Dennis Quaid stars as the notorious Happy Face Killer, aka Keith Hunter Jesperson, in the upcoming Paramount+ drama series “Happy Face.”
The eight-episode season will premiere on March 20 with two episodes, with weekly drops thereafter. The series is inspired by the true story of Melissa G. Moore, who, at age 15, discovered that her father was the prolific Happy Face Killer. As an adult, Moore has changed her name and guarded her secret as her father serves a life sentence in prison.
In the trailer, Happy Face finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life. In a race against the clock, Moore, played by Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford, must find out whether an innocent man will receive the death penalty for a crime her father committed. In the series, “she discovers the impact her father had on his victims’ families and must face a reckoning of her own identity.”
Jesperson, who is currently serving life without parole at an Oregon penitentiary, murdered at least eight women in the United States during the 1990s. He got his nickname because he often drew smiley faces on his letters to the media and authorities.
James Wolk, Tamera Tomakili, Khiyla Aynne and Benjamin Mackey also star in “Happy Face,” which is based on Moore’s podcast and autobiography “Shattered Silence,” co-written with M. Bridget Cook.
The show is produced by CBS Studios in association with King Size Productions, iHeartPodcasts and Semi-Formal Productions. Jennifer Cacicio (“Your Honor,” “Shooter”) serves as showrunner for the series and executive produces alongside Robert and Michelle King, Liz Glotzer, Moore, Conal Byrne, Will Pearson, Michael Showalter and Jordana Mollick. Showalter (“The Dropout,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”) also directed the first episode. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
Watch the teaser trailer below.