March 11, 2023: Chris O'Dowd attends the premiere for "The Big Door Prize" during the 2023 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Stateside Theater in Austin, Texas. Getty Images
Chris O'Dowd's new series "Small Town, Big Story" will star Christina Hendricks and Paddy Considine, Sky Studios has confirmed.
"Small Town, Big Story," described as "a warm and witty, very dramatic comedy," the new series has begun filming on location in Ireland and is expected to debut on Sky and streaming service NOW in Ireland and the UK in 2024.
According to Sky Studios, "Small Town, Big Story" is "a six-part series about the fictional town of Drumbán, a rural village of rattled misfits on the border of Ireland and another world, and what happens when a Hollywood production rolls into town and throws the spotlight on a secret that’s been kept hidden since the eve of the Millennium."
In the new Irish series, Hendricks, who received six Emmy nominations for her role in "Mad Men," stars as Wendy Patterson, a local girl done good as a hot-shot television producer, who returns to her hometown from Los Angeles with a Hollywood production in tow.
Two-time BAFTA winner Paddy Considine stars as Drumbán’s local doctor and pillar of the community Seamus Proctor. Eileen Walsh stars as Catherine Proctor, Seamus’ wife and local schoolteacher, while Leia Murphy and David Rawle star as siblings Joanne and Sonny Proctor.
Elsewhere in the new show, Patrick Martins stars as Jules O’Brien, Evanne Kilgallon stars as Shelly McGoldrick, Andrew Bennett stars as Barry Battles, Ruth McCabe stars as Betty Battles, and David Wilmot stars as Keith McCurdle, with further casting to be announced.
The series has already begun filming, reportedly in O'Dowd's native Co Roscommon. Hendricks recently shared a post on social media tagged in Dublin followed by another at Ashford Castle in Co Mayo.
"Small Town, Big Story" was commissioned by Sky Studios for Sky and is a Playground / FilmNation Entertainment production in association with Sky Studios.
Executive producers are Colin Callender and Scott Huff for Playground, Stefanie Berk and Milan Popelka for FilmNation Entertainment, and Alex Moody for Sky Studios.
Christina Hendricks and Chris O’Dowd are executive producers, Liz Gill is series producer, and the Directors include Chris O’Dowd, Catherine Morshead, as well as Mike Ahern, and Enda Loughman.
NBCUniversal Global Distribution will handle international sales of the series on behalf of Sky Studios.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sky noted: "As an Equity production, filmed in Sky’s home market of the U.K. & Ireland, all cast agreements are compliant with SAG- AFTRA rules and conditions, and were contracted pre-strike."