Happy Face is an American crime drama television series. It was adapted from the 2018 podcast Happy Face by Melissa Moore, and her 2009 autobiography Shattered Silence, co-written with M. Bridget Cook. The series stars Annaleigh Ashford, James Wolk, Tamera Tomakili, Khiyla Aynne, Benjamin Mackey, and Dennis Quaid.
The series premiered on Paramount+ on March 20, 2025. In July 2025, the series was canceled after one season.
Contents
Cast and characters
Main
Annaleigh Ashford as Melissa Reed, Keith's daughter and makeup artist on The Dr. Greg Show
James Wolk as Ben Reed, Melissa's husband
Tamera Tomakili as Ivy Campbell, a producer on the show and Melissa's friend
Khiyla Aynne as Hazel Reed, Melissa and Ben's 15-year-old daughter
Benjamin Mackey as Max Reed, Melissa and Ben's 9-year-old son
Dennis Quaid as Keith Hunter Jesperson, the Happy Face killer
Recurring
Kathleen Duborg as June Jesperson, Melissa's mother and Keith's ex-wife
Jennifer Spence as Renee
Charles Zuckermann as Bassett, a correctional officer
David Harewood as Dr. Greg, host of the daytime health and talk show, The Dr. Greg Show
Patrick Gilmore as Cody O'Neill
Michael O'Neill as Craig Calloway, a district attorney
Connor Paton as Tyler
Marci T. House as Joyce
Teach Grant as Ashton McBride, the son of Keith's final victim Louise Nelson
River Codack as Josh
Zara Nikou Sichani as Victoria
Ava Telek as Summer
Guest
Zabryna Guevara as Gabriela
Eric Keenleyside as Carl O'Neill
Momona Tamada as Eva, Hazel's best friend and a true crime fanatic
Damon Gupton as Elijah, a convict on death row in Texas for a 1995 murder
Philip Ettinger as Shane Jesperson, a firefighter, Keith's son, and Melissa's older brother
Chanelle Harquail-Ivsak as Adele
Ted Cole as Eddie
Jenn Lyon as Gillian, Keith's pen pal/girlfriend
Paul McGillion as William
Kyle Rideout as Brendan
Philip Granger as Chave
Sandy Sidhu as Dr. Wendy Chin
Patricia Drake as Alice
Jonathan Whitesell as Nico
Production
In September 2020, it was reported that Jennifer Cacicio, Robert and Michelle King were developing for CBS All Access a series based on Melissa Moore's true-crime podcast Happy Face, and her autobiography Shattered Silence, co-written with M. Bridget Cook. Moore is the daughter of Keith Hunter Jesperson, the Happy Face killer.
In October 2021, Paramount+ greenlit the series written by Jennifer Cacicio and produced by CBS Studios in association with King Size Productions, iHeartPodcasts and Semi-Formal Productions. Michael Showalter also served as an executive producer and directed the first episode.
In February 2024, Dennis Quaid signed on to play the Happy Face killer and Annaleigh Ashford to play his daughter Melissa Moore. The following month, James Wolk and Tamera Tomakili were cast to play Melissa's husband and Ivy, respectively. David Harewood signed on to play Dr. Greg, star of the fictional daytime health and talk show The Dr. Greg Show.
Principal photography took place in Vancouver between March 19 and June 19, 2024. Some scenes were shot in May at New Westminster City Hall, in place of Texas.
On July 21, 2025, the series was canceled after one season.
Release
The first two episodes of Happy Face premiered on March 20, 2025, on Paramount+ with the remaining episodes of the eight-episode season released weekly.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 57% of 23 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "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." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 55 out of 100, based on 13 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
