- Network: Paramount+
- Series Premiere Date: Mar 20, 2025
Critic Reviews
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The performances of Ashford and Quaid, and the wry tone of Happy Face are what makes us want to keep watching.
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It stands on its own two feet as a drama and tells a grisly story without exploiting the victims or making the viewer feel cheapened or complicit merely by the act of watching.
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Not everything works, but Happy Face is a largely intriguing and intense show. The suspense alone is enough to keep watching.
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Even though Happy Face's initial tonal and dialogue weaknesses contribute to it falling just short of its potential, its comprehensive message — living with intricate wounds, elevating the scum of the earth while abandoning the victims, America's profoundly flawed justice system, and the racist incarceration system — slices through the noise loud and clear.
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Happy Face's first season is involving enough to make it worth seeing through to the end, but the novel setup starts to feel a bit gimmicky as Keith's role in the mystery becomes clearer. Though the season ends with the door open for future installments, the possibilities seem largely exhausted as this one draws to a close.