Annaleigh Ashford is set for the lead role in the Paramount+ series “Happy Face,” Variety has learned. In addition, Michael Showalter is attached to direct the first episode and executive produce.
The series is inspired by the podcast of the same name from iHeartMedia and Melissa Jesperson-Moore, the book “Shattered Silence” written by Jesperson-Moore with M. Bridget Cook, and Jesperson-Moore’s true-life story. It was ordered at Paramount+ back in November 2021. Ashford will star as Melissa.
In real life, Moore discovered at 15 that her 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.
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Per the official description, the series jumps off from the true life story as “Melissa’s (Ashford) 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.”
Production on the eight-episode first season will begin later this year with the show slated to debut in 2025.
Jennifer Cacicio is the writer, executive producer, and showrunner on the series. Robert and Michelle King executive produce under their King Size Productions banner. Liz Glotzer of King Size also executive produces along with Jesperson-Moore, iHeartMedia’s Conal Byrne, Will Pearson, Showalter, and Jordana Mollick. CBS Studios, where the Kings are under an overall deal, will produce
The role marks a reunion for Ashford and the Kings, as Ashford previously appeared in their series “Evil” and “The Good Fight.” Her other recent TV roles include “Welcome to Chippendales” (for which she earned an Emmy nomination), “Impeachment: American Crime Story,” and the CBS comedy “B Positive.” She recently wrapped production on the feature “Dust,” in which she stars opposite Sarah Paulson. Ashford is also a renowned stage actress, having won the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for her role in “You Can’t Take It With You.”
She is repped by CAA, Beth Rosner Management, and Schreck Rose.