‘Happy Endings’ Team Talks Season 3 and Getting Turned Down by ’90s Singer Des’ree

While ABC is holding Happy Endings‘ unaired season two episode, “Kickball 2: The Kickening,” for some point during its upcoming run, a few hundred fans were able to catch an early screening on Sunday at Outfest.

Afterward, cast members Adam Pally, Zach Knighton and Stephen Guarino (Derrick) were joined by EPs David Caspe and Jonathan Groff joined The Hollywood Reporter on stage for a Q&A. And while conversation focused on the comedy’s atypical portrayal of gay characters and Guarino’s pitches for future Derrick storylines, they did address the immediate question of where the new season picks up with Alex (Elisha Cuthbert) and Dave (Knighton).

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“What we try do with the show is make sure that the relationships feel real, so it feels like Dave and Alex kind of need to reconnect again,” said Groff. “They never had that rebound. I don’t think that will go well.”

That romantic backslide will open the door for Penny (Casey Wilson) to pursue other options.

“We’re going to have Penny to actually try and have a relationship,” said Caspe, noting that Brian Austin Green is set to return as her Skype wedding date Chris — though he won’t be her new boyfriend.

“We’re breaking a story right now where Max [Pally] is not all that comfortable with Penny’s new boyfriend,” added Caspe.

Looking back at the recent finale, they also expanded on the recent story that Max’s Madonna cover band, Mandonna, almost didn’t get to perform “Like a Prayer” during the episode. [EW]

“It wasn’t that there was any problem with Madonna,” said Groff. “It was just this long process of finding who the right person was.”

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Backup cover band Sex Pants None the Richer never had to be used, but the showrunners did admit that Natalie Imbruglia‘s “Torn” wasn’t actually their first choice for Wilson’s duet with guest star Megan Mullally earlier in the season.

“‘You Gotta Be’ by Des’ree,” said Groff of the ’90s hit. “She has never supposedly licensed that song. Des’ree did not get back to us.”

“Natalie Imbruglia, on the other hand, drove by and picked up the check,” said Pally, joking. “She was not torn about getting paid.”