Happy Face | |
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Genre | |
Inspired by |
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Developed by |
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Showrunner | Jennifer Cacicio |
Written by | Jennifer Cacicio |
Starring | |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Production location | Canada |
Production companies | |
Original release | |
Network | Paramount+ |
Happy Face is an upcoming American true crime drama television series. It is an adaptation of the iHeartPodcasts 2018 true-crime podcast Happy Face by Melissa Moore, and her 2009 autobiography Shattered Silence, co-written with M. Bridget Cook.
It stars Dennis Quaid in the titular role, alongside Annaleigh Ashford, James Wolk and David Harewood. It is set to stream globally on Paramount+ on March 20, 2025.
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by [3] | Original release date [4] |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | TBA | Michael Showalter [5] | Jennifer Cacicio | March 20, 2025 |
2 | TBA | TBA | Andrew Gettens & Lauren Mackenzie | March 20, 2025 |
3 | TBA | TBA | Adam Toltzis & Sal Calleros | March 27, 2025 |
4 | TBA | TBA | Sarah Beckett | April 3, 2025 |
5 | TBA | TBA | Erica Saleh & Inda Craig-Galván | April 10, 2025 |
6 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Andrew Gettens & Lauren Mackenzie Teleplay by : Bam Johnson | April 17, 2025 |
7 | TBA | TBA | Tiffany Ezuma & Brandi Nicole Payne | April 24, 2025 |
8 | TBA | TBA | Jennifer Cacicio | May 1, 2025 |
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. [6]
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. [7] Michael Showalter also executive produced and directed the first episode. [8]
In February 2024, Dennis Quaid signed on to play the Happy Face killer and Annaleigh Ashford to play his daughter Melissa Moore. [8] The following month, James Wolk and Tamera Tomakili were cast to play Melissa's husband and Ivy, respectively. [9] [10] David Harewood signed on to play Dr. Greg, star of the fictional daytime health and talk show, The Dr. Greg Show. [1]
Principal photography took place in Vancouver between March 19, 2024 and June 19. [11] [1] Some scenes were shot in May at New Westminster City Hall, in place of Texas. [12]
Happy Face is set to be released with eight episodes globally on March 20, 2025 with two episodes, with weekly drops thereafter on Paramount+ through Paramount Global Content Distribution. [8] [5]
Dennis William Quaid is an American actor. He is known for his starring roles in Breaking Away (1979), The Right Stuff (1983), The Big Easy (1986), Innerspace (1987), Great Balls of Fire! (1989), Dragonheart (1996), The Parent Trap (1998), Frequency (2000), The Rookie (2002), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), In Good Company (2004), Flight of the Phoenix (2004), Yours, Mine & Ours (2005), and Vantage Point (2008). Quaid received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his role in Far from Heaven (2002). In 2009, The Guardian named him one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.
Michael Showalter is an American director, writer, and producer. He first achieved recognition as a cast member on MTV's The State, which aired from 1993 to 1995. He and David Wain created the Wet Hot American Summer franchise, with Showalter co-writing and starring in Wet Hot American Summer (2001), and the Netflix series. Showalter wrote and directed The Baxter (2005), in which he starred with Michelle Williams, Justin Theroux, and Elizabeth Banks. Both films featured many of his co-stars from The State, and so do several of his other projects. Showalter is also a co-creator, co-producer, actor, and writer for the TV series Search Party. He directed the 2017 film The Big Sick and the 2021 film The Eyes of Tammy Faye, both of which were critically acclaimed.
Keith Hunter Jesperson is a Canadian-American serial killer who murdered at least eight women in the United States during the early 1990s. He was known as the Happy Face Killer because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. Many of Jesperson's victims were sex workers and transients who had no connection to him. Strangulation was his preferred method of murdering, the same method he often used to kill animals as a child.
Annaleigh Ashford is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her early roles on Broadway include in the musicals Wicked (2007), Legally Blonde (2007), and Hair (2010). She received the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for playing Essie Carmichael in You Can't Take It With You (2014–2015). Her other Tony-nominated roles include Lauren in Kinky Boots (2013) and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2023). She also starred in the Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George (2017).
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