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Season 1 – Happy Face

Play trailer 2:09 Poster for Season 1 – Happy Face 2025 Drama Biography Crime Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
57% Tomatometer 23 Reviews 41% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
The series follows Melissa and her incarcerated father, known as the Happy Face Killer. After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter's life.
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Happy Face — Season 1

Happy Face — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

Annaleigh Ashford and Dennis Quaid have a memorable dynamic in Happy Face, but tonal uncertainty keeps this true crime thriller from measuring up to the high bar set by creators Michelle and Robert King's previous work.

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Critics Reviews

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Benji Wilson Daily Telegraph (UK) Whatever else it is, Happy Face marks the moment where true-crime ate itself. Rated: 2/5 Mar 24, 2025 Full Review Lucy Mangan Guardian Although it becomes a little more consistent in the second half, Happy Face remains a weirdly soapy, at times saccharine, evocation of triumph over trauma. Rated: 2/5 Mar 22, 2025 Full Review Brian Tallerico RogerEbert.com While the social commentary can get a little tone-deaf and the family drama a tad bit manufactured, the writing maintains momentum through eight hours of television in a way that a lot of bloated modern shows fail to do. Mar 21, 2025 Full Review Matthew Creith Matinee With Matt "Happy Face" is an intriguing look at a serial killer's private life and the many, many people he's hurt within his own family. As Melissa meets with her father face-to-face in prison, the series evokes a "Silence of the Lambs" motif. Apr 2, 2025 Full Review Marty Brown Common Sense Media The series takes a unique spin on the formula, focusing on the collateral damage the serial killer causes within his own family. Mar 26, 2025 Full Review Tara Bennett Paste Magazine Despite a strong start, Happy Face suffers from the common problem of a story that would be better served as a movie rather than eight hours of extra long episodes. Rated: C Mar 24, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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RSC50 C I really had hoped this would be a good show based on the actors but how they modified for TV didn't work. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 05/04/25 Full Review Craig B Such a shame, the subject of a family member of a serial killer would be a fascinating subject for a series. Unfortunately, this series is not it. Wanders around forever but eventually settles on a crime that has zero to do with the subject matter. What a waste of the subject matter. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 05/01/25 Full Review Marie G I love this show! Can’t stop watching! Very intriguing Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/27/25 Full Review Danny R I wanted to like this but the characters are horrible. The husband is insufferable. No one cares about him and his job. He is selfish and dramatic. The granddaughter has a smooth brain and her storyline could just be wiped. I was dumb in high school, but not that dumb. The only good thing about this show is the music. They have some deep cuts! Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 04/27/25 Full Review Audience Member Is Ashford the daughter of a billionaire or entertainment conglomerate ceo. She starred on that bad sitcom b plus that was cancelled and now hasthis this "dramatic" role on another not good show Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 04/25/25 Full Review Zachariah S I’ve watched the first 6 episodes so far and I don’t think it’s bad, but sort of a missed opportunity. The main plot line is based off of a To Kill A Mockingbird sort of story that from what I gather is completely fictional. It’s interesting enough, but I’ve read that he had up to around 160 murders beyond the confirm ones. To me an interesting story would be how his claims vs truth around such claims compare as the main plot line if the writers wanted to get into a speculative sort of plot. Again, it’s not bad, but the fictional story they followed is a lot less interesting to me personally compared to what I’ve read about that took place in real life. The couple that confessed to one of his murders in real life comes to mind as something more interesting than the direction the writers went. Oh well, it’s not bad just doesn’t seem as good as I think it could have been. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/19/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Happy Face — Season 1

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Mar 20, 2025 The Confession Hazel receives a strange birthday card that ultimately forces her mother, Melissa, to face the dark truth of her past. Details Episode 2 Aired Mar 20, 2025 Killing Shame Melissa and Ivy travel to Texas to learn everything about Heather Richmond's murder; their discovery there pushes Melissa to step into the light. Details Episode 3 Aired Mar 27, 2025 Was It Worth It? Melissa navigates the highs and lows of going public with her story; the team questions Elijah's innocence as Keith gets thrown into solitary. Details Episode 4 Aired Apr 3, 2025 Controlled Burn Melissa reconnects with her brother and confronts her father, who finally offers a clue about the case; Hazel receives an unexpected invitation. Details Episode 5 Aired Apr 10, 2025 Don't Dream Melissa forms an unlikely alliance to recover missing key evidence; Elijah weighs a plea deal; Hazel begins a secret correspondence. Details Episode 6 Aired Apr 17, 2025 Lorelai Melissa and Ivy find unknown footage of Heather that changes everything; Elijah has his day in court; Ben gets bad news at work and worse news at home; Joyce's secret is revealed. Details Episode 7 Aired Apr 24, 2025 My Jesperson Girls Melissa faces a dark family secret that leads her back to Ash. Details Episode 8 Aired May 1, 2025 The Star Melissa solves the case; Keith suffers an attack; Ben faces consequences for his actions. Details

Season Info

Network
Paramount+
Genre
Drama, Biography, Crime
Original Language
English
Release Date
Mar 20, 2025