I admit, when I first saw the promo reel for Happyland at the MTV portion of the cable summer press tour, I knew I had to see more.
At first, glance, the show looks like your typical girl-meets-boy romance, and in a true MTV fashion, then turns the concept on its ear. And apparently, that’s just the start.
Happyland follows a 17-year-old girl named Lucy (Bianca Santos) who is mostly all work and no play. As her mom is content to just be a park princess, Lucy wants more… and idiots showing up for work high are going to make her job more difficult. That’s her first interaction with Ian Chandler (Shane Harper), a connected individual new to the character department, and there is abs-olutely some chemistry between the two of them when they first meet.
The “haves and have nots” have always made for good television throughout the years. Veronica Mars’ annoyance with the 09ers is one I remember most vividly in recent years. Here, you have Lucy and the working-class types at The Brick, and the fancy, upper-class area near the park called “Dazzle.” Lucy’s best friend has moved there. While there doesn’t seem to be a lot of tension between them about this, it’s clear the friendship is changing. Harper (the best friend)’s move also seems to affect her boyfriend, Will, played by the charismatic Cameron Moulene.
In the end, Happyland is about wanting more… even if everything you might want is right there in front of you. Lucy wants to get away, but her family and friends are in Happyland. And, yes, like I mentioned there’s a twist… and if you haven’t seen the trailer yet, maybe you’ll just want to hold off and see it play out for yourself.
If there’s any complaint I have at all about Happyland, it goes back to what I said the show is about: Wanting more. I thought it might be an hour-long show, but when the episode ended within a half an hour, I yelled at my TV, as if that would magically give me Episode 2. The time per episode goes by REALLY FAST, but like any good amusement park ride, that’s what makes it fun, right? But, hey, Awkward. and Faking It are also half-hours, and that seems to work well for MTV, and it’s also good for short attention spans, and GREAT for marathons. And I lied: There is a second complaint. Only 8 episodes for Season 1? That’s also not nearly enough. Anyway: If you want to see a fun show with some interesting turns, some actual laughs, mascot fights, lots of pretty people, and developing drama bubbling underneath, this is a show to watch. It’ll only take a half hour of your time for your first ride, and you don’t have to be of a certain height to get on.
Happyland premieres at 11PM tonight (September 30) on MTV.
