ABC Slates Three-Hour Comedy Block for Midseason

BURBANK: ABC has scheduled the freshman comedies Mr. Sunshine, starring Matthew Perry, and Happy Endings to air on Wednesday nights, as part of a comedy block that will run for three hours starting in April.

The Middle leads off the Wednesday block at 8 p.m. starting February 9 through April 6. Better Together follows at 8:30 p.m., with Modern Family leading into the new series Mr. Sunshine. The 10 p.m. slot is filled by Off the Map. Starting April 13, Cougar Town returns in its regular 9:30 p.m. time slot, with newcomer Happy Endings taking over 10 p.m. following the run of Off the Map. The Emmy-winning Modern Family will air "Fan Favorite" episodes in the 10:30 p.m. slot.

Mr. Sunshine stars Perry, of Friends fame, as Ben Donovan, a self-involved manager of a sports arena, where curious mishaps and bizarre requests are the norm. Working alongside him is his boss and arena owner Crystal, played by Allison Janney of The West Wing, as well as the tomboyish marketing director Alice, played by Andrea Anders from Better Off Ted, who is also Ben’s "friend with benefits." The cast also includes James Leasure of Las Vegas as a former basketball player.

Happy Endings is a fresh take on modern friendship and looks at what one urban family will do to stay friends after the perfect couple who brought them together—Alex, played by Elisha Cuthbert of 24, and Dave, played by Zach Knighton of FlashForward—breaks up on their wedding day. The split forces all of them to question their life choices, including Alice’s sister, Jane, played by Eliza Coupe from Scrubs. Her husband Brad is played by Damon Wayans Jr. of The Underground.