Starz, fresh off axing four of its scripted originals, is replenishing its roster.
The Lionsgate-backed premium cable network has handed out an eight-episode series order to The Hunting Wives, a thriller based on May Cobb’s book of the same name.
Hightown’s Rebecca Cutter will serve as showrunner on Hunting, which follows Sophie O’Neil and her family’s move from the East Coast to deep red East Texas, where she succumbs to socialite Margo Banks’ charms and finds her life consumed by obsession, seduction and murder.
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Erwin Stoff (The Serpent Queen) will exec produce the series alongside Cutter. The series is produced by Lionsgate and 3 Arts Entertainment.
“The Hunting Wives is a juicy, suspenseful and sultry thrill-ride,” said Kathryn Busby, president of original programming at Starz. “We’re excited to continue to work with Rebecca and Erwin on this propulsive series that perfectly complements Starz’s slate of edgy, female-forward premium content.”
The pickup for Hunting comes a week after Starz canceled Heels, Run the World and Blindspotting after two seasons apiece and opted to ax The Venery of Samantha Bird before its premiere. The latter series, which was set to star Katherine Langford, was midway through production before it was shut down amid the writers strike. All four series were also produced in-house by Lionsgate, with Samantha Bird a co-production with Paramount Television.
The remainder of originals at Starz on the scripted front includes BMF, Shining Vale, Hightown, Outlander, P-Valley and the multi-series Power franchise, among others.
Starz did not respond to The Hollywood Reporter’s request for comment about the decision to cancel three series and drop another that was midway through production only to pick up Hunting, which has yet to be cast or written.
