A new limited series is coming to Paramount. The first episode of ‘Happy Face’ featuring Dennis Quaid and Annaleigh Ashford premieres on March 19, 2025. This true crime drama tells the story of an infamous serial killer known as Keith Hunter Jesperson. He coined the name ‘Happy Face’ after a series of brutal murders in the early 1990s. A teaser has been released and it is jaw-dropping. If you are a true crime fanatic, this series is a must-watch. It will have you on the edge of your seat wishing it had more than eight episodes.
‘Happy Face’ Killer Murders
To understand a little bit of what the show is about, you have to go back to 1990 to understand who the Happy Face killer is and what he did. Keith Hunter Jesperson is a 69-year-old Canadian-American serial killer with three children. As far as authorities know, he murdered at least eight women during the early 1990s while he drove across the country as a truck driver. He became known as the Happy Face Killer because he drew smiley faces in his letters to the media and authorities. He taunted them just like another infamous murderer known as The Zodiac Killer.
The Happy Face Killer murdered drifters and likely sex workers. They had no one looking for them and he knew it. Some of them have still not been identified to this day even after he confessed to his crimes when he was captured in March 1995 and placed in police custody. He was given four life sentences which he is serving at the Oregon State Penitentiary. The rest of his life will be spent behind bars with no likelihood of ever being released.
Paramount’s Limited Series
Now that you have a feel for who this monster is, let us dive into the series that sets out to recreate his life. Dennis Quaid stars as the Happy Face Killer and Annaleigh Ashford is the killer’s daughter, Melissa Moore. She is all grown up with children of her own who know nothing of their grandfather until another body turns up.
Jesperson is imprisoned, but the police believe they have found another one of his victims. The only issue is they cannot identify her, so they interrogate him for answers. Serial killers tend to have narcissistic or manipulative personalities. When the police ask him to talk, he demands the only person he will talk to is his daughter. Melissa agrees to speak with her father, whom she has not seen since childhood, to uncover the truth.
During this investigation, Melissa must face her dark past and confess to her family who her father is. She is hesitant to go public, but it might be the only way to bring peace to the found woman’s family. When the Happy Face Killer escapes from prison, all hell breaks loose and tensions run high. Melissa must face her father and finally put an end to his terror.
Thoughts on the Series
If serial killers are your thing, this is exciting news. Everyone always needs a good show to binge, and what is better than a limited series? The Happy Face Killer gives the same vibes as Ryan Murphy’s series ‘Monsters’. Paramount might be taking a page out of Netflix’s book with this one.
Hopefully, they differ slightly and do not dramatize as much. Jesperson is truly psychotic and does not deserve any ounce of sympathy or for his story to be made as anything more than it was. He murdered innocent women and tortured his family with all of his lies. The series should portray him for what he is: a monster.
