Pilot Review: Happy

Happy (Syfy)
Premiered December 6 at 10pm

I don’t even know what to say about this show. About ten minutes in, I had to break one of my own rules and go online to look up a summary since I couldn’t begin to understand what it was supposed to be about. The synopsis I read on epguides.com didn’t provide all that much clarity, and I think it’s fair to say that things only got weirder and more off-putting as this hour went on. The shows that I’ve seen recently about imaginary friends or talking animals that only the protagonist or audience can see have been pretty terrible – “Imaginary Mary” and “Downward Dog” come to mind – and while this one isn’t at all like either of those, it’s just as miserable to watch. I’ve only seen a couple of episodes of “Law and Order: SVU” but I remember being impressed with Christopher Meloni’s short-lived stint on “True Blood” and noticing that he was more than capable of being maniacal. Here, that’s on full display to an excessive point, and it’s a lot to take. Patton Oswalt is an undeniably perfect fit to voice a role that should never have existed, the blue unicorn who talks to him, and I do wish these two much better things. I’m always happy to see Patrick Fischler in a role that’s made for him, and this one felt like that, though I can’t tell whether he’s going to continue to appear or if he, like everyone else, died in this episode only to be possibly reborn again later. I’m very eager to forget this whole hour and hope that Syfy will start focusing on more great shows like “Alphas” and “Battlestar Galactica” that it used to make.

How will it work as a series? I couldn’t begin to tell you. All of the events are portrayed in a confusing manner, so it’s not even apparent if everything is happening at the same time, or if Nick actually has a daughter who’s been kidnapped, though we’re watching it in front of our eyes. I have a headache and don’t really want to understand.
How long will it last? Ratings seem to be fine, as do the reviews, which is beyond me. I think that Meloni is a big draw, and that Syfy is eager to pursue this kind of violent programming featuring the crude language that’s now allowed on TV. I’d bet that this will be popular and end up being renewed by Syfy soon.

Pilot grade: F