We have closed in on the end of Happy Face season 1. Now all eyes are on the future of the series. After all, when it comes to a well-crafted story, there is no doubt that people want to see more.
There is some bad news about the series at the moment, but that doesn’t mean it will always be bad news. Let’s take a look at the plans by Paramount+ and then consider options available should the creators want to continue the tale.
Happy Face was intended to be a limited series
It doesn’t look like Happy Face season 2 is going to happen, but that’s not because the series is canceled. Instead, the show seems to have been set to be a limited series, which is the way a lot of streamers are going, especially when it comes to true crime retellings. We just have to look at how Dirty John and A Friend of the Family were initially created to be limited series.
Happy Face does come to a conclusion with the season 1 finale. Don’t worry; I’m not getting into spoilers in this post. However, just know that when you go in, you’ll feel like Melissa’s story has wrapped. The synopsis even hinted at that happening. However, there is a small cliffhanger, which could lead to a continuation to the tale.
There is an option for Happy Face season 2, though
While it seems that the series was set up as a limited series, that’s not the way it has to go. According to TV Insider, showrunner Jennifer Cacicio shared that there have been talks about continuing the story.
The show works closely with the real Melissa Moore, who was the daughter of the real Happy Face Killer. She has shared details of her life, which have been dramatized for the series, and she has told Cacicio that there is more to tell if the series gets renewed.
It’s just worth noting that this series is based on the first season of the Happy Face podcast, which is narrated by Moore, where she tells her own story. That story concludes with the season finale in the podcast. Yes, there is a second season, but it tells another true crime story, and that’s another option should the Happy Face creators want to continue.
Creating an anthology of stories is the way a lot of true crime tales have developed. Dirty John season 2 moved onto the Betty Broderick story, while American Crime Story has told a different crime tale for three seasons so far. We’re not completely ruling out a second season, but the first season comes to a decent conclusion for the main character and it did look set to be a limited series at first due to the nature of the podcast it is based on.
Happy Face is available to stream in full on Paramount+.