Most shows that I cover for Gone Too Soon deserve another season because they are good (or great) television shows that were cancelled before they should have been. Occasionally the shows covered in this column are just so bonkers that I’m curious what the next season would look like. Happy Town is one of those shows. Like Ravenswood. Happy Town was just a little batty, but it was fun while it lasted.
Happy Town ran on ABC for one season 2010. The show was pulled before the final two episodes were aired and were later added to the series online. Let’s get into the mystery series with many familiar faces.
The Gist
So Happy Town is strange. Haplin, Minnostoa is experiencing a time of peace. Several years ago seven people were kidnapped by someone called the “Magic Man.” No one ever figured out who the “Magic Man” was and the kidnappings stopped. A murder in town brings back the “Magic Man” and clues to the “Magic Man’s” identity start to appear.
Henley Graves (Lauren Graham) is new to town, lying about why she is there and is definitely up to something. Merritt Grieves (Sam Neill) owns an antique store in town and has his own motivations for helping Henley and finding the “Magic Man”. Tommy Conroy (Geoff Stults) is a deputy and son of the sheriff who is thrown into the role of sheriff himself. Rachel Conroy (Amy Acker) Tommy’s wife who finds herself in the middle of the “Magic Man” mystery. Roger Hobbs (Robert Wisdom) is a detective in town who seemingly resents getting passed over for the sheriff job. There’s also deputy Root Beer (Jay Paulson) and Greggy Stiviletto (Warren Christie), just released from jail and with shady motivations. Georgia Bravin (Sarah Gadon) is the daughter of the town drunk, babysitter for the Conroy family, and dating Andrew Haplin (Ben Schnetzer).
Which leads us to the Haplin’s, a family so complicated and strange that unpacking them would take forever. There is the cold, matriarch Peggy (Frances Conroy) who has many secrets. Her son and Andrew’s father, John (Steven Weber), his daughter was kidnapped by the “Magic Man” and his wife never recovered.
Haplin is a town full of mystery, secrets, and weirdness that is never fully explained. In fact, this show poses tons of questions and oddities, but never gives many answers.
Should You Watch It
Maybe. Maybe you should watch this show. For starters it’s only eight episodes and they are all available for free, so Happy Town is a pretty low commitment. It also has a lot of recognizable actors. Also it’s just a little bonkers. If you want to watch some entertaining nonsense, a la Riverdale, but with a lot less commitment, then Happy Town is perfect to you.
Caution: Cliffhanger
Do you like answers to the questions a series poses? Well this isn’t the series for you. Seriously maybe three questions get answered and about 100 more are asked in this series. Who is the “Magic Man”? Why did those people disappear? Why do so many strange things happen? Who are all these random people coming to town to investigate? We don’t know. We will never know, because Happy Town was cancelled after eight episodes.
Where to Watch
Every episode of this deliciously ridiculous mystery series is available to watch for free on ABC. So if you’re a little bit curious about Happy Town you can check it out for free.
Check out more shows Gone Too Soon: Swamp Thing, The Order, Whodunnit, The Baker and the Beauty, Take Two, Whiskey Cavalier, Galavant, and Deception.
