Courteney Cox to Lead Starz Horror Comedy Pilot ‘Shining Vale’

Joe Otterson

28 February 2020 at 3:47 pm·3-min read

Courteney Cox has signed on for a starring role in the Starz horror comedy pilot.

The half-hour series follows a dysfunctional family that moves from the city to a small town into a house in which terrible atrocities have taken place. But no one seems to notice except for Pat (Cox), who’s convinced she’s either depressed or possessed.

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Pat is further described as former “wild child” who rose to fame by writing a raunchy, drug-and-alcohol-soaked women’s empowerment novel. Fast forward 17 years later, Pat is clean and sober but totally unfulfilled. She still hasn’t written her second novel, she can’t remember the last time she had sex with her husband, and her teenage kids are at that stage where they love their vile friends and want you dead. She was a faithful wife until her one slip-up: a torrid 15-night-stand with a hot, young artist/handyman/musician neighbor. In a last-ditch effort to save her marriage, she and her family move from the “crazy” of the city to a large, old house in the suburbs.

“As Starz continues to expand its slate of original comedy series, we are incredibly proud to bring a talented actress such as Courteney Cox to the network to topline ‘Shining Vale,’” said Jeffrey Hirsch, president and CEO of Starz. “Her previous success in the genre combined with her well-honed comedic chops make her the ideal actor to bring Pat to life.”

News of Cox signing on to the premium cable pilot comes on the heels of the announcement that she and her fellow “Friends” alums had all signed on for an unscripted reunion special at HBO Max. Cox starred on that show for over 200 episodes throughout its run on NBC. She then went on to star in the popular ABC comedy “Cougar Town” for six seasons. On the feature side, Cox is known for her role in the “Scream” franchise.

She is repped by WME and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

The “Shining Vale” pilot is written and executive produced by Jeff Astrof, with Astrof and Sharon Horgan having written the story. Astrof executive produces under his Other Shoe Productions banner, while Horgan and Clelia Mountford executive produce for Merman. Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor of Kapital Entertainment also executive produce. Dearbhla Walsh will direct and executive produce the pilot. Warner Bros. Television and Lionsgate Television will produce. Senior vice president of original programming Susan Lewis is the Starz executive in charge of “Shining Vale.”

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