WARNING: Minor spoilers follow for WandaVision Episode 7, "Breaking the Fourth Wall," now streaming on Disney+.
Since its first episode, WandaVision has featured extensive homages to multiple sitcoms from throughout television history. In Wanda's sitcom reality, there have been full episodes devoted to classics I Love Lucy, Bewitched, The Brady Bunch, Fullhouse and Malcolm in the Middle, on top of featuring smaller nods to other television shows of each respective era. Now, with the Disney+ series' latest episode, WandaVision finally arrives in modern times, which allows it to reference some of the biggest sitcoms in recent years.
But on top of that, "Breaking the Fourth Wall" also includes a nod to a surprising, much lesser-known TV show: ABC's Happy Endings.
Premiering on ABC in 2011 and running for three seasons, Happy Endings starred Eliza Coupe, Elisha Cuthbert, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans Jr. and Casey Wilson as a group of six friends living in Chicago. A sort of modern take on the classic NBC sitcom Friends, Happy Endings was a hilarious series with a devoted, albeit small, following. While it was on the air, the series knew modest success, but it was never a smash hit. Now, of all the popular sitcoms that have been on television in the past decade, Happy Endings wouldn't exactly be at the top of the list -- and yet, WandaVision gave the series a very notable nod in "Breaking the Fourth Wall."
The latest episode of WandaVision starts with an opening credits sequence that features the name "Wanda" appearing on multiple title cards in rapid succession, only to end on the title of the series in a font that is clearly an homage to Modern Family. These opening credits have been compared to The Office, mostly due to the use of a similar theme song. However, the rapid succession of Wanda's name is all Happy Endings, as the sitcom's opening credits featured the same quick cut assembly of title cards featuring the word "Happy."
The Happy Endings nod may seem out of left field, but it's possible that it occurred because the ABC series and the Marvel Cinematic Universe share something in common. Brothers Joe and Anthony Russo served as producers and directors on Happy Endings, and, as many fans aware, the Russo Brothers would go on to direct some of the biggest films in the MCU, including Avengers: Endgame. So, even though the Russo Brothers' time in the MCU is over, their impact is still being felt.
Written by Jac Schaeffer and directed by Matt Shakman, WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as Vision, Randall Park as Agent Jimmy Woo, Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Kathryn Hahn as Agnes. New episodes air Fridays on Disney+.
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