STARZ Series Cancelled, Will Be Removed From Streaming

After two seasons, STARZ's Shining Vale has been cancelled by the network, and it will be removed from the platform entirely by the end of the month. Despite starring top-tier talent like Courteney Cox, Mira Sorvino, and Greg Kinnear, a source told Variety that the horror-comedy never earned a large enough following to be renewed. Sadly, it also marks one of many projects that has not only been cancelled by a network, but also made unavailable on streaming apps, which allows the network to cut costs. Interestingly, STARZ stepped in to save the HBO Max series Minx when it had been axed by that platform, with Season 2 of the series having debuted earlier this year. It's unclear if a new network could revive Shining Vale.

Variety claimed that co-creator Jeff Astrof shared on his private Instagram account, "What an absolute joy I had working on this show. Not a single bad day. Please watch the STARZ (turns out limited) series Shining Vale by 12/31."

If the series didn't find a large enough following, it was likely a challenge to justify its costs. Even if the project wasn't a massive epic akin to other big-budget programs, Cox is one of the most successful TV stars of the last few decades, thanks to her work on Friends and Cougar Town, and her talents likely came with a substantial pricetag.

In addition to Cox, Kinnear, and Sorvino, Shining Vale also starred Gus Birney (Dickinson), Merrin Dungey (Big Little Lies, The Resident), and Dylan Gage (PEN15), and features Emmy Award nominees Judith Light (Poker Face), Allison Tolman (Gaslit, Why Women Kill), and Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks).  

Season 2 of the series just premiered in October, which was described, "Pat (Cox) went through extensive Electroshock Therapy, and when she returns home she meets a mysterious woman who introduces her to a host of ancient remedies used to "cure" women of depression, including the apocryphal Smile Masks. Season 2 explores what's in store for the Phelps family as they continue to be haunted by ghosts while Pat struggles to live with mental illness among a broken family, battling demons both internally...and externally."

Potentially complicating the overall reception of the series is that, after Season 1 debuted in 2022, Season 2 didn't have the benefit of a traditional promotional circuit, as it came out during the actors' strike, which prevented the stars from talking about the project.

Stay tuned for possible updates on a future for Shining Vale.

What do you think of the cancellation? Let us know in the comments!