Ratings:
Syfy is in the middle of a rebranding. Into what, it’s not very clear.
The network seems to be moving away from attempts at prestige science fiction like 12 Monkeys and Expanse and more into an all-bets-are-off genre world consisting of Krypton, Tremors and the forthcoming Happy!
It’s unlikely the network’s latest is going to be a network defining series. That mantle will likely go to either of the two previously mentioned shows.
Given all of that, Happy! is more likely to end up a buzzy show meant to drive streaming and international sales for NBC Universal. Ratings prospects seem low for such a twisted series like Happy!
More possible, however, is the scenario where it becomes an internet sensation NBCU insists Syfy keep around. There could be worse fates.
Review:
Let’s get this out of the way first: It’s very possible Happy! is the most insane television series ever made.
As you’d expect from one of the creators of Crank, Happy! is pure madness on screen. It is every bit the Crank: The Show you want it to be. And yes, Patton Oswalt is on fire as the perfectly cast imaginary, flying blue horse, Happy.
But, for everything this show is, it will never get credit for the one thing it truly exceeds at.
Happy! is Christopher Meloni’s meta-response to years of being typed as Law & Order: SVU’s Elliot Stabler.
Based on comics created by Grant Morrison (who co-created the series with Brian Taylor) and Darick Robertson, Happy! follows the depressing life of Nick Sax, a disgraced ex-cop now taking assassination jobs for cash. After a near death experience, Sax comes into contact with the imaginary blue horse friend of a kidnapped girl named Hailey, who begs Sax to help rescue the girl before it’s too late.
The premise is madness, but Meloni’s performance is madder and ends up being what sells the series. Patton Oswalt’s inclusion in the show is merely the blue dipping sauce to Meloni’s meat and potatoes performance.
From the opening scene featuring Meloni’s Sax imaging a graphic suicide attempt, it becomes clear this show is meant to shave any last remaining hope one may have of the actor having any desire to return to the role that made him a household face.
Since the actor’s unceremonious exit from SVU, all fans have wanted to see is his return. And, worse, the man has been typecast as the hard-nosed military/law enforcement leader with a creamy center.
Happy! changes all of that.
This is a deranged and unhinged Meloni we’ve never seen before. Not even in his famed Wet Hot Americans Summer persona.
Sax is everything Elliot Stabler was and could not be.
He is murderous, uncaring, rude and unpleasant to be around. He is every bit the man Meloni has been forced to push down since leaving Law & Order.
It’s this aspect that elevates Happy! from trash television to something worth beholding. It’s rude. It’s cruel. It’s violent. It’s messy. It’s funny. It’s all of those things. But, it’s also far smarter than anyone is going to give it credit for.
Happy! premieres Wednesday, December 6th at 10/9c on Syfy
