drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
that premiered on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
on Wednesday, April 28, 2010, and ended on June 16, 2010. It was created by
Josh Appelbaum
Josh Appelbaum is an American television writer, screenwriter, showrunner and producer.
Biography
Appelbaum is from a Jewish family.Andre Nemec, and Scott Rosenberg. It had a total of eight episodes, but only six was broadcast on ABC. The remaining two, "Dallas Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" and the series finale, "Blame It on Rio Bravo", were available for viewing only at the network's website on July 1, 2010.
Plot
A period of peace following a series of unsolved kidnappings is cut short when a new crime has everyone talking in the small
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
town of Haplin. The townsfolk are convinced the crimes are committed by the so-called "Magic Man", a person whom character Merritt Grieves describes as having "an ability to make people disappear that bordered on the mystical". Seven people have vanished, never to be heard from again.
As the series progresses, it seems evident that the disappearances are related to an old German film titled ''Die Blaue Tür'' (''The Blue Door'').
Background
Although the series is set in Minnesota, many of the scenes for the program's pilot and first season were filmed in Canadian communities such as Port Hope,
Penetanguishene
Penetanguishene , sometimes shortened to Penetang, is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay. Incorporated on February 22, 1882, this bilingual (French and English) community has a populati ...
Brampton
Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it ...
, all in Ontario. Several of the street level shots were filmed in Newnan, GA.
After shooting the pilot episode, actor Ben Schnetzer replaced
John Patrick Amedori
John Patrick Amedori is an American actor and musician. He is known for playing Gabe Mitchell in ''Dear White People''.
Amedori appeared in the film '' The Vatican Tapes'' (2015). He has also appeared in a number of television shows, including ' ...
in the role of Andrew Haplin, and
Steven Weber
Steven Robert Weber (born March 4, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Brian Hackett on the television series ''Wings'' which aired from April 1990 to May 1997 on NBC, as Sam Blue in '' Once and Again'', and ...
replaced
Dean Winters
Dean Gerard Winters (born July 20, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Ryan O'Reily on the HBO prison drama '' Oz'' and had roles in TV series'' Rescue Me'', ''30 Rock'', ''Sex and the City'' and '' Law & Order: Special Vict ...
for the role of John Haplin.
Cast and characters
*
Geoff Stults
Geoffrey Manton Stults (born December 15, 1977) is an American actor. His first regular roles on television included '' 7th Heaven'', '' October Road'', and '' Happy Town''. He went on to star as Major Walter Sherman on '' The Finder'', Sgt. Pete ...
as Deputy Tommy Conroy
*
Lauren German
Lauren Christine German is an American actress. She had her first major role in the 2002 teen romantic drama film ''A Walk to Remember'', followed by roles in the horror films '' The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' (2003) and '' Hostel: Part II'' (2007 ...
as Henley Boone/"Chloe"
* Amy Acker as Rachel Conroy
*
Robert Wisdom
Robert Ray Wisdom (born September 14, 1953) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Howard "Bunny" Colvin in '' The Wire,'' Norman "Lechero" St. John in ''Prison Break'', and Harold Conway in the 2021 Hulu movie ''Vacation Friends''.
...
as Detective Roger Hobbs
*
Sarah Gadon
Sarah Lynn Gadon (born April 4, 1987) is a Canadian actress. She began her acting career guest-starring in a number of television series, such as '' Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' (1999), '' Mutant X'' (2002), and ''Dark Oracle'' (2004). She also ...
as Georgia Bravin
*
Sam Neill
Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. Neill's near-50 year career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he has been regarded as one o ...
as Merritt Grieves
*
Peter Outerbridge
Peter Outerbridge (born June 30, 1966) is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as Ari Tasarov in the CW action series ''Nikita'', Dr. David Sandström in the TMN series ''ReGenesis'', Henrik "Hank" Johanssen in ''Orphan Black'', Bob Corbett ...
as Dan Farmer
* Jay Paulson as Deputy Eli "Root Beer" Rogers
*
Steven Weber
Steven Robert Weber (born March 4, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Brian Hackett on the television series ''Wings'' which aired from April 1990 to May 1997 on NBC, as Sam Blue in '' Once and Again'', and ...
as John Haplin
*
Warren Christie
Hans Warren Christie (born 4 November 1975) is a British-Canadian television and film actor known for his roles as Ray Cataldo on the ABC drama '' October Road'' and as Aidan "Greggy" Stiviletto on the ABC series '' Happy Town''. More recent ...
as Aidan "Greggy" Stiviletto
*
Lynne Griffin
Lynne Griffin (born 17 September 1952) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her work in film, television and stage, particularly her appearances in the horror films '' Black Christmas'' (1974) and ''Curtains'' (1983), and a recurring role on ...
Sophia Ewaniuk
Sophia Ewaniuk (; born May 10, 2002) is a Canadian actress who landed her first major role as Emma Conroy in ABC's series '' Happy Town'', a role for which she had been nominated as a recurring lead in a television series at the 2011 Young Artis ...
as Emma Conroy
*
M. C. Gainey
Michael Connor Gainey (born January 18, 1948) is an American character actor best known for his appearances in ''Lost'', ''Con Air'', ''Sideways'', ''Tangled'', and ''Django Unchained''.
Early life
Gainey was born in Jackson, Mississippi. In the ...
as Sheriff Griffin Conroy
*
Frances Conroy
Frances Hardman Conroy is an American actress. She is best known for playing Ruth Fisher on the television series '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005), for which she won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and received four Prime ...
Abraham Benrubi
Abraham Rubin Hercules Benrubi (born October 4, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for his appearances as Jerry Markovic on the long-running medical television drama '' ER'', for his first role as Larry Kubiac on the series '' Parker Lewis C ...
Stephen McHattie
Stephen McHattie Smith (born February 3, 1946)Other sources cite 1945, 1947, and 1948. is a Canadian actor. Since beginning his professional career in 1970, he has amassed over 200 film and television credits. He won the Genie Award for Best Sup ...
as Carl Bravin
*
Dee Wallace
Deanna Wallace (née Bowers; born December 14, 1948), also known as Dee Wallace Stone, is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Mary Taylor, the mother in the 1982 blockbuster film '' E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''. She i ...
Despite a promotional push from ABC, its debut episode performed poorly, scoring a 1.7/5 among 18-49's, with 5.2 million viewers overall, roughly scoring the same numbers in the same time period that predecessors ''
Ugly Betty
''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombi ...
'' and '' Eastwick'' had during their run. In its second outing, the ratings slipped as did its audience, scoring a 1.2/4 among 18-49's and a 2.6/5 overall with 3.8 million viewers watching.
On May 11, 2010, ABC announced that it was pulling ''Happy Town'' from the schedule for two weeks, planning to resume its episode run on June 2; with the 5 remaining episodes airing on consecutive weeks. On May 17, 2010, ABC confirmed that ''Happy Town'' was among the shows cancelled from the 2009–2010 season. On June 18, 2010, ABC officially cancelled the series after its June 16, 2010 episode aired."ABC CANCELS "HAPPY TOWN" (AGAIN); SLATES "WIFE SWAP," "PRIMETIME," "EASTWICK" ORIGINALS" from The Futon Critic (June 18, 2010) On July 1, 2010, ABC.com released the two remaining episodes online.