The Christopher Meloni Must-See Netflix Series That Will Explode Your Brain
If you only know Christopher Meloni from the Law & Order family of crime procedurals, then you are missing out on one of the most gonzo comedic actors of his generation. No show or movie showcases Meloni’s unique brand of deranged shenanigans more than Happy! on Netflix.
The best way to describe Happy! would be Drop Dead Fred mixed with a Troma movie and written by Anthony Jeselnick. It’s a darkly comic, over-the-top disgusting, fever dream of a show featuring an adorable flying unicorn that talks like Patton Oswalt.
Christopher Meloni’s bizarrely hilarious and dark series Happy! is streaming on Netflix.
If that’s not weird enough, there’s an evil child-trafficking Santa Claus, a children’s television host that makes Rainbow Randolph from Death to Smoochy look like Barney the Dinosaur, weird orgies where people dress up like bugs, and just for good measure, aliens.
Before Happy! came to Netflix, it was originally a Syfy original, and before that, it was a comic book written by non-binary comics legend Grant Morrison and drawn by Darick Robertson. The show stars Christopher Meloni as Nick Sax, a somehow unkillable former detective now spending his days drinking, drugging, and doing hitjobs for the mob.
One day, in the midst of a massive heart attack, Sax sees an animated tiny blue, flying unicorn named Happy, voiced by Patton Oswalt.
Happy is the imaginary friend of Nick’s estranged daughter Hailey (Bryce Lorenzo) with his ex-wife (Medina Senghore). Happy—who only Sax can see—explains that Hailey has been abducted by an evil man dressed as Santa and begs the former cop to help him find her.
“Happy! certainly isn’t for everyone, but its appealingly oddball concept and strong performances from Chris Meloni and Patton Oswalt make for a gritty, dark comedy with definite—albeit unusual—appeal.”
–Rotten Tomatoes
During their search, they uncover a global conspiracy involving child trafficking, sex cults, aliens, ancient gods, and the apocalypse. Did we mention that Happy! is a comedy?
One of Sax’s biggest nemeses across the series’ two seasons is Smoothie, played by Patrick Fischler, a sociopathic enforcer for mob boss Mr. Blue who takes great joy in torturing his victims in absurdly violent ways.
At one point, Smoothie reveals the origin of his nickname—think of a pantsless Ken doll—as he violently assaults Christopher Meloni with a strap-on. If you’re squeamish, this may not be the show for you.
Happy was originally voiced by SNL alum Bobby Moynihan in the pilot before the decision was made to replace him with Patton Oswalt. Moynihan’s lines were completely rerecorded by Oswalt prior to the pilot airing. The series had its debut on December 6, 2017, on Syfy, with the series’s second and final season airing in early 2019.
Despite being the television equivalent of a serial killer obsessed with Garbage Pail Kids, Happy! has a more than respectable 80% on Rotten Tomatoes—proving that you don’t have to have questionable morals to be a critic, but it probably helps.
The website’s critical consensus reads, “Happy! certainly isn’t for everyone, but its appealingly oddball concept and strong performances from Chris Meloni and Patton Oswalt make for a gritty, dark comedy with definite—albeit unusual—appeal.”
The Death Of Happy!
Unfortunately, the splatterpunk meets nihilism aesthetic of Happy! was never going to appeal to a wide audience, and the series suffered from declining ratings over its two seasons, leading Syfy to cancel it after only 18 episodes. Happy!‘s sudden cancellation was a shame because it might just be one of Christopher Meloni’s best roles to date.
Obviously, the Emmys would never give an award to a show where an alcoholic rips the giant penis off of a statue and uses it to assault a security guard while Anne Margaret sings a musical number, but, man, did this show deserve it.
Christopher Meloni, in particular, put his all into Nick Sax. A character like Sax could have easily been nothing but a vulgar Looney Tune in the hands of a lesser actor.
Instead, thanks to Meloni’s talent and skill, Nick comes off as a down-on-his-luck loser who is at times pathetic, hilarious, scary, and sweet all in equal measure. That’s not to say that Meloni carried Happy! all on his lonesome, far from it.
Everyone in the cast is giving 110 percent, from Patrick Fischler’s creepy portrayal of Smoothie to Bryce Lorenzo’s Hailey, who’s the perfect mix of brave and scared during her time being abducted. Patton Oswalt, in particular, does such a good job with the overly naive title character that you, too, will believe in imaginary friends if you give Happy! a shot.
The gloriously depraved, pitch-black Happy! is currently streaming now on Netflix. If you’re a fan of movies like The Toxic Avenger or Peter Jackon’s early work, this is the show for you!
