Australia’s Stan pairs with Helium for Killings drama

Australian streamer Stan and Mark Fennessy’s Helium Pictures have started production on crime drama The Killings: Parrish Station.

The series, which is being produced in association with distributor ITV Studios, has been created and written by Ben Jenkins (The Chaser), with Mia Wasikowska, Heather Mitchell, Robert Taylor, and Xavier Samuel starring.

It is set to debut next year on Nine Network-owned Stan and marks the first partnership between the streamer and Last King of the Cross producer Helium. 

The drama follows a detective investigating a massacre at a remote research station almost four decades ago, with the show initially rewinding to 1987 to explore a previous attempt to solve the murders that ends up threatening the policewoman’s family and sanity.

Almost four decades later, a chilling new spree of murders pull the detective back into the case.

Tim Pye (Bali 2002), Yolanda Ramke (Cargo) and Catherine Smyth-McMullen (The Sandman) are attached as writers, with Daniel Nettheim (The Tourist) directing.

Nine’s executive director of entertainment commissioning, Michael Healy, described the show as “a bold and distinctive series that pushes the boundaries of Australian drama.”

He added: “It is a testament to creative storytelling at its best, led by the visionary creator Ben Jenkins, who has masterfully woven together a cosmic-horror meets-cold-case tale.

“The series captures the very essence of creative edge and originality that defines Stan’s commitment to groundbreaking content and marks our first collaboration with Helium, whose creative vision has been invaluable in bringing this project to life.”

Fennessy added: “We’re incredibly proud of this haunting and deeply human story - a gripping, time-spanning thriller with compelling female leads told across two timelines with the scale and suspense of True Detective and the bite of Yellowjackets. Set against the vast emptiness of the Outback, it’s a tale about what we bury, what we choose to forget, and what refuses to stay hidden.”