Happy! is an American live-action/adult animated black comedy/action-drama television series based on the four-issue comic book series of the same name created by writer Grant Morrison and artist Darick Robertson, with Brian Taylor serving as director for a majority of the episodes. The series premiered on Syfy on December 6, 2017, receiving mostly positive reviews. On January 29, 2018, it was announced that Syfy had renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on March 27, 2019. On June 4, 2019, the series was cancelled by Syfy after two seasons.
Premise
Disgraced police detective Nick Sax lives as a social outcast, filling his days with heavy drinking and substance abuse, moonlighting as a hitman to feed his various habits. After sustaining a massive heart attack, Nick comes into contact with a small, blue, winged unicorn named Happy that apparently only he can see. Happy explains he is the imaginary friend of a little girl named Hailey, who has been kidnapped by a deranged man dressed as Santa Claus. Happy reveals that Hailey is Nick's estranged daughter, and sought Nick's aid believing him to be the hero cop that Hailey envisioned him to be. Though skeptical at first, Nick reluctantly agrees and the two work to save Hailey.
Cast and characters
Main
Christopher Meloni as Nick Sax, a cynical, alcoholic ex-detective-turned-ex-hitman-turned-cab-driver.
Ritchie Coster as Francisco "Mr. Blue" Scaramucci, a wealthy, insecure, and temperamental crime boss who poses as a legitimate businessman and wine importer.
* Coster also portrays Orcus, the Roman god of death who possesses Scaramucci's body.
Medina Senghore as Amanda Hansen, Nick's ex-wife and Hailey's mother
Patrick Fischler as "Smoothie" / "The Bunny", one of Mr. Blue's enforcers and a sociopathic killer who specializes in interrogation and torture
Patton Oswalt as the voice of Happy, an "imaginary" blue, goofy, cartoonish, winged unicorn
Christopher Fitzgerald as Louis Sheinberg, a children's entertainer also known as "Sonny Shine", and to Blue as "Mr. Bug"
Bryce Lorenzo as Hailey Louise Hansen, a young girl who was kidnapped, and sends her imaginary friend Happy to find help
Recurring
Joseph D. Reitman as Very Bad Santa, a delusional, drug-addicted psychopath dressed like Santa Claus who kidnaps children
Debi Mazar as Isabella Scaramucci, Blue's sister, star of the reality show Secrets of My Sussex, and mother of the four Scaramucci brothers gunned down by Sax
Gus Halper as Michelangelo "Disco Mikey" Scaramucci, the youngest of Isabella's sons.
Laura Poe as Jessica McCarthy, Merry's elderly widowed mother.
Michael Maize as Le Dic, an arms dealer connected to Nick Sax's past.
Happy was originally voiced by Bobby Moynihan in the pilot, but was later replaced by Patton Oswalt.
Release
The series premiered on Syfy on December 6, 2017. On January 29, 2018, it was announced that Syfy had renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on March 27, 2019. On June 4, 2019, the series was cancelled by Syfy after two seasons.
Reception
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 79%, with an average rating of 6.2/10 based on 34 reviews. The website's critical consensus states, "Happy! certainly isn't for everyone, but its appealingly oddball concept and strong performances from Chris Meloni and Patton Oswalt make for a gritty, dark comedy with definite—albeit unusual—appeal." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 65 out of 100 based on 21 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
