Upamanyu Biswas
‘Happy Face’ revolves around Melissa Reed, a married woman with two kids, whose life is upended when her serial killer father, Happy Face, AKA Keith Hunter Jesperson, reemerges in the public eye to draw attention to a mysterious ninth murder victim. Desperate to run away from his clutches, Melissa keeps his identity a secret in her professional and private life. However, matters get complicated when the protagonist gets drawn into a complex situation owing to her job at ‘The Dr. Greg Show,’ a daytime show focused on promoting life advice through the words of host and presenter Dr. Greg. Keith forces his daughter into a tough spot by revealing his connection to Melissa on a phone call to Dr. Greg. Subsequently, the woman must navigate her personal battles as the popularization of her life experiences becomes the subject of huge contention on ‘The Dr. Greg Show.’
The Dr. Greg Show Vaguely Resembles Dr. Phil
When it comes to realism, ‘Happy Face’ walks a tightrope between fictionalized events and real-life elements. The show is a blend of both, mainly centering on the experiences of Melissa Moore, the real daughter of Keith Hunter Jesperson. It is adapted from Moore’s true crime podcast, ‘Happy Face’ and her 2009 autobiography ‘Shattered Silence,’ which she co-wrote with M. Bridget Cook. As such, numerous contextual details line up with Moore’s real life while also breaking the bounds of reality to craft a wholly original thriller tale. To that end, ‘The Dr. Greg Show,’ a fictional daytime show hosted by the fictional Dr. Greg, is a creation of Jennifer Cacicio, the series creator. While no specific real-life shows serve as a basis for its conception, it is likely inspired by another show with a similar premise: ‘Dr. Phil.’
Created by Oprah Winfrey and Phil McGraw, who also serves as presenter, ‘Dr. Phil’ is a show where McGraw tackles challenging cases of psychology with a guest who is going through a tough situation. In many ways, this is also the premise of ‘The Dr. Greg Show’ in ‘Happy Face.’ The show’s host, Dr. Greg, parallels Phil McGraw in various ways, including the manner in which he interacts with his guests and tries to dig into their problems. It is also worth noting that Melissa Moore, the primary inspiration for the series, also made a guest appearance on ‘Dr. Phil’ in the past. It is possible that the creative team wanted to reflect on her experiences and memories of the event in a fictional manner through the inclusion of ‘The Dr. Greg Show.’ Thus, the show combines real and fictional elements to create something unique that does not necessarily reflect reality accurately.
While there are several connecting dots between Dr. Greg and Phil McGraw and their respective shows, it does not mean they are all the same. For one, the former is a fictional show where Melissa Reed, Moore’s fictional counterpart and the main protagonist, finds herself under the spotlight once the secret about her father’s identity comes out of the wash. As such, it serves as a narrative device to aid Melissa in coming to terms with her parentage and moving forward from the trauma it inflicted on her childhood. It essentially acts as a lightning rod for her story to move in new directions, such as exploring the fallout of announcing her father’s identity to the whole world. The same cannot be said for ‘Dr. Phil.’ Therefore, both Dr. Greg and his daytime show remain a figment of imagination with no connections to real life.
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