New show “Happy Town” fails at classic small-town creepy

A television show about a small town that is not as quaint as it seems, "Happy Town" clearly wants to be "Twin Peaks," the cult classic that premiered 20 years ago. However, it does not hold up well.

Happy Town is the nickname given to the fictional Haplin, Minn., "a town with no crime," as Tommy Conroy (Geoff Stults), the sheriff's son, puts it. Of course, the episode begins with a murder, which sheriff Griffin Conroy (M.C. Gainey) wishes to solve quickly in order to quash rumors that the "Magic Man," a kidnapper from the town's past, has returned.

Much of the episode is spent introducing characters. Henley Boone (Lauren German), who has just moved to Haplin after the death of her mother, stays at Dot Meadow's (Lynne Griffin) boardinghouse. Also at the boardinghouse
is Merritt Grieves (Sam Neill), the owner of a movie memorabilia store. Then there are the teenage lovers Georgia Braven (Sarah Gadon), who babysits for Tommy and his wife Rachel (Amy Acker), and Andrew Haplin (Ben Schnetzer), son of John Haplin (Steven Weber), owner of the town bread mill, whose daughter disappeared during the Magic Man's prime.

"Happy Town" does not live up to "Twin Peaks." The inept deputy sheriff is annoying, not sweet, and the townspeople are bland, not quirky. Most importantly, as hard as the characters try to convince us to fear the Magic Man, their continual protestations probably mean that his eventual reveal will be a letdown. On "Twin Peaks," nobody ever had to tell the viewer that BOB was creepy; he just was.

In a subtle nod to its predecessor, Henley moved from Snoqualmie, Wash., the town where "Twin Peaks" was filmed. Unfortunately, this is the only time the show achieves anything resembling subtlety. The questions meant to leave us thinking are dealt with so heavy-handedly that the writers are practically shouting, "This is mysterious!" Dot's cheery tone is interrupted only when she warns Henley that the third floor, the door to which is always unlocked and open, is off-limits. Naturally, Henley is climbing the steps as the episode ends. Merritt speaks with a cadence only ever used by those with something to hide, and most of his scenes are accompanied by eerie music. The sheriff keeps asking questions about someone named Chloe but claims to know nothing when the questions are turned on him. The suspense is so forced that it's difficult to care at all.

And it's not just the mystery that's forced. It makes sense for Henley's realtor to describe Haplin's perfection. Is it really necessary for every other character to wax poetic about the supposedly idyllic town? As Georgia exposits all of the differences between her and Andrew's families, does she really need to say "Romeo and Juliet"?

I do not plan to watch any further. The more the residents of Happy Town attempt to convince me to be intrigued, the less intrigued I am. The show is simply trying too hard.