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It was an interesting perspective from the vantage point of a serial killer's family member. There is a plethora of true crime serial killer shows out there but very little about being related to one of them and the impact that has. I don't feel that the storyline's intention was to depict the serial killer's story, it was about his actions and the impact that had on those closest to him. In that instance, the series delivered. Quaid does a wonderful job of bringing the narcissistic, manipulative mind of a killer to the viewer and keeps it suspenseful. The show did have a lot of peaks and valleys with regard to maintaining the viewer's interest. Annaleigh Ashford also does excellent work in her portrayal of Melissa. I feel that the story line doesn't dig deep enough into her character to allow it to fully develop. The remaining characters were rather pedestrian and underdeveloped as well. Maybe there will deeper insights into them in further seasons should there be any. One major observation I had that was not addressed in the show was Jesperson's stature. Keith Jesperson was a MASSIVE individual standing 6'8". I discovered this just prior to watching the series and couldn't help but feel how much more intense his character would have been portrayed had this been addressed. The show is good, it's worth watching. It left me wanting a bit more than I was given. Maybe that was the point.

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.

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!

This is more than a story of a serial killer and true crime. After watching the first two episodes, I'm drawn in and want to see how it plays out, not necessarily because of the plot or story line but more because I became invested in the characters' lives and emotions. What is probably most compelling is how I am drawn to the character of Melissa, whose father is the serial killer. We the audience see the flash backs, her experiences, and emotions as she is now dealing with her father's new confession on a 9th victim. In real life, Melissa has written a book about her experiences, which I have not read, nor did I know anything about this story, which means my review of the series is not biased. The acting and script is also decent, and I will keep watching.

The title pulled me in. The premise - a serial killer's daughter hiding her identity - had weight, tension, something dark and promising. And with Analeigh Ashford in the lead, I figured it had the bones to go somewhere. Episode 1 delivered. It leaned into the paranoia, the fear, the secrets.

Then the show took a wrong turn. The original premise faded, replaced by a routine detective drama padded with forgettable side characters and even more forgettable subplots. Melissa, once a compelling center, spirals into something shrill and exhausting. Her husband - a blank. Her daughter - unbearable.

But Dennis Quaid. He does something almost supernatural. As the serial killer - the actual murderer - he becomes the only one you want to watch. Charming, calm, and razor-sharp, he commands every scene with a twisted campy elegance. Somehow, he turns the monster into the magnet. You don't just understand him. You root for him.

It's a masterclass in subversion. The killer becomes the hero. Everyone else fades. And by the end, you realize the most dangerous man in the story is the only one worth following.

Great to see Dennis Quaid pull through with a creepy and hateable character.

The show is compelling and has got me well booked into where it's going to go

The hateable cast making dumb decisions details the otherwise interesting progression of the case, with the horrible performance by Annaleigh Ashford not doing any favours to my ability to watch more than 5 minutes without absolutely cringing.

Not 1 sentence, not 1 frame, not 1 expression is worthy of giving this woman the title of an "Actor". Absolutely drags the sub par performance of everyone else down with her...

Let's see where this goes...

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).

I watched without knowing anything about the real crime. It seems people are just low balling this because it's not an accurate documentary. I watched for what it is intended to be, thriller entertainment and I felt each episode made me want to watch the next. They go through so many people that could be the killer but you don't know until the end and that made it extra enticing for me. I felt the acting was good and the end of each episode made me want to start the next which is what you want from a good show. If you simply watch for a thrilling entertainment based on a serial killer I don't think you'll be disappointed. If you're a crime hound wanting a true to life documentary this is not for you.

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.

True crime afficionados celebrate! We all know who Melissa is. Such a brave and endearing woman. This drama series deffo captures that. And I just love Annaleigh Ashford and I'm thrilled that she's starring in this. You can also catch her a a co-star in "The Assassination of Gianni Versace" and "Impeachment: American True Crime Story." Her brilliant depiction of Paula Jones is memorizing.

