Starz was sneakily 2023's best cable network. Then it canceled Shining Vale
Starz's original 2023 programming helped prove it's a worthy premium cable competitor, except for some unfortunate cancelations and removing Shining Vale
Goddamnit, Starz, you had it kind of good this year. With Power-house franchises, the return of a cult classic, Outlander’s latest season, and rescuing Minx, the premium cable network sneakily delivered an outstanding year of TV, even if it sadly canceled some of its notable gems. Another blow came recently with the topical horror comedy Shining Vale, led by an excellent Courteney Cox. It returned in October with a twisted, resonant, and funny second season. The finale aired on December 1, and just three weeks later, the show was canceled. To make it worse, Starz will remove it from the platform at the end of 2023 so no one else can catch up to it. It’ll probably never get the chance to find its audience.
Imagine if you couldn’t stream Party Down anywhere after it faded away in 2010. How would the biting satire about trying to make it in showbiz have turned into a beloved cult phenomenon? It’s why Starz brought its now-famous original series back for six ingenious episodes this spring. The third season was fantastic and worthwhile—it made it to The A.V. Club’s Best Shows Of The Year list. It also feels like Starz was committed to increasing its audacious lineup when it saved Minx after Max canceled it as production on season two was wrapping up. If not, we wouldn’t have gotten a sublime new run of Ellen Rapaport’s ’70s-set workplace comedy. Starring Jake Johnson and Ophelia Lovibond, it navigates the complexities of running a women’s erotic magazine.
Based on these two wacky comedies alone, Starz is building a fascinating niche, so Shining Vale’s cancelation is surprising (along with how it wasn’t promoted nearly enough). Jeff Astrof and Sharon Horgan’s series is equal parts ridiculous and poignant. Cox plays Pat Phelps, a writer who is either possessed and seeing ghosts or, well, severely depressed. As good as Shining Vale is, mourning a canceled-too-soon series is a given at this point. However, what hits hard is Starz’s succumbing to the horrendous habit of erasing it from the library entirely. (Thanks for making this bullshit feel trendy, David Zaslav).
While not enough people might have watched and absorbed the wit of Shining Vale for two seasons, now they’ll never even get the chance to see it. This has, of course, been happening across the spectrum with platforms like HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, and more removing their content. How are creative originals supposed to find and sustain an audience if there’s a threat of disappearing completely? Make it make sense (unless you’re a CEO, then I don’t want to hear from you ever). Anyway, RIP Shining Vale, which will be evicted from its home by the end of the year.