Happy Town is More Strange Than Scary; It Stars Sam Neill and Lauren German

Happy Town, starring Sam Neill and Lauren German, premiered on ABC Wednesday night. The mystery dramatic series takes place in Haplin, Minnesota, and centers around alleged abductions plus a new murder allegedly tied to one deemed as the "Magic Man." This murder is the first serious crime that's happened in five years, but begins to open up a can of worms. The episodes of Happy Town are an hour each. The program is very fast moving, but comes across as rather strange instead of creepy or scary, despite the hype.

The ABC Premiere of Happy Town, starring Sam Neill and Lauren German, Was Very Bizarre

The prologue opens with Georgia Bravin (Sarah Gadon) and Andrew Haplin (Ben Schnetzer) making out, and after she's dropped off in the woods because they have a secret romance, she hears something mysterious in a pond's warming shack many feet away, but is relieved after seeing a hawk above her making noise and heads home in relief. Yet in that shack Jerry Friddle, the "town weirdo" is bound and threatened with a gun, and mumbles a confession, but ends up with a spike driven through his head.