Paramount+ Review: ‘Happy Face’ is a Standard Serial Killer Mystery Featuring a Strong Annaleigh Ashford

Parents don’t get to choose who their children are and who they become, and the reverse is also true. Someone can be molded positively by their upbringing or be extremely damaged as a result, and successful adults may lead a reliable and productive life in spite of their parents. Having a serial killer for a father is an extreme example, but that’s the premise of the series Happy Face, which is based on true events and uses its setup to craft a sprawling mystery with much to be gleaned along the way.

Melissa Reed (Annaleigh Ashford) has been living a quiet life without anyone knowing that she is the daughter of Keith Jesperson (Dennis Quaid), better known as the Happy Face Killer and who has been imprisoned for years. When he contacts her after a long period of silence, she realizes that, in order to help provide closure for the families of victims and save the life of an innocent man, Melissa, who works as a makeup artist on a talk show hosted by Dr. Greg (David Harewood), must reveal her identity and give her father just enough time with her to keep him talking.

This show is the latest in a long line of series following killers and the way in which they continue to haunt their victims – and terrorize the world – even after they have been put behind bars. Its basis on a true story helps create a framing device for a narrative that’s as much about the relationship between father and daughter as it is about Keith’s crimes. Melissa’s normal life is shattered as soon as she tells the world who her father is, and that decision creates a great deal of conflict with her husband Ben (James Wolk), who supports her but doesn’t appreciate the danger that her confession brings.

Ashford has been a regular TV presence lately, with successive roles in the comedy series B Positive, Impeachment: American Crime Story, and Welcome to Chippendales, the latter of which earned her an Emmy nomination. Each part gives her something new to work with, and this might be the most straightforward of those on paper, but it’s nice to see her respond by enhancing the role, tapping into the trauma Melissa has endured, the guilt she feels for not realizing who her father was sooner, and the anger she has at those who seek to judge her, not to mention the way her father continues to manipulate her.

Fresh off violently devouring a whole plate of shrimp while talking down to an aging female star in The Substance, Quaid shows he’s up for some more scenery-chewing, seen both in present-day jail visitations and flashbacks to his earlier crimes. While he often played the endearing hero earlier in his career, villainy seems to suit Quaid at this point, and his scenes with Ashford work particularly well, even if he’s sometimes over-the-top. He makes it easy to believe that this man so gleefully committed these crimes, and that any regret he now feels is centered only around a desire to be with his daughter and not an expression of remorse.

Happy Face certainly feels more grounded than other fare that prioritizes gore or suspense, and while there is a ticking clock that serves to put pressure on Melissa and those she works with to uncover the truth before someone dies as a result, it’s the kind of show that’s capable of taking its time to play out its entire story. It’s also not quite as grisly or disturbing as it could be given its subject matter. For those intrigued by the premise or eager to see Ashford or Quaid, this should deliver decently enough on expectations, probing deeper questions as it navigates a relatively straightforward plot.  

Series Rating: 6/10