Happy Face

It's not bad, but I think it tries to do a lot of things at once, and as result does not get particular good at any of them. There are multiple plotlines (which is fine, of course), and they do make sense considering the circumstances, but most of them feel quite shallow. And investigation bits are not that compelling.

On one hand, that's all understandable, since it's based on real life, and real life is not that "dramatic" most of the time, but this is a TV show, so some extra dramatization could be beneficial. As is it feels more like they had specific points in a plan, that needed to be checked off, and they did just that.

On the other hand, the show has moments when it tries to be almost like a "thriller", especially with some choices in music, and with some camera shots. As if there is some mystery, but there actually is no mystery at all. If the same tension was applied to the whole series, especially to parts related to relationships inside the family - it probably would have had more impact.

This is still a decent watch, though. Annaleigh was great, other actors were not far behind most of the times as well. "The Cranberries" in the soundtrack? And it is way more cohesive compared to "Good American Family", that started around the same time and is also based on true events.

This series starts with a promising concept and an engaging atmosphere. However, the overall experience is significantly undermined by the illogical and inconsistent behavior of the main characters - they often make decisions that feel forced or completely unreasonable. On top of that, the constant use of shaky hand-held camera work becomes genuinely irritating. It's not used to enhance realism or tension, but rather seems to be a stylistic choice that adds nothing and only distracts. These two major issues prevent the show from reaching its full potential, despite the good premise and decent acting.

The story of the Happy Face Killer was interesting enough without making up some BS.

While I know that most movies based on true stories embellish, I found watching the fictional side story and subsequent "investigation" distracting and I watched only 3 episodes before I just had had enough.

Merging characters and events for time constraints or to try to provide clarity I can understand, but making up the side quest out of whole cloth really detracted from the show, and really felt quite exploitative.

I'm pretty offended on behalf of the real victims and their families; this smacks of totally tone-deaf cashgrab.

The show itself is based on a true story but the story portrayed takes liberties to make it interesting. It's not meant to be a documentary. The "politics" people complain about is not a bad thing; rather it's to highlight the REAL injustices that happen across our beautiful country and it's also worth highlighting how corrupt our justice system can be, why complain? We simply cannot live in a bubble of our own making and then get mad others have different experiences. ANYWAYS, the show is a tad dry, there def should be more Quaid time.. who knew he was so good at acting maniacal! The characters are kind of cheesy, typical but also portrayed in a way that feels more natural for what humans go through in tough situations. The show sets you up to dislike the daughter, and yet empathy (which some of us still have) allows you to see how complex being his daughter was and still is, and that navigating life is never easy or obvious. Some people do not go to therapy despite trauma and that's another part worth noting too. Didn't even notice the pronoun thing, but I also don't let things bother me when they shouldn't. Show is overall worth watching, even if its not the best. The scenes are done well, the transitions are captivating, characters are solid enough and the story will keep you interested (just not the binge worthy type everyone seeks out).

Some actors I find a bit questionable and cringe but everytime Dennis is on the screen he nails his character and I even sometimes get chills. He does the creepiness and the quick change of emotions really well. You can tell he really took the time to prepare for his character. I think the actress playing Melissa can feel unserious and quirky at times but in a good way if that's the role she was meant to play.

Definitely give this show a chance - it feels alot lighter than other true crime series and i was hesitant at first but I'm glad I started the first episode and then after I was hooked!