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Happyland
Genre Comedy drama
Created byBen Epstein
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time22 minutes
Production companyStoryline Entertainment
Original release
Network MTV
ReleaseSeptember 30 (2014-09-30) –
November 18, 2014 (2014-11-18)

Happyland is an American comedy drama television series created by Ben Epstein. The series aired for one eight-episode season from September 30 through November 18, 2014, on MTV. [1] [2] On January 8, 2015, MTV officially cancelled the series. [3] [4]

Plot

Happyland follows the reality of the park workers of one of the most popular theme parks in America. The series centers on Lucy, the cynical daughter of the park's Princess Adriana, who, after deciding that she wants to leave the park and experience something real, is swept off her feet by the new park owner's son, Ian, not knowing that Ian is one of her half brothers and the park owner is her real dad.

Cast

Main cast
  • Bianca A. Santos as Lucy Velez, is the secret love child of Elena Velez and James Chandler, who was raised by her single mother and not knowing who her dad is. When she first kisses Ian, her mother interrupts them and reveals that Ian is her brother, also revealing that her dad is James Chandler. When she and Ian are partnered together as Princess Adriana and Prince Valor, she freaks out when they have to kiss and tells him that they are siblings. Soon after, they discover that they are not siblings and kiss again.
  • Camille Guaty as Elena Velez, is the mother of Lucy and has been working in Happyland amusement park for 20 years as Princess Adriana. When she was in her late teens, she had a fling with James and became pregnant with Lucy. After he discovered the pregnancy, he left for New York with his family, leaving Elena to be a single mother. She kept the identity of Lucy's dad a secret.
  • Shane Harper as Ian Chandler, is the son of James and brother of Theodore. Ian first meets Lucy when he is high inside the Ricky Raccoon costume and faints on stage. When Ian and Lucy are doing a scene together, she reveals to him that they are brother and sister. Later they discover they are not brother and sister. He is also a Love Child.
  • Ryan Rottman as Theodore "Theo" Chandler, is the son of James and older brother of Ian and Lucy. Theodore works in the Happyland executive department under his father. He is also unaware that he is related to Lucy.
  • Katherine McNamara as Harper Munroe, is Lucy's friend and Will's girlfriend. She is insecure about her relationship with Will because she believes he is in love with Lucy.
  • Cameron Moulene as Will Armstrong, is Lucy's best friend and Harper's boyfriend. He is possibly in love with Lucy but can't admit it. When he meets Ian, he becomes jealous of his relationship with Lucy and acts out.
Recurring cast
  • Brady Smith as James Chandler, owner of Happyland. He is the father of Theodore, Ian, and Lucy. He is involved with Elena, although he is married to Margot Chandler.
  • Chris Sheffield as Noah Watson. He is a college intern at Happyland and dated Lucy for a short while before she found out that he was cheating on her.
  • Josh Groban as "Dirty" Dave, a Happyland bartender. He is a long-time employee and therefore knows a lot about the people that come and out of the park.
  • Danielle Bisutti as Margot Chandler, the wife of James and the mother of Theodore and Ian. She is unaware of James and Elena's affair, although she might have some secrets of her own.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot" Lee Toland KriegerBen EpsteinSeptember 30, 2014 (2014-09-30)0.42 [5]
Lucy is on a quest to get away from the park's manufactured happiness and be part of something real. Elena reveals a secret to Lucy.
2"Price of Admission"Ryan ShirakiJill CargermanOctober 7, 2014 (2014-10-07)0.43 [6]
A house party within Dazzle (the Happyland owned town) brings a new flirtation in the form of a college intern and a fight with Harper that leaves Lucy reeling.
3"Never Break Character" Peter LauerBen EpsteinOctober 14, 2014 (2014-10-14)0.35 [7]
Lucy and Ian must pass character training together to continue getting paid, and with a looming, eviction Lucy is highly motivated. Ian however is not. And Will gets in a fight defending Lucy's honor, leaving Harper jilted.
4"Park Maintenance"Peter Lauer Joanna CaloOctober 21, 2014 (2014-10-21)0.27 [8]
At an employee only night in Happyland, Lucy is on an emotional rollercoaster after catching Harper with Ian. Though her attempts to repair her "Happyland family" fail, a new crush in Noah might take the pain away.
5"Repeated Infractions"Rebecca AsherPeter WarrenOctober 28, 2014 (2014-10-28)0.40 [9]
Lucy and Noah's first night out becomes an unwelcome double date with Harper and Ian. When Lucy goes off to help Harper, she gets arrested. Meanwhile, Will helps Theo with an outrageous request.
6"Disorderly Conduct"Rebecca AsherErica HarrellNovember 4, 2014 (2014-11-04)0.37 [10]
After learning that Ian got Will his new job at the park, Will and Ian immediately bond. Meanwhile, Lucy plans to go on a trip with Noah to visit his college. However, after Will and Ian find out what kinda of guy Noah is, they convince Lucy that she doesn't need to go off with him.
7"Leave of Absence"David KatzenbergJill CargermanNovember 11, 2014 (2014-11-11)0.35 [11]
Elena and James started to become romantic once again but when an unexpected guest at a wedding it happens to turn out to being James' wife. Will and Lucy began dating until Theo figures out Lucy's secret and attempts to rid Lucy and Elena of his father.
8"Your Happyland Family"David KatzenbergBen EpsteinNovember 18, 2014 (2014-11-18)0.40 [12]
Lucy finds out that Ian might not actually be her brother and doesn't know if she should share the news. When James shows up at Elena and Lucy's place one night, he figures out the truth about Lucy. Later, it is revealed that Theodore had always known that Ian wasn't a real Chandler and Ian is furious. Lucy and Ian's feelings re-emerge and Will and Harper walk in on them making out.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an aggregate review score of 56% based on 5 positive and 4 negative critic reviews. [13]

References

  1. ^ "Video: Tuesday's Are Getting a Little Happier When MTV's New Series "Happyland" Premieres on September 30 at 11:00 PM ET/PT". The Futon Critic. September 16, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  2. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 18, 2013). "MTV Picks Up Comedy Pilots 'Happyland' & 'Faking It' To Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  3. ^ Abrams, Natalie (January 8, 2015). "MTV cancels 'Happyland' after one season". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021.
  4. ^ Swift, Andy (2015-01-08). "Happyland Cancelled by MTV". TVLine. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
  5. ^ Cantor, Brian (October 1, 2014). "Ratings: MTV's "Happyland" Attracts 423K Viewers". Headline Planet. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  6. ^ Cantor, Brian (8 October 2014). "Ratings: "Happyland" Viewership Rises in Week Two". Headline Planet. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  7. ^ Cantor, Brian (15 October 2014). "Ratings: "Happyland" Viewership Falls 19%; "Faking It" Also Down". Headline Planet. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  8. ^ Cantor, Brian (22 October 2014). "Ratings: "Happyland" Suffers Another Decline". Headline Planet. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  9. ^ Cantor, Brian (29 October 2014). "Ratings: "Happyland" Up 50%"". Headline Planet. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  10. ^ Cantor, Brian (5 November 2014). "Ratings: "Happyland" Viewership Declines By 8%". Headline Planet. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  11. ^ Cantor, Brian (12 November 2014). "Ratings: "Happyland" Viewership Slides Despite Huge "Faking It" Boost". Headline Planet. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  12. ^ Cantor, Brian (19 November 2014). "Ratings: "Happyland" Viewership Rises for Season Finale". Headline Planet. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  13. ^ "Happyland". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 3, 2022.

External links

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