Premium network Starz has ordered a pilot for half hour horror comedy Shining Vale. The single-camera series will center around a dysfunctional family who moves to a small town and into a house with a dark history. Soon after, Pat, the mom, begins to exhibit depressive symptoms, which may be the result of demonic possession. In addition to flirting with the paranormal, the show will play on the realities of mental illness and their effects on a family.
The series is the brainchild of Sharon Horgan, creator of HBO’s Divorce, and Jeff Astrof, co-creator of NBC’s Trial & Error. The pair co-wrote the pilot script and will serve as executive producers on Shining Vale. It will be co-produced by Warner Bros. TV, with whom Astrof has an overall deal, and Lionsgate, which owns Starz. This will be done in partnership with frequent Horgan collaborator Kapital Entertainment. Kapital brings with it some experience in the horror comedy genre, the company having produced The Santa Clarita Diet for Netflix. This marks the first time one of its shows has landed at Starz. Joining Horgan and Astrof as executive producers is Clelia Mountford from Horgan’s production company Merman, as well as Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor from Kapital.
Shining Vale faced a difficult development cycle before being picked up by Starz. The show originally landed at Showtime after a competitive bidding process, but then went into turnaround when Horgan could not be attached as the series lead. More than a year after Showtime’s pilot commitment, the show will go forward on a rival premium network.
It is currently unclear whether Horgan will act in the series. The multitalented writer-actress is known for co-creating and starring in the British series Catastrophe, which ended its run on Amazon this year. Horgan earned an Emmy nomination for co-writing that show’s pilot.