If you thought that Dennis Quaid had you filled with disgust with his 2024 project (whether it’s The Substance or Reagan is u
If you thought that Dennis Quaid had you filled with disgust with his 2024 project (whether it’s The Substance or Reagan is up to your interpretation), just wait until you see him as a manipulative serial killer in Happy Face. Today, Paramount+ has shared the official full-length trailer for the upcoming dramatized true-crime series, which centers on one woman’s journey to come to terms with the very strange and harsh reality that her father was the prolific murderer known as the Happy Face killer. Featuring Broadway superstar and Tony Award-winner Annaleigh Ashford (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) as the traumatized daughter who would ensure justice was carried out on behalf of her father’s victims, the title arrives on the streamer on March 20.
The opening moments of the teaser reveal what must have been one of the most challenging moments in the life of Melissa Moore (Ashford) — the very much real person at the center of Happy Face — as she can be heard telling her imprisoned father to never speak to her again. But, she’ll soon be put between a rock and a demanding place after Keith Hunter Jesperson (Quaid) (aka the Happy Face Killer) calls into the talk show where she works as a makeup artist, insisting that he’ll go on air if and only if she is the one to talk to him. That’s when the biggest twist yet comes into play, as Jesperson claims that he has one more murder to confess to, but only if Melissa meets with him in person. Twists and turns pop out from every remaining second of the trailer, with Melissa doing whatever she can to get her estranged father to own up to his hidden killing.
Who’s Behind ‘Happy Face’?
Moore’s harrowing story about her serial killer father was first made public through her autobiography (which she co-penned with M. Bridget Cook) and the iHeart podcast, Happy Face. She’s played a gigantic part in bringing the unbelievably demanding to imagine story to the petite screen, joining as an executive producer alongside Michael Showalter, Robert King, Michelle King, Jordana Mollick, Liz Glotzer, Will Pearson, and Conal Byrne. In addition to Ashford and Quaid, the project also features supporting performances from the likes of James Wolk (Zoo), Tamera Tomakili (Fruitvale Station), Khiyla Aynne (Christmas On the Rocks), and Benjamin Mackey (The Morning Show).
Check out the full-length trailer for Happy Face above and tune into Paramount+ on March 20 to watch the story unravel.
Happy Face
Release Date
March 20, 2025
Network
Paramount+
Directors
Michael Showalter
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