I can't wait for episode 3 to air on March 27th

I noticed that the real Melissa is a producer on this series. Kuddos to her for overcoming an unimaginable past and turning it into something positive. I wish you only the best.

The series focuses less on the killer himself and more on the emotional wreckage his crimes have left behind for family members and victims. Annaleigh Ashford portrays Melissa with jittery vigilance, while Dennis Quaid triggers unease as the cold-eyed father with just a few glances.

The early episodes weave 1990s flashbacks together with a present-day investigation into an alleged new victim. Media frenzy, police work, and family trauma intersect, backed by a nervous score and high-contrast visuals that set warm home footage against chilly interrogation rooms.

Mid-season, however, the pacing sags. Sub-plots involving Melissa's daughter Hazel and journalist Ben feel stretched, as though the writers needed to pad out eight hours; episode 5 in particular bogs down in therapy sessions that rehash already familiar ground. Even so, the core question-does Jesperson really have another victim?-remains compelling enough to keep watching.

Strengths include the chemistry between Ashford and Quaid and the show's unflinching portrayal of violence's aftermath: no voyeuristic murder flashbacks, but rather nightmares, silence at the dinner table, and a podcast scene that neatly skewers the true-crime boom. Weaknesses are the uneven tempo, occasional tonal jolts between family drama and police procedural, and underdeveloped supporting characters.

All told, "Happy Face" delivers solid true-crime entertainment: atmospheric, thematically ambitious, yet occasionally sluggish. The plot maintains enough tension through the finale and resolves the central relationship convincingly without reinventing the genre.

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.

Not the first serial killer yarn that focuses more on the perp's family than on the perp himself--and likely not the last--but certainly a very good one. Annaleigh Ashford stars as a TV make-up artist whose father is in prison for a long-ago string of murders; when he reaches out to her unexpectedly via a birthday card to her daughter, she pays him a visit, opening up the proverbial can of worms and unleashing a tidal wave of unwanted publicity for herself and her family. "Happy Face" (which is based on a true story) is dark, grim, and altogether unsettling--Dad's matter-of-fact explanation of the best way to strangle defenseless young women (the type of victims he favored) comes to mind--with a pair of excellent performances in the leads: Ashford's, of course, as a haunted woman who thought she'd put the trauma of her past behind her for good (cast against type--she's long been getting laughs in Broadway comedies--she underplays it here to great dramatic effect), and--as her Dad--a bespectacled and quietly unnerving Dennis Quaid, who may look and act like the perfect father (especially in the occasional flashback sequence), but we know is anything but. The questions pile up quickly: what will become of Ashford and Quaid's horribly fractured relationship? How will her kids (there's also a little boy) ever be able to cope with the frightening knowledge that Grandpa is a psycho? And what about the murder that Ashford's character is investigating on her own, one that her Dad claims he never committed, but she is convinced he did? (An innocent man sits on Death Row for it, and she has to find proof of her father's involvement before time runs out.) Intriguing questions, all. Bottom line: "Happy Face" is a thriller well worth watching.

Happy Face, the 2025 true crime drama adapted from Melissa Moore's podcast and autobiography, delves into the chilling story of Melissa Jesperson-Moore, who discovers as a teenager that her father, Keith Hunter Jesperson, is the infamous "Happy Face Killer"

The series has sparked significant discussion, not only for its portrayal of a fractured father-daughter relationship but also for its nuanced depiction of societal and political dynamics, including the portrayal of right-wing Republicans.

One of the more intriguing aspects of Happy Face is its subtle yet pointed commentary on right-wing Republican ideologies. The series weaves in political undertones, using characters and settings to explore themes of power, control, and moral absolutism. While the show doesn't explicitly label characters as Republican, it uses archetypes and behaviors often associated with the far-right to critique certain societal attitudes. For instance, the portrayal of Keith Jesperson as a manipulative and self-righteous figure could be interpreted as a metaphor for unchecked authority and the dangers of rigid ideologies.

This layer of political commentary adds depth to the narrative, making it more than just a true crime drama.

Overall the story was intresting and based off a true story besides a few added details to make it flow better, it was a good watch and definitely intresting it just lost my attention at times when the story seemed to drift off. The pilot hooks you and despite it loosing my attention a few times its a short 8 episode shown that is definitely worth the watch Ive seen lots of critics on the "politics" of it but the truth is thats how our judicial system is and I actually like that they took time to shine light on this especially considering it was part of the true story that there was false suspects. The last 2 episodes wrap up the story pretty good and made it worth it to stick it through.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't know anything about the true crime it's based off, so perhaps that's an advantage. I was intrigued from start to finish. A lot of the moments made me empathise with the characters and it made me hope that they'd have a happy ending.

True, I did find Hazel frustrating and annoying, but that's teenagers for you. I do wish she listened more. And acted out less.

Dennis Quaid is brilliant in this role, and the more I watched the more I couldn't wait to see him again.

It's a good watch and I would definitely recommend it for casual or Binge watching. Give it a shot or don't. It's good for what it is.

I actually enjoyed this show, although I'm not entirely sure how true to life it really is. I don't know too much about this story, so I can't comment on that, but it seems interesting and exciting - although it must have been terrifying in real life! The acting leaves something to be desired, however it is worth a watch if you enjoy crime thrillers. I think they do a good job blanching drama with reality, even when it gets difficult to buy that this is a true documentary. Not saying it isn't true, I don't know, I'm just saying the writers know how to keep the audience invested. Because of that, I felt compelled to keep watching, and I'm glad I did.

I'm only on the fifth episodes, and I can't stop watching. I stayed up till almost 4am, not being able to hit the power off button on the Roku. I'm not sure why it has such a lower score than I expected. I would have thought this would have had a score of at least >=7.8. Maybe, it's due to Dennis Quaids wacky and ridiculous politics? Not sure. Between him and his brother, I get it. But, his son is amazing. And, absolutely phenomenal in Star Trek Lower Decks. Anna Ashborad and James Wolk are fantastic. Especially Anna. What a performance. I could name each actor, Tamara, Marci, etc., all the actors did a fantastic performance. The episodes were not slow and boring. There are some series I like, but I can turn off at the end of the episode and wait until the next night or the weekend to finish. But, I was unable to with this one. I had to binge-watch it over a three night period. If, I wasn't starting my own business, I would have stayed up all night watching it. Sure, the wacky Quaids with their wack politics and they support, well let's just call him who he is, the devils little fat spawn aka Trump. And, I'm over the Kings. Especially, what they did to the last season of Evil. But, there are so many people involved. And, it should be rated for the movie. Not someone's politics. And I'm rating it for the story, how it was told, and performance. And I give it a ten. Maybe, it will change once I finish it, and the end is one of those that kill the show. Or maybe the last few episodes where it's like Once Upon A Time when it was great until the last season, and the last season, for the most part sucked. But, up to episode 5, which I'm rating it on, it's phenomenal!

The story is in itself a GREAT story. The true story which is based on is just as deranged as the series are, so if you've done your research on the case, it really does a lot when you're watching each episode. It's a deranged story with so many subjects that are being touched, and ai have to give credit to the one who wrote the script. It's interesting, it's dark, it's sad, every once in a while you laugh and sometimes you find yourself thinking that things makes sense - before you snaps back to it and remember that it is a true story.

First, some bad review: Annaleigh Ashford (as Melissa Reed) puts on quite a poor performance. Even though she might be trying to portray an accurate depiction of Melissa Reed, her performance comes off as that of a soap opera. If it wasn't for her physical resemblance to her character, I'd say her role is well below average. It's really only the physical accuracy she brings that makes you "okay" with her being in the cast.

That being said, let's move on to the praise!: I have to give great credit to Dennis Quaide and his performance as Keith Jesperson. He takes on a truly difficult role portraying a very complex man. However he does so in a way that really makes you in some ways like him, but also fear him and be creeped out by him, all at the same time.

The other cast member I want to give credit to is the young actress Khiyla Aynne who plays the grand daughter Hazel. She shifts so well between how a teen is among their parents; defiant, childish, naive. But she also does a great job at putting on the role of how a teenager is when their parents aren't around - when they're trying to be grownups, the way they make their own decisions yet being to young to understand the real implications of their actions. It really is one of the better depictions of a teenager in- and outside of the home, among and without their parents.

It's worth watching, absolutely.

At first, I thought this show would explore the psychological damage a serial killer inflicts on their family and community. Instead, it devolves into a disjointed mess that forces awful plotlines onto irrelevant characters.

One commenter summed it up perfectly: this is a bait-and-switch show. The writing is atrocious, the characters are painfully cliché and unrealistic, and the tone often borders on soap opera melodrama.

Let me break down the characters:

The daughter of the serial killer floats through life without ever seeking counseling after discovering the truth about her father. Yet somehow, she suddenly develops an uncanny ability to solve crimes.

Her husband is the embodiment of nothing. He's portrayed as a career-obsessed man who supposedly cares about his family, particularly his wife, who has suffered for years under the shadow of her father's crimes. But in a pivotal moment-when his wife is breaking down during an interrogation-he just sits there, grinning like a clueless golden retriever.

The granddaughter is completely unaware of self-care, gets bullied, and then becomes fascinated with her serial killer grandfather. The last I saw, she wanted to sell paintings of him. Sorry, but 15-year-old girls aren't typically fanatical about serial killers-and if they are, responsible parents should intervene and get their child help.

Finally, the true crime podcasters and hosts are somehow worse than the killer himself-exploitative, emotionally manipulative, and circling the tragedy like vultures.

8.3 stars.

Happy Face delivers a thrilling tale of a serial killer and how his manipulations affect those around him, especially his daughter. That's my overall feeling.

Now to my observation of other people's reviews. I am profoundly surprised at the plethora of low ratings, and what I gleaned is that about half don't like the lead actress and the other half don't like how the story takes liberties with actual events. It's very loosely based on a true story, I'm told...I'll take their word for it. I rarely follow true crime, so the narrative feels like a suspenseful thriller that is fresh and does not fail to entertain. The lead actress is atrocious they say, okay, but I disagree. That's your opinion, but don't tell me a show is a sinking ship, abandon all hands, just because you don't approve of the protagonist. Rate the show based on the whole enchilada.

Fact is, I love the main actress, have really enjoyed her performances in multiple films and shows. She has a soulful vibe, a smoky and sweet mixture of pure femininity. Her acting is real, not contrived, just the opposite of what some interpret. It's understandable that people might get the wrong impression, she is a bit too authentic, tends to be a turn-off.

The daughter is exhausting, I agree, but she doesn't detract from the story. Her character is meant to parrot her grandfather just a little. I think that's the intent. Her performance is moderately good, her personality is simply that of a frustratingly awkward fifteen-year-old girl.

The husband is a bit wooden in his performance, but it doesn't deflate too much of my experience. He delivers a somewhat generic interpretation of a frazzled husband who is living in his wife's shadow; even though she adores him and doesn't steal any of his thunder, both as a father and husband. Let's not forget her father is a notorious serial killer. Furthermore, she is tirelessly working to exonerate a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for decades. She is a heroine.

Quaid is brilliant as always and I need not embellish his accolades any more than what I feel is an obligatory nod to his genius. Yes, he is the backbone of the dark side of this story, but he's only half of the mojo that fuels it. Without the good, the bad is just flat and meaningless.

The rest of the cast did wonderfully. It's quite an extensive cast with very colorful characters, each presented with depth and personality. The script is brilliant, the production value is top notch and everything is superb with smooth transitions and pacing. The delivery is flawless.

I watched the whole thing in a day. I would rate it higher, except for a lack of re-watchability-the law of diminishing returns. It's not the type of show to watch over and over.