Fans ABC’s cult favorite sitcom Happy Endings fell victim to a cruel April Fools’ joke on Wednesday after an old Twitter account made them believe the show was going to be revived.

Happy Endings Countdown Clock April Fools’ Joke

Happy Endings originally ran for three seasons on ABC, but was constantly in danger of being canceled until it finally got the axe in 2013. Back in February, the Twitter account of the Happy Endings writers’ room, @happywrites, shared a link to a countdown clock with the message “It’s almost a new day.” The clock expired on April 1, and no other information on its meaning was given.

While some fans were skeptical, many were hopeful that the countdown clock was simply counting down until an announcement of a revival of the show.

On Wednesday, the countdown clock finally stopped, and nothing happened. No announcement of a possible Happy Endings reunion or revival. The person responsible for the @happywrites Twitter account confirmed that the entire thing had been a hoax and apologized to fans who felt hurt after being given false hope.

David Caspe Explains Countdown Clock

According to Happy Endings creator David Caspe, the elaborate prank was executed by a writer or assistant who still had access to the Twitter account. Caspe confirmed that the prank was started without his knowledge, and he wanted to tell the fans that the countdown clock wasn’t leading up to a reunion when it originated, but then decided to let it play out because all of the fan support for the idea actually made a reunion a possibility for the networks.

“It took on a life of its own to the point that actually there was some interest in finding a place to do a few more episodes or an hourlong special. So then I couldn’t comment because I wasn’t allowed to say anything yet,” Caspe said.

Now that the countdown clock has expired, Caspe said he felt he had to speak out and clear up any rumors. However, fans shouldn’t lose hope entirely, as both Caspe and the cast are all willing to return to the show should it return.

“I don’t want to keep people hanging on, so I have to say something. Happy Endings remains canceled for now. Hopefully one day we’ll be able to do an hourlong or a couple stand-alone episodes, and I’ve talked to the cast about even just doing a five-minute cold open,” Caspe said.

Caspe apologized to the fans, adding, “I want to apologize to anyone who is annoyed. It was just a writers’ room bit that kind of got away from them. I realized that this could piss off a lot of fans, and our hardcore fans and critics are all we’ve ever had… But I also have to say that it was really awesome to see how much love there was for the show. We didn’t really think anyone was watching anymore. It was great to see that someone was.”

While there may not be any concrete plans for a Happy Endings revival, fans of the show can still see all their favorite cast members, as all of them have gone on to star in other television projects. Casey Wilson currently stars in Caspe’s new series, Marry Me and Eliza Coupe starred in USA’s short-lived Benched. Meanwhile, Adam Pally recently ended his co-starring role on The Mindy Project and Damon Wayans Jr. is preparing to leave New Girl. Finally, Elisha Cuthbert’s new NBC comedy, One Big Happy, premiered a few weeks ago and Zachary Knighton’s FOX show, Weird Loners, premiered on Tuesday.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.