Happy Town Information

Happy Town is an American drama television series that premiered on Wednesday, April 28, 2010, and ended on June 16, 2010 on ABC. It was created by Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg. It had a total of eight episodes, but only six would be 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. The show has since been removed from the site.

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 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, and St. Catharines, 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 in the role of Andrew Haplin, and Steven Weber replaced Dean Winters for the role of John Haplin.

Cast

• Geoff Stults as Deputy Tommy Conroy
• Lauren German as Henley Boone/"Chloe"
• Amy Acker as Rachel Conroy
• Robert Wisdom as Roger Hobbs
• Sarah Gadon as Georgia Bravin
• Sam Neill as Merritt Grieves
• Peter Outerbridge as Dan Farmer
• Jay Paulson as Deputy Eli "Root Beer" Rogers
• Steven Weber as John Haplin
• Warren Christie as Aidan "Greggy" Stiviletto
• Lynne Griffin as Dot Meadows
• Ben Schnetzer as Andrew Haplin

Recurring cast

• Sophia Ewaniuk as Emma Conroy
• M. C. Gainey as Sheriff Griffin Conroy
• Frances Conroy as Peggy Haplin
• Natalie Brown as Carol Haplin
• Abraham Benrubi as Big Dave
• David Cronenberg as Dr. Leichman
• Stephen McHattie as Carl Bravin
• Dee Wallace as Alice Conroy
• Joanna Douglas as Officer Shell Jenkins
• Steve Arbuckle as Baby Boy Stiviletto

Episodes

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (in millions)	Aux4=5.25	ShortSummary= Henley Boone arrives in seemingly idyllic Haplin to live. At the same time, a shocking murder occurs in a fishing cabin at the local pond which conjures up memories of an unknown, evil force known as the "Magic Man". Tommy Conroy, a small town deputy, may have trouble solving the crime when it becomes obvious that the residents are hiding secrets.	LineColor=5f9ea0 }}	Aux4=3.79	ShortSummary=Newly appointed Sheriff Tommy Conroy investigates Jerry Friddle's murder. Henley seems to know more about Haplin's dark side than she's letting on but she's determined to get access to the boarding house's forbidden third-floor room.	LineColor=5f9ea0 }}	Aux4=3.04	ShortSummary=A state investigator steps in to assist Tommy on Friddle's murder. Andrew exacts revenge on the person he believes assaulted his girlfriend Georgia. A handsome stranger rescues Henley from a bizarre car accident and then lures her into a surprising relationship. Thaw Fest finally arrives bringing with it chilling and tragic consequences.	LineColor=5f9ea0 }}	Aux4=2.76	ShortSummary=Rachel Conroy disappears and clues seem to indicate the elusive Magic Man is back. Henley gets her stolen property back from Greggy Stiviletto and intends to use it for blackmail. Tommy's investigation of some gruesome evidence may mean good news for Haplin.	LineColor=5f9ea0 }}	Aux4=2.58	ShortSummary=Tommy feels the pressure to find the elusive Magic Man and Rachel wants to leave Haplin all the while being pressured by John Haplin to remember details of her kidnapping. Merritt Grieves reveals a long-kept secret to Rachel. Henley returns the hammer she stole from the boarding house attic to Peggy Haplin in exchange for money. Det. Hobbs is convinced that Greggy Stiviletto knows who severed the hand found at the bakery.	LineColor=5f9ea0 }}	Aux4=2.17	ShortSummary= The interrogation of John Haplin about missing Lauryn Ward intensifies. This would be the final episode of the show to be broadcast on ABC.	LineColor=5f9ea0 }} (ABC.com)	Aux4= N/A	ShortSummary= Merritt and Henley scheme to take back the mysterious hammer.	LineColor=5f9ea0 }} (ABC.com)	Aux4= N/A	ShortSummary= Many secrets of Haplin are revealed.	LineColor=5f9ea0 }}

Ratings

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 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. On July 1, 2010 ABC.com released the two remaining episodes online.

Lionsgate and ABC Studios announced Happy Town: The Complete series on DVD.

Ratings chart

Order	Episode	Airdate	Rating	Share	Rating/Share (18-49)	Viewers (millions)	Rank (night)
1	"In This Home on Ice"	April 28, 2010	3.5	6	1.7/5	5.25	8
2	"I Came to Haplin for the Waters"	May 5, 2010	2.6	6	1.2/4	3.79	14
3	"Polly Wants a Crack at Her"	May 12, 2010	2.1	4	1.1/3	3.04	14
4	"Slight of Hand"	June 2, 2010	2.0	3	0.8/3	2.76	13
5	"This Is Why We Stay"	June 9, 2010	1.9	3	0.8/2	2.58	11
6	"Questions and Antlers"	June 16, 2010	1.6	3	0.6/2	2.17	12