After a five year hiatus from being a series regular on television, Friends and Cougar Town star Courteney Cox returns to the small screen. And this time, she’s making it an extra spooky affair. Cox has been tapped to star in the Starz horror-comedy pilot Shining Vale, playing a woman who just might be possessed.
The show stars Cox as Patricia “Pat” Phelps, a wild child who grew up addicted to drugs and alcohol, then turned her life around by writing about her wild child life and subsequent recovery. Now a successful women’s empowerment author, Pat is in a bit of a slump. She can’t crack a follow-up novel, her lovelife with her husband is lacking, and her teenage kids hate the heck out of her. How can she turn things around? By moving to the suburbs in a grandiose home — where, as it turns out, horrific atrocities were committed. As things get spookier and spookier, is Pat starting to undergo symptoms of demonic possession?
Image via Dimension Films
Cox has quite the track record in the horror-comedy genre, centering Wes Craven‘s classic Scream franchise. As Jeffrey Hirsch, President and CEO of Starz, put it: “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.’ Her previous success in the genre combined with her well-honed comedic chops make her the ideal actor to bring Pat to life.” Currently, Cox is the executive producer and host of Facebook Watch documentary series Nine Months with Courteney Cox.
The pilot is written by Jeff Astrof (Trial & Error) and Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe), and directed by Dearbhla Walsh (The Handmaid’s Tale). That trio executive produces, alongside Clelia Mountford (Motherland), Aaron Kaplan (Life in Pieces), and Dana Honor (A Million Little Things). Based on this behind-the-camera pedigree, my joy of the horror-comedy genre, and the underrated chops of Cox, consider this a pilot I am excited for.
For more on Cox, check out the intel on the Friends HBO Max reunion. Plus: a very fun video from the actor making fun of her Scream 3 lewk.
