Real crime has long attracted audiences, but few people deal with the consequences through those who are left.
The new Paramount+ series Happy Face breaks the mold by shifting the focus from the killer to his family (most notably his daughter Melissa Moore). The series dramatizes the efforts of Melissa from her father’s shadow, Dennis Quaid’s serial killer Keith Jespers.
Happy Face features Melissa’s own guidance and, under Melissa, has made a profound personal and unprecedented observation of the far-reaching impact of violent crime.
Another true crime story
Annaleigh Ashford, who portrays Melissa, is attracted to the project due to his unique perspective. She shared: “When I got the script, I was completely overwhelmed, and she had an inner struggle before she became Keith Jespers’ daughter.”
Happy faces avoid the sensationalism that is often seen in real crimes that put Melissa and the victim’s family at the center. “We are not going to resuscitate the family,” Ashford explained. “No violence against women.
This distinction is crucial to Moore, who spent years advocating families affected by violent crime. “I hope there is a family member who is the perpetrator or is affected by the crime in any way that they will feel their experience,” she said.
“I have a sense of responsibility for how I tell my story because, by chance, my dad got the attention when I did it. It was really hard for the victim’s family.”
A killer still shrouded
Dennis Quaid initially hesitated to play the role of Keith Jesperson. “I’m not interested in playing a serial killer,” he admitted. “I don’t want to have anything to do with those guys. But when I realized I didn’t really play Keith – I was playing the Keith version of Melissa – changed everything.”
Unlike many true crime portrayals involving the psychology of killer, happy faces only show Keith when necessary.
“Everything in the story is from Melissa’s perspective,” said series host Jennifer Cacicio. “We don’t want to glorify him, but he is still vaguely visible. He can feel his presence even if he is not there.”
For Quaid, the real draw is exploring complex father-daughter dynamics. “Melissa had to ask herself, ‘Who am I? What does that make me have?’ And this shame just subverts everything you believe. She is the hero of my book.”
The weight of heritage
James Wolk, who plays Melissa’s husband Ben, finds himself playing a role that balances love and fear. He said: “I am the protector.”
“Then I started listening to podcasts and hearing how outrageous it was to hear Keith’s behavior. That alone made me feel the weight of it. It changed the way I acted on the spot – because as Ben, I wanted to protect my family at all costs.”
As Melissa’s kids, Hazel and Max, Khiyla Aynne and Benjamin Mackey have their own challenges. Aynne, who plays Hazel, recognizes the emotional depth of her character.
“The real-life hazel reached out to me and told me she was grateful for how I portrayed her. It meant a lot.” The young actor kept the lights between victory, threw football with the wolf and played football together.
The ethics of real crime
Ivy, the producer of the fictional Dr. Greg performance, plays Tamera Tomakili, who was not a real crime fan until he took over the position.
“Being able to get into this is my fear and dissatisfaction with the material,” she admits. “But I love that the show is centered on the victims and their families. It feels real, public. It has something to do with people who actually live or live through these crimes.”
The intentional shift from glory to accountability is what makes Happy Face groundbreaking.
“People like real crime because it’s so that’s why it comes up,” Quaid noted. “You ask yourself, ‘How does one do this to another?’ But this series has nothing to do with Keith.”
A constantly evolving story
“The story of Melissa continues to unfold, and she works with many others like her,” Cassisio said. “We can go a lot of different paths.”
If happy faces prove it all, it is that crime will not only end with arrest. It leaves ripples. For those who survive, the story has just begun.
Happy Face dropped on Paramount+ on Thursday, March 20. To accompany the release, we will have a review of the first two episodes and comment on 9/8C AM
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