Summer 2014 TCA: MTV's Happyland

I know some people would be happy working at a dream company in any capacity - my sister is one of those people. For many, Walt Disney World is that company, even though it's been said that many clinically depressed people work at "the happiest place on Earth." It's a strange juxtaposition, and something I admittedly don't have a lot of knowledge about, which is part of the draw to MTV's new dramedy, Happyland.

MTV

Elena works (as a princess) at one of the country's most popular theme parks, but her teenage daughter, Lucy, is cynical about manufactured happiness and wants to break outside the bubble. However, love gets in the way when the park's owner's son sweeps her off her feet... only to have her come crashing down (really, really hard!) as she begins to learn that Happyland should not be a book judged by its cover.

There's a big twist that may have some viewers running away (it's a taboo topic, really), but the EPs claim that they're playing with soap opera tropes, so twists may not last when something different happens. But, if you can get past that, there could be some interesting theme park stuff going on... after all, it was filmed partially at Magic Mountain, and one of the cast members, Cameron Moulene (who plays Will), actually worked at Universal Studios when he was sixteen (as a line manager on Shrek 4-D). On the flip side, Shane Harper (Ian) is terrified of rides, yet has to film on rollercoasters.

Watch for Happyland on MTV premiering Tuesday, September 30th at 11pm ET/PT. If it's been a while since you tuned into the once-huge music network, look for it on DirecTV 331, DISH 160/1333, FiOS 210/710, U-Verse 502/1502, and other carriers.