New Starz series The Venery of Samantha Bird shut down due to writers' strike

Starz's new upcoming series The Venery of Samantha Bird has halted production due to the WGA writers' strike. Deadline understands that the drama series has paused filming with two more episodes out of eight episodes to shoot. The series will be shot in Montreal.

It comes after Netflix's Rob Lowe comedy series Unstable and HBO Max's Hacks were shut down for similar reasons, and writers' rooms for shows like Starz' Power Book III: Raising Kanan, NBC's Night Court (2023), Netflix's Cobra Kai, Showtime's Yellowjackets and ABC's Abbott Elementary also closed their doors. writing rooms closed.



The series stars Katherine Langford (pictured) in the title role and was created by Anna Moriarty.

It follows Samantha Bird, who reconnects with her childhood sweetheart while visiting relatives in New England and falls headlong into a seemingly perfect fairytale romance. But beneath their feverish dream lurks a more disturbing interpretation of this affair. The series is described as a haunting portrait of addictive love and the repercussions that relationship has on the families of a small New England town.

Finn Jones (Marvel's Iron Fist), Embeth Davidtz (Mad Men), Francesca Reale (Stranger Things), Brenda Strong (13 Reasons Why), Adam Faison (Everything's Gonna Be Okay), Shalini Bathina (Little Voice) and Tyrone Marshall Brown ( Power) also play a leading role.

Moriarty is also an executive producer. Salvatore Stabile (Waco) serves as showrunner and executive producer. Jessica Rhoades (Station Eleven) serves as executive producer through her company Pacesetter Productions, Larysa Kondracki (Them) serves as executive producer, and Rachel Polan serves as co-executive producer.

The series is produced by Lionsgate Television and Paramount Television Studios.