Robert and Michelle King’s crime thriller “Happy Face” has been canceled at Paramount+ after just one season, Variety has confirmed.
The news comes roughly two months after “Happy Face” wrapped Season 1 on May 1. The show tells the real story of Melissa Moore, who in 1995, learned that her father, Keith Hunter Jesperson, was the then-infamous Happy Face Killer. The series is based on the “Happy Face” podcast from iHeartPodcasts as well as Moore’s autobiography “Shattered Silence,” which was co-written by M. Bridget Cook.
In the eight-episode series, which premiered March 20, Melissa changes her name and distances herself from her father as an adult. Despite her best efforts, Keith, who is serving life in prison, tries to weasel his way back into her life. As she reconciles with her past, Melissa “discovers the impact her father had on his victims’ families and must face a reckoning of her own identity,” according to an official logline.
Annaleigh Ashford and Dennis Quaid star as Melissa and her criminal father Keith, respectively. Other cast members include James Wolk, Tamera Tomakili, Khiyla Aynne, Benjamin Mackey, Connor Paton and David Harewood.
The real Jesperson is currently serving life in prison in an Oregon penitentiary. He murdered at least eight women, and earned his nickname from drawing smiley faces on his letters to the authorities and media.
CBS studios produced “Happy Face” in association with iHeartPodcasts, King Size Productions and Semi-Formal Productions. Jennifer Cacicio served as showrunner and executive producer with Robert and Michelle King, Michael Showalter, Conal Byre, Melissa G. Moore, Will Pearson and Liz Glotzer. Jordana Mollick executive-produced the series and directed the first episode. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
From Variety US
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