Late Tuesday evening, SYFY announced that they would not be renewing HAPPY! for a third season. By that same token, the network also expelled DEADLY CLASS from its lineup after just one season. Both shows are based on graphic novel properties hailing from indie comic book publisher Image Comics.
When HAPPY! first arrived on the network in December of 2017, the bizarre series starring Christopher Meloni and featuring the voice of Patton Oswalt, pulled decent numbers despite not being a part of the superhero zeitgeist. Unfortunately, the show's second season was unable to stay the course, with viewership dropping significantly after the release of each episode. That being said, HAPPY! eventually made its way to Netflix, where the show has become one of the streamer's most-watched selections. Be it the show's immediate binge-ability on the service, or the notion that people are simply too busy to tune into the program every week on SFYF, it could be that HAPPY! will be picked up by Netflix for another season in due time. For the moment, we know that UPC, who produces the hybrid live-action/animated series, is shopping HAPPY! to other outlets.
As for DEADLY CLASS, a show that was the #1 trending topic on Twitter with the release of each episode … I got nothing. Honestly, I've been waiting for the hammer to come down on this show for weeks, though I can't quite wrap my head around the idea that it failed. Apparently, ratings for the show were strong, but not solid enough for SYFY to grant the show a second semester. It's a damn shame, too. In my opinion, DEADLY CLASS was one of the best new comic book-related shows on television. It starred a killer cast lead by DOCTOR STRANGE's Benedict Wong, featured a joyous 80s-inspired soundtrack, boasted deep and meaningful character chemistry, and was very much an "assassins attend Hogwarts for killers" concept. Seriously, how does something like this fail?
As much as it pains me to think that we might never see a follow-up to the show's intense Season 1 finale, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, my friends. It's been reported that Sony Pictures TV is working diligently to shop DEADLY CLASS to other networks. And not to sound like a broken record, but put that shit on Netflix. I personally think DEADLY CLASS would clean up on that platform, especially if promoted alongside THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY – which is well on its way to a Season 2 offering.
If you've never tuned in for HAPPY!, the show is based on Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson’s graphic novel of the same name. The show centers on disgraced police detective Nick Sax (Christopher Meloni), who lives as a social outcast, filling his days with heavy drinking and substance abuse, moonlighting as a hitman to feed his various habits. After sustaining a massive heart attack, Nick comes into contact with a small, blue, winged unicorn named Happy (an animated character voiced by Patton Oswalt) that apparently only he can see. Happy explains he is the imaginary friend of a little girl named Hailey, who has been kidnapped by a deranged man dressed as Santa Claus ("Very Bad Santa"). Happy reveals that Hailey is Nick's estranged daughter, and sought Nick's aid believing him to be the hero cop that Hailey envisioned him to be. Though skeptical at first, Nick reluctantly agrees and the two work to save Hailey. (Wikipedia)
As for DEADLY CLASS, here is the official comic book synopsis upon which the show is based:
It’s 1987. Marcus Lopez hates school. His grades suck. He has no money. The jocks are hassling his friends. He can't focus in class, thanks to his mind constantly drifting to the stunning girl in the front row and the Dag Nasty show he has tickets to. But the jocks are the children of Joseph Stalin's top assassin, the teachers are members of an ancient league of assassins, the class he’s failing is "Dismemberment 101," and his crush, a member of the most notorious crime syndicate in Japan, has a double-digit body count. Welcome to the most brutal high school on Earth, where the world’s top crime families send the next generation of assassins to be trained. Murder is an art. Killing is a craft. At King’s Dominion High School for the Deadly Arts, the dagger in your back isn’t always metaphorical, nor is your fellow classmates' poison.
Hopefully, both programs will get another chance to shine on other networks, though that remains to be seen. If you dug either show, be sure to voice your enthusiasm on social media, as that method has worked for pulling shows back from the brink on more than one occasion.