Shocking true crime series “Happy Face” premieres March 20, 2025 on Paramount+.
Based on a true story, this crime drama series is adapted from the 2018 podcast Happy Face by Melissa Moore (daughter of infamous serial killer “Happy Face”), and her 2009 autobiography Shattered Silence, co-written with M. Bridget Cook. It is set to stream globally on Paramount+ on March 20, 2025.
After decades of no contact, Keith Jesperson aka the Happy Face Killer, forces his way back into his daughter Melissa’s life, causing her to face a reckoning of her own identity.
Keith Hunter Jesperson murdered at least eight women in the US in the 1990s, drawing smiley faces on the anonymous confessional letters he sent out to garner publicity for his crimes. The series doesn’t quite allow viewers to realize how manipulative and heinous of a human Jesperson was in real life. Mixing truths for entertainment based storylines makes this series come off as too lighthearted.
Psychologically thrilling and dark, this series explores how the life for loved ones of people who commit heinous, high profile, and deviant crimes can be impacted and affected for decades and also lead to deep emotional and mental problems.
The series stars Dennis Quaid, Annaleigh Ashford, James Wolk, and Michael Showalter.
You can stream Happy Face exclusively on Paramount+, with the two-episode premiere launching on March 20th, followed by new episodes released weekly Thursdays.