Streaming Pick – Happy!
Your weekly Netflix pick is a SyFy original. Don’t worry it’s streaming on Netflix. Also don’t worry, it doesn’t involve low budget hybrid animals. Happy! Is an excellent series based on the Grant Morrison comic book.
Nick Sax (Christopher Meloni) was a great detective. Was. Now Nick is a depressed alcoholic hitman. On the run from both sides of the law Nick meets a new friend in a bizarre encounter. Happy (Patton Oswalt), a miniature flying cartoon unicorn. Happy enlists Nick’s help in finding a missing girl.
Sound ridiculous? It is. Really, the imaginary friend coming to life isn’t the most bizarre thing to happen in the first season of this show. Evil Santa, drug abuse, hyper stylized violence, costumed sex clubs, and more! Countless inexplicable elements grace the screen as the story unfolds.
Meloni is perfect to portray the hero cop turned junkie turned reluctant… hero? He’s an asshole. There’s no two ways about it. He has a depressed and grim demeanor. His attitude is a direct contrast to Oswalt’s kid created and (mostly) kid friendly Happy.
The comedy, while Odd Couple level predictable, never stops being funny. The corruption Nick throws on Happy and the so sweet it’ll rot your teeth attitude he returns are pitch perfect. There’s never an attempt that justifies, explains, or excuses any of the insanity in the story. Furthermore, of all the ridiculousness nothing is included for shock value. Any concept, no matter how absurd, can work if talented people respect the subject matter.
The strength of the writing in the comic book should come as no surprise to even the most casual comic fan. Grant Morrison is a god of his craft. A completely original writer who delivers hit after his of original content. Morrison has written some of the biggest names in comics. Morrison is also a trained play write. He stays involved adapting his creations for the big and small screen.
SyFy channel knocks Happy out of the park. The golden age of TV is looking ever brighter. More Morrison projects are currently in development. SyFy’s currently bringing Deadly Class, another graphic medium, to life.
