Shining Vale

Did You Know?

• The series was originally in development at Showtime before moving to Starz in August 2019.
• Season 1 holds a 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 24 critic reviews.

Premise

Patricia "Pat" Phelps, a former "wild child" who became famous writing raunchy female empowerment novels, moves with her dysfunctional family from the city to a small town after she is caught cheating on her husband. Their new house is a place where, in the past, terrible atrocities have taken place. Nobody seems to suspect anything odd except for Pat, who is convinced she is either depressed or possessed. Pat has been sober for 16 years but begins to feel very unfulfilled in life—she still has not written her second novel, she cannot remember the last time she had sex with her husband, and her teenage kids have grown up to the point they do not want their mother in their lives. Soon, the demons haunting the family's new home begin to appear much more real.

Production

In January 2018, Showtime put the project from Warner Bros. Television Studios in development with a pilot production commitment. Jeff Astrof and Sharon Horgan created the series and executive produced alongside Clelia Mountford for Merman, and Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor of Kapital Entertainment. In August 2019, the project received an official pilot order and moved to Starz, with Lionsgate Television joining as a co-production studio. In February 2020, Dearbhla Walsh was set to direct and executive produce the pilot. In April 2021, Starz gave the project a series order of eight half-hour episodes. In May 2022, Starz renewed the series for an eight-episode second season. In December 2023, Starz canceled the series after two seasons. Courteney Cox was cast in the lead role in February 2020. Greg Kinnear joined the main cast in July 2020, alongside Gus Birney and Dylan Gage added the following month. Mira Sorvino and Merrin Dungey were cast in main roles in February 2021. Judith Light joined the main cast in August 2021. The pilot episode was filmed throughout March 2021 in Los Angeles. Once the show was greenlit, the rest of the season started shooting in July 2021. Production on season 2 started in October 2022.