Happy Town

HAPPY TOWN had no small amount of potential. The setting was great, the plot was fairly strong, or at least layered enough to create the solid beginning to a mystery, and there were some interesting, well played characters, specifically Same Neill and M.C. Gainey. Oh, and the guy who played Root Beer. Love him.

That's about it. The dialogue in this show is atrocious. I mean really, really bad. Just about everyone speaks in total clichés. Sometimes, in order to sound "mysterious" and "quirky" the writers will give someone a line so cryptic that it's just silly. Example: "Just call me Gazpacho. 'Cause I like my soup cold." Huh? I know the show was cancelled in midstream, but the ending is terrible. Obviously it would be impossible to wrap up multiple seasons worth of loose ends in a single episode, but there was in ton of extraneous garbage in the last episode that could have been spent on something worthwhile. Instead they chose to blindside the audience with a bizarre, unsatisfying ending.

In the end, HAPPY TOWN desperately tries to be unique and original, something in the vein of the excellent TWIN PEAKS, but succeeds only in being derivative and silly.

Still, I watched every episode and was then motivated enough to write a long winded review. So, if you like dark mystery shows with hints of comedy (even when it doesn't totally work), check it out. You'll be no more disappointed than if you just watched TWO AND A HALF MEN instead.

Every once in a while, a show comes along that promises to be a break from the norm - a show that makes you think and second guess your assumptions with each scene. Sometimes, these shows can be annoying because they tend to be plot less efforts at eye candy. But Happy Town wasn't one of them. It was one of the good ones - and ABC executives have decided in their infinite wisdom that shadows over the common man to pull the plug on this show.

This is why I don't trust the broadcast network hierarchy, and why I stick to satellite television reception. And it really doesn't matter which one you watch, either. ABC, NBC, and CBS all have the same mantra - premier a great show on a bad night, show two episodes, wait a few weeks until everyone forgets what happened, show a few more episodes, then cancel the show due to "bad ratings." Hello? What did you think was going to happen? Happy Town never had a chance. And it's a shame that good writing is wasted on the netherworld of broadcast stuffed-shirt politics.

Overly written dialogue, campy characters and multiple mysteries inhabit Haplin, Minnesota (where everyone has a secret, and a silly nickname.) Reminiscent of CBS's recent 'Harper's Island,' this plays as only the latest 'Lost'-inspired darkly-woven tale which may or may not include something supernatural.

'Twin Peaks' did this far better before it de-evolved into weirdness for the sake of weirdness. This one has trouble with its tongue-in-cheek humor simply because too much of it is spent trying to be funny.

It could easily improve, as many shows struggle in their early episodes. But it could fall prey to the same fate as 'Harper's Island.' A quick death from lack of sustainable viewers.

Saw a sneak peek at the pilot this evening. While the pilot is typically long and attempts to set up a story, it is slightly boring and overdone. The writers attempt to introduce you to every character in the town in a matter of 90 minutes. They give just enough information of the past crime that the viewers interest is peaked, however, the writers work too hard to make too many suspect. While the show has an interesting premiss, I am unsure how it will make an ongoing series. T.C. is by far the best character and carries the show. I understand a good mystery contains forshadowing and unknown facts, but with weird cuts the writers leave the audience with too many questions for a pilot. Lies are being spread as to characters whereabouts, mysterious alzheimers symptoms, creepy stalkers. The show has potential, but they are going to have to pick up the speed and start developing an ongoing story.

For those sad about the retirement of LOST and a hankering for some Twin Peaks-like action, Happy Town may fill that gap. It certainly doesn't hold anything back as far as serving its inspirations. It's a strange, humorous, and quirky affair with mysteries abound. The town has its own personality and one that is Lottery-esquire (in reference to the short story) and quite two faced. However, you'll know how interested you are in the series once they start to talk about The Magic Man and M.C. Gainey starts spouting off some weird mumbo jumbo that no one seems to be able to make sense of. You'll either take to the Twin Peak aspirations and obvious mysteries, or you'll want something much more grounded.

However, with genre shows having their peak at the moment, Happy Town may be worth sticking around for. The pilot is entertaining enough and the actors all do a fairly decent job of playing their respective parts. Hats off to Gainey and Sam Neill, both of whom stand out, with Gainey being a REAL Mr. Friendly here (with a seeming split in personality that I'm sure will be explained) and Sam pulling off being creepily British oh so well. For Sam alone and to see what they do with his character alone, it may be worth sticking around. As far as everything else, it's an ABC show with a slight Steven King, David Lynch twist (of which the creators stated was a huge inspiration for the show anyway). So, you can expect some gruesome details, although only two particular appeared in the pilot.

So, if you've got a soft spot for Twin Peaks and want something to get going with as LOST winds down, Happy Town may be your cup of Chamomile Tea, or whatever tea you prefer.