Still mulling over whether or not to pay a visit to ABC’s HAPPY TOWN this evening? Allow us to save you some valuable time that might be better spend clearing off your DVR, reading a book, or dare we say it, getting off the couch! No, really. To borrow a line from ABC’s very own advertising campaign, “Don’t let the name fool you.” Or the fantastic ensemble of TV Addict favorites including Amy Acker, Sam Neil, Francis Conroy, and Steven Weber for that matter. Simply put, having watched endured the first two episodes of HAPPY TOWN that introduces us to a quirky Minnesota town named Haplin (Hence, the title!) that has been plagued by a slew of kidnappings at the hands of the mysterious “Magic Man,” you probably can guess who we’re rooting for.
What’s worse — for ABC that is — is that we’re not alone! And to prove it, we’ve collected a few choice quotes from some of our favorite TV critics that we have a feeling won’t be making the HAPPY TOWN poster anytime soon.
“HAPPY TOWN just lays there like a pretentious blob of unkneaded yeast,” is just one of 10(!) reasons TV Guide Magazine’s Matt Roush includes in his list of why life will be a happier place if you steer clear of HAPPY TOWN!
“One of the worst written show in recent painful memory,” says USA Today… the paper that loves everything!
“You’ll want to go to a place without televisions,” promises the New York Times.
“You’ll want to go to a place without televisions,” promises the New York Times.
“The only similarities I could find between it [HAPPY TOWN] and TWIN PEAKS were that (A) they both air on ABC and (B) they are both set in small towns where the sunny exteriors belie a secret underbelly of darkness,” bemoans the Televisionary who let’s just say was not a fan.
“It’s like being dragged to a dinner theater where the troupe has decided to stage an amateur adaptation of TWIN PEAKS as a hammy homage to that show’s 20th anniversary this month.” swears The Washington Post. 
HAPPY TOWN premieres Wednesday April 28 at 10PM on ABC (“A” Channel in Canada)