James R | On 05, Nov 2019

“I want him to love you as much as I love.” Those are the famous last words that begin the trailer for Netflix’s new festive series, Merry Happy Whatever.

The show follows Don Quinn (Dennis Quaid), a strong-willed patriarch from Philadelphia doing his best to balance the stress of the holidays with the demands of his close-knit but eclectic family — and his family doing their best to manage him. But when youngest daughter Emmy (Bridgit Mendler) arrives home from L.A. with a new boyfriend, struggling musician Matt (Brent Morin), Don’s belief that “there’s the Quinn way… and the wrong way” is put to the test.

From creator Tucker Cawley (Everybody Loves Raymond), Merry Happy Whatever sees Netflix expand from its growing library of seasonal movies into Christmas box sets, with this one arriving on 28th November – in time for a quick binge before the family descends for real in December.

Here’s the trailer:

 

Merry Happy Whatever: Season 1 is available on Netflix UK, as part of an £9.99 monthly subscription.

 

Dennis Quaid and Netflix wish you a Merry Happy Whatever

13th February 2019

Dennis Quaid is coming home to your living room this Christmas, with new Netflix series Merry Happy Whatever.

Quaid, who began to gain attention in the late 1970s for roles in such films as Breaking Away, before gaining public and critical acclaim for his role in 1983‘s The Right Stuff, has remained a consistent presence on the big and small screen. On the big, Quaid was most recently seen in Roadside Attraction’s faith-based film I Can Only Imagine, as well as in Universal’s A Dog’s Purpose. On the small, Quaid starred in Crackle’s auctioneering drama The Art of More as well as in the BAFTA-nominated Fortitude.

In Merry Happy Whatever, he will play Don Quinn, a strong-willed patriarch who must balance the demands of his complicated family with the stress of the Christmas season when his youngest daughter comes home for the holidays with a new boyfriend.

Quaid will serve as an executive producer on the series, alongside Tucker Cawley (Everybody Loves Raymond, A Million Little Things), who will be writer and show runner. The series is directed by Pamela Fryman (One Day at a Time, How I Met Your Mother).

The first eight-episode season of the show takes place over the week or so around December, but Quaid is for life, not for Christmas, and Netflix notes that potential future seasons of Merry Happy Whatever might explore other holidays.

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