TV Jots

Newbie Serves Up Crimes, Mysteries, and Secrets

ABC has a new series that I’ve been waiting for a long time set to debut on April 28. The promising chiller is called Happy Town, and it kicks off at 10pm ET on Wednesday with the premiere episode “In This Home on Ice.”

Not only does the serial drama star my current favorite television actress — namely Angel, Alias, and Dollhouse veteran Amy Acker — but it features a very nice ensemble cast of equally talented actors and actresses. Among them are Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, Dead Calm), Steven Weber (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Wings), and Robert Wisdom (The Wire, Prison Break).

Set in a small Minnesota community called Haplin, also known as the titular Happy Town, the show follows events five years after a series of unsolved local abductions. When a new unsettling crime suddenly occurs, Haplin’s residents immediately begin to fear the return of the so-called Magic Man, whom many believe orchestrated the not-so-long-ago kidnappings.

Events then gradually unfold to reveal that some of Haplin’s familiar faces are not at all what they seem to be on the surface. Insert ominous evil snicker here and let it simmer.

As one TV viewer who still wishes Harper’s Island had received another season over at CBS last year, it’s predictable that Happy Town is just my type of show.

Sneak a peek at a scene from the newcomer’s first episode, “In This Home on Ice,” in the following video. The “icy” — pun fully intended — atmosphere reminds me of the excellent Oscar-winning flick Fargo. If the ABC show is even half as good as that movie, it should be a winner and a keeper. Suspense lovers can only hope.