Showtime(R) to Air Dark Comedy Series “The End” from the Producers of “Top of the Lake” and “State of the Union”

SHOWTIME has picked up the 10-episode first season of THE END, a half-hour dark comedy series starring Emmy nominee Harriet Walter (Succession, The Crown, Killing Eve) and Golden Globe nominee Frances O’Connor (The Missing, Mansfield Park).

In THE END, three generations of a family live with separate but intersecting obsessions – trying to figure out how to die with dignity, live with none, and make it all count. The series is scheduled to premiere on SHOWTIME in 2021.

A coproduction between Sky UK and Foxtel Australia, the series was created and written by Samantha Strauss and is directed by Jessica M. Thompson and Jonathan Brough. The announcement was made today by Jana Winograde, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc.

O’Connor plays Dr. Kate Brennan, an Australian-based specialist in palliative care. Euthanasia is a hot-button topic in Kate’s field of work, and she is passionate in her opposition. On the other side of the world, Kate’s mother Edie Henley (Walter) feels just as strongly about her right to die. Kate has little choice but to ship Edie out from England and deposit her in Australia’s Gold Coast in a nearby retirement community – Edie’s worst nightmare. While Kate struggles with her own problems, her children, one of whom is a teenage trans boy, are trying to work out who they are and who they want to be. THE END is a story about family, ethics, and emotion, and mostly how it’s never too late to start again.

“THE END is a funny, messy look at a family across the various stages of life – teenage to middle age to old age – and the unique challenges each stage brings,” said Winograde. “At times whimsical, sad and incredibly life-affirming, the series demonstrates people’s ability to change – and how even those who never believe they can be happy again can find their way back. With such strong writing and acting, we are thrilled to be able to give THE END a beginning with SHOWTIME viewers.”

THE END also stars four-time Australian Film Institute award winner Noni Hazlehurst, Roy Billing, Robyn Nevin, Luke Arnold, Morgan Davies, and Ingrid Torelli.

The production company behind the series is Oscar(R), BAFTA(R), and Emmy-winning See-Saw Films (Top Of The Lake, State Of The Union), and it is executive produced by Rachel Gardner, Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Emile Sherman and Iain Canning alongside Strauss. Endeavor Content handled U.S. and international sales.