The first trailer for Happy Face has arrived, offering a gripping preview of Paramount+’s upcoming true-crime drama. Starring Dennis Quaid as notorious serial killer Keith Jesperson, the series delves into the story of Jesperson’s daughter, Melissa Reed (played by Annaleigh Ashford), as she seeks justice for his victims while grappling with her own haunting past.
The trailer opens with a tense interview as talk show host Dr. Greg (David Harewood) probes Reed (Annaleigh Ashford) about her connection to the infamous Happy Face Killer.
“What do you know about the Happy Face Killer?” he asks.
Reed hesitates before delivering a chilling revelation: “Because he’s my father.”
From there, the trailer unfolds a gripping sequence of flashbacks to Reed’s childhood and her ongoing quest to uncover cases potentially tied to Jesperson. As she investigates, she faces a moral dilemma—whether to reconnect with her father to exonerate a man falsely accused of Jesperson’s crimes.
“Every violent act is a rock dropped in water,” she reflects. “If you stay silent, the ripples of trauma just keep pulling everyone they touch underneath.”
Her journey ultimately leads her to a face-to-face prison visit with her estranged father.
“It’s so good to see you, Missy,” Jesperson whispers, sending shivers down the audience’s spine.
Keith Jesperson, who is played by Dennis Quaid in the series, known as the Happy Face Killer, was convicted in 2010 for the murders of eight women between 1990 and 1995, though he once claimed to have as many as 160 victims. His moniker stems from his disturbing habit of drawing smiley faces on letters he sent to police and media outlets during the investigation. The discovery of his final known victim in 2023, nearly 30 years after her murder, reignited public interest in his case.
Melissa Reed, who now goes by Melissa Moore, has long spoken about the psychological impact of her father’s crimes. She authored the book Shattered Silence in 2009 and shared her harrowing experiences in a 2015 interview with 20/20.
“We are secondary crime victims. We carry that shame and we want to remove that,” Moore stated. “Knowing that my father caused pain causes me pain.”
She also recounted disturbing childhood memories, including an incident where Jesperson tortured and killed kittens, offering an early glimpse into his sociopathic tendencies.
“I think I caught a glimpse of the sociopath,” she said in a 2010 interview. “I got the sense that there was another side to him.”
Since then, Moore has dedicated herself to supporting families of unsolved murder victims and individuals facing the unique challenges of being related to criminals.
Happy Face is set to premiere on Paramount+ on March 20, bringing audiences a chilling exploration of one of America’s most notorious serial killers and the daughter who refuses to let his crimes be forgotten.
