |
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| Neurotic Single Gal | |
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| Discussion or Planning of Weddings | |
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| Ah, Parenthood | |
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| Ah, Siblinghood | |
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| Female Character With a Name Ending in "Y" or "IE" | Penny | Maddie | Connie | Amy | Callie |
| Male Character With Traditional, One-Syllable Name | Dave, Max, Brad | Ben, Joel | Ben | Dave, Vance, Rex | Mike |
| May As Well Be Filmed on the How I Met Your Mother Set | |
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| Nowhere Near As Good As Its Lead-in | |
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