'Happy Town' is one very creepy place

PASADENA, Calif. — The producers of "Happy Town" fully expect their show will be compared to "Twin Peaks."

"I ran into someone who was in 'Twin Peaks' recently, and I said to her, 'I'll give you a dollar for every review of my new show that doesn't mention your show, and I guarantee you I won't wind up owing you a nickel,' " said creator/executive producer Scott Rosenbaum. "It's one of those things that you sort of can't avoid. ('Happy Town') is a spooky, small-town show, and that was sort of the gold standard for spooky, small-town shows.

"It's certainly not 'Twin Peaks.' It's a different time. It's a different show. But at the same time, there is a lot of 'Twin Peaks' DNA in 'Happy Town.' "

The most obvious difference is that the producers of "Happy Town" seem to have a plan, whereas the producers of "Twin Peaks" didn't have a clue where they were going.

"Happy Town" is set in the small town of Haplin, Minn. At first glance, it's a nice place, but there's a dark undercurrent. Things have been peaceful for the past five years, but there was a series of unsolved kidnappings.

And the kidnapper — the Magic Man — has never been caught.

In the opening moments of Wednesday's premiere, there's a horrific murder that's tied back to the Magic Man's crimes. (There are a couple of horrific acts of violence in the first hour, but — while it's clear what's happening — we don't actually see the acts.)

The town is filled with characters who may or may not be what they appear. Who have mysteries of their own.

At the center of all this is good-guy Tommy Conroy (Geoff Stults), a deputy whose father is the longtime town sheriff.

The cast includes Tommy's wife, Rachel (Amy Acker); his daughter, Emma (Sophia Ewaniuk); and his childhood friend, Big Dave Duncan (Abraham Benrubi).

Henley Boone (Lauren German) has just arrived in town, and she's not who she says she is.

The matriarch of the town's powerful Haplin family, Peggy (Frances Conroy), has her own agenda. Her son, John (Stephen Weber), is obsessed with the kidnapping of his daughter by the Magic Man years earlier. John's son, Andrew (Ben Schnetzer), is secretly involved with Georgia Bravin (Sarah Gadon), a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who witnessed a horrible crime.