Set to a chilling version of “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” by The Miracles, the trailer opens with Moore, played by Annaleigh Ashford, reckoning with her identity as the daughter of the Happy Face Killer on-stage during a Dr. Phil-like talk show. Flashes between her childhood and pictures of her father in prison show the conflicted nature of their relationship. She’s still haunted by his violent acts in her adult life, particularly after learning about the impact he had on the families of victims, and confronting it all is the only way she can keep the trauma from affecting those around her. Things get complicated, however, when they’re forced back together amid her race against time to determine whether an innocent man is about to be given the death penalty for a crime the Happy Face Killer committed. Everything in the teaser culminates in a tense face-to-face meeting that will likely confront the years of distance, emotion, and pain between them.
Happy Face pulls heavily from Moore’s autobiography Shattered Silence co-written by M. Bridget Cook and her Happy Face podcast recounting everything related to her father. She’s also since hosted the Life After Happy Face podcast that more directly covers the people connected to the killer or his victims and how they’ve managed in the years since his actions. The real-life Jesperson is still serving his sentence in an Oregon penitentiary after murdering eight women in the 1990s, but he claims his victims number over 100. His calling card that made him a household name was his communications with the police and the media with messages including small smile drawings. The series looks to be a must-watch for true-crime fans, dramatically exploring the father and daughter’s lives and all the lives upended by the former.
Who Else Is Involved in ‘Happy Face’?
Making up the supporting cast around Quaid and Ashford are James Wolk as Moore’s concerned husband, alongside Tamera Tomakili, Khiyla Aynne, Benjamin Mackey, and David Harewood. Jennifer Cacicio, who has experience writing for Shooter, Your Honor, and last year’s Sexy Beast prequel television series, steps in as the showrunner for Happy Face and executive produces with Moore, Robert and Michelle King, Liz Glotzer, Conal Byrne, Will Pearson, Michael Showalter, and Jordana Mollick. Showalter will also bring his experience from The Dropout behind the camera as he directed the first episode.
Happy Face will kick off its eight-episode season with two episodes on March 20, followed by more every week. Check out the first teaser in the player above.
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