The Killings at Parrish Station
| The Killings at Parrish Station | |
|---|---|
 Promotional release poster | |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Ben Jenkins |
| Screenplay by | Ben Jenkins Tim Pye Yolanda Ramke Catherine Smyth-McMullen |
| Directed by | Daniel Nettheim |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Mark Fennessy Donna Chang Andy Ryan |
| Producer | Kerrie Mainwaring |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Stan |
| Release | 24 June 2026 |
The Killings at Parrish Station is a Stan Australian crime drama which began airing on 24 June 2026.[1] The series cast include Mia Wasikowska, Heather Mitchell, Xavier Samuel, Robert Taylor and Alan Dale.
Premise
Bridging past and present, a shocking massacre at a remote research station is investigated by two detectives. Starring Mia Wasikowska and Xavier Samuel.
In 1987, detectives Georgia Cooke (Wasikowska) and Michael Thorne (Samuel) are called to investigate the bizarre and brutal killings of four scientists at the remote Parrish Research Station. They uncover a complex case involving mania, ritual, and the occult, and Georgia's obsessive truth-seeking spirals, threatening her family, career, and sanity. Thirty seven years later, a chilling new spree of murders pull Georgia (Heather Mitchell) back into this nightmare as she confronts the possibility that the horrors at Parrish Station were never fully buried.[2]
The story is inspired by the Dyatlov Pass incident but uses an Australian setting, with locations around Broken Hill.[3]
Cast
- Mia Wasikowska as Georgia Cooke (1987)
- Heather Mitchell as Georgia Cooke (Present Day)
- Xavier Samuel as Michael Thorne (1987)
- Robert Taylor as Michael Thorne (Present Day)
- Alan Dale as Callum Parrish (present day)
- Emma Lung as Frankie (present day)
- Doris Younane as Millie Farah (present day)
- Kat Hoyos as Millie Farah (1987)
- Nic English as Callum Parrish (1987)
- Alex Malone as Kate Reynolds (1987)
- Geoff Morrell as Tony Cooke
- Rob Carlton as Snr Inspector Charlie Lockwood
- Anthony Brandon Wong as Simon Lim
- Essie Randles as Elle Hardy
- Cameron James as Damien Tovey
- Alex Lee as Kayla Paine
Production
The series was produced by Helium Pictures for Stan in association with ITV Studios. It was created and written by Ben Jenkins, with writer and story producer Tim Pye and writers Yolanda Ramke and Catherine Smyth-McMullen. It was directed by Daniel Nettheim. Executive producers included Mark Fennessy, Donna Chang and Andy Ryan. The series producer was Kerrie Mainwaring.[4] Additional production investment came from Screen Australia with finance also from Screen NSW's Made in NSW Fund. Filming began in Sydney in September 2025.[5][6] The cast was led by Mia Wasikowska, Heather Mitchell, Xavier Samuel, Robert Taylor and Alan Dale with Essie Randles, Emma Lung, Doris Younane, Kat Hoyos, Nic English, Alex Malone, Geoff Morrell, Rob Carlton, Alex Lee, Cameron James and Grace Owens.[7][8]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Muzjiks" | Daniel Nettheim | Ben Jenkins | 24 June 2026 |
| 2 | "The Signal and the Noise" | Daniel Nettheim | Ben Jenkins & Catherine Smyth-McMullen | 24 June 2026 |
| 3 | "Moorland" | Daniel Nettheim | Yolanda Ramke | 24 June 2026 |
| 4 | "It's Your Kidnapping" | Daniel Nettheim | Ben Jenkins & Tim Pye | 24 June 2026 |
| 5 | "SOS" | Daniel Nettheim | Catherine Smyth-McMullen | 24 June 2026 |
| 6 | "Not Here For a Haircut" | Daniel Nettheim | Ben Jenkins & Tim Pye | 24 June 2026 |
Release
On 26 May 2026, Stan announced that The Killings at Parrish Station would premiere on 24 June 2026.[9] The first two episodes held their world premiere at the Sydney Film Festival on 7 June 2026, ahead of the series' streaming release.[9][10]
Following its Australian premiere, the series was acquired by Warner Bros. Discovery for international distribution on HBO Max in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and continental Europe.[11]
Critical reception
The series received largely positive reviews. Writing for ABC News, Hannah Story named the series among the best Australian television of 2026, describing it as "compelling and original" and calling it "perhaps the best Australian TV show we've seen this year."[12] The Guardian's Luke Buckmaster gave it four stars out of five, writing that "jumping between timelines, the pacy and pulpy series gets weirder as it goes on, with plot turns that can't help but keep you engrossed."[13] Writing in The Sydney Morning Herald, Jared Richards also gave the series four stars, calling it "impeccable, ambitious Australian television" propelled by "a razor-sharp script filled with tension, terror, humour and a dash of existential pondering."[14]
ScreenHub's Anthony Morris also gave the series four stars, