EMMY^®-NOMINATED AND TONY AWARD^®-WINNING ACTRESS ANNALEIGH ASHFORD TO STAR IN PARAMOUNT+ ORIGINAL DRAMA SERIES HAPPY FACE

Inspired by the ‘Happy Face’ True-Crime Podcast and ‘Shattered Silence’ Autobiographical Book, HAPPY FACE Will Begin Production This Year

Photo Credit: Andrew Brucker

January 8, 2024 – Paramount+ today announced that Emmy-nominated and Tony Award-winning actress Annaleigh Ashford (Welcome to Chippendales, Impeachment: American Crime Story) will star in the new original drama series HAPPY FACE. Michael Showalter (The Dropout, The Eyes of Tammy Faye) has been tapped to direct the first episode. The eight-episode first season will begin production this year and premiere exclusively on Paramount+ in 2025. HAPPY FACE is executive produced by Jennifer Cacicio – who also serves as showrunner – and Robert and Michelle King, Liz Glotzer, Melissa Moore, Conal Byrne, Will Pearson, Michael Showalter and Jordana Mollick.

Ashford will play the lead role of Melissa in the series, which is inspired by the true-life story of Melissa Moore; the critically acclaimed Happy Face podcast from iHeartPodcasts and Moore; and the autobiography Shattered Silence, written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook. At 15, Moore discovered that her beloved father was the prolific serial killer known as “Happy Face.” As an adult, she has changed her name and guarded her secret while her father has been serving life in prison.

Jumping off from Moore’s true-life story, in HAPPY FACE for Paramount+, Melissa’s father contacts her to take credit for another victim, pulling her into an extraordinary investigation of her father and his crimes. As she discovers the impact her father had on his victims’ families, she must face a reckoning of her own identity.

Ashford recently wrapped production on Searchlight Pictures’ upcoming horror-thriller film Dust, which stars Sarah Paulson. She is currently nominated for an Emmy for her performance opposite Kumail Nanjiani in the Hulu limited series Welcome to Chippendales. Ashford also memorably portrayed Paula Jones in Ryan Murphy’s limited series Impeachment: American Crime Story and starred in two seasons of the Chuck Lorre CBS comedy B Positive. She previously worked with The Kings on their other two Paramount+ original series: the recently wrapped and critically acclaimed THE GOOD FIGHT and current hit EVIL.

An acclaimed stage actress and Broadway favorite, Ashford won Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for her unforgettable portrayal of Essie Carmichael in the acclaimed Broadway revival of You Can’t Take It with You. She currently stars as Mrs. Lovett opposite Josh Groban in the Tony-nominated revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, for which she received a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical, and a Grammy Award nomination for the Broadway cast recording. Among her previous Broadway credits, she starred opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in the critically acclaimed revival of Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George and in the Tony-winning Best Musical Kinky Boots, for which she received her first Tony nomination in 2013.

HAPPY FACE is produced by CBS Studios in association with King Size Productions, iHeartPodcasts and Semi-Formal Productions. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
 

About Paramount+
Paramount+, a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, combines live sports, breaking news and A Mountain of Entertainment™. The streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel. Paramount+ with SHOWTIME^®, the service’s cornerstone plan, is also home to SHOWTIME^® content, including scripted hits and critically acclaimed nonfiction projects and films. This premium plan includes unmatched events and sports programming through the local live CBS stream, including golf, basketball and more. All Paramount+ subscribers have streaming access to CBS News Network for 24/7 news and CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis.

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About CBS Studios:
CBS Studios is one of the world’s leading suppliers of entertainment programming with development and production for broadcast, cable networks, streaming services, and other emerging platforms. The Studio’s expansive portfolio spans a diverse slate of commercially successful and critically acclaimed scripted programming, which includes genre-defining franchises such as NCIS, CSI and the ever-growing Star Trek universe, award-winning late night and daytime talk shows, as well as an extensive library of iconic intellectual property. The Studio also develops and produces local language and international content originating outside of the US for viewers around the world.