Merry Happy Whatever: Few LOL moments in a Christmas sitcom

Dennis Quaid has appeared in a variety of films and TV shows in his distinguished career. The actor’s latest is Merry Happy Whatever, a sitcom television series on Netflix set in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

The series has been created by Tucker Cawley, who is famously well-known for writing episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond. The story unfolds in the middle of Christmas, which won’t astonish any Netflix subscriber who has been keeping an eye on the list of new offerings from the OTT platform.

Merry Happy Whatever wants to be a gut-busting sitcom, an achievable goal considering Cawley has conceived the idea. It misses the mark completely because most actors seem uninspired and most jokes don’t land. A series starring Quaid in good form could have been a lot more entertaining. Quaid plays Don Quinn, the patriarch of the Quinn family and a sheriff in Bucks County. Bridgit Mendler is Emmy, his youngest daughter who brings her boyfriend Matt (Brent Morin) home during the holidays. Matt, a member of the band The Monkey Diplomats, is a struggling musician in Los Angeles. He must impress Don, a deeply religious widower who is possessive about his daughter.

Don doesn’t drink alcohol, swears by Pepsi, and has an intimidating presence that scares most around him. He resents the fact that Emmy is dating a musician who hasn’t experienced professional success yet. Matt is scared of Don while attempting to seek his approval. Does Don endorse his daughter’s choice in the long run? Merry Happy Whatever tells this story in eight short episodes, with a bunch of other subplots also contributing to the big picture.

The characters in the Quinn family have their stories to share. Among them is Kayla (Ashley Tisdale), Don’s second daughter, who is coming to terms with her closeted sexuality. Todd (Adam Rose), Don’s timid Jewish son-in-law, is that one member of the family the patriarch mostly ignores. Sean (Hayes MacArthur), Don’s son, loses his job, which leads to financial instability for him and his family. Also, there is Nancy (Garcelle Beauvais), a nurse who treats Don’s scrape on his forehead and gradually becomes his love interest.

Quaid, an accomplished comic actor, makes an impact as the sheriff and a strict head of the family. Morin is efficient as Matt, the musician in love with Emmy who needs to get more serious about his career. Mendler as Emmy is strictly okay, while Adam Rose as Todd is the scene-stealer. The latter doesn’t have a big role, but his presence and mannerisms are enough to make the viewer smile.

Merry Happy Whatever has the basics in the right place. It would have been far more enjoyable had the writing delivered LOL punchlines from time to time. That hasn’t happened, which is a pity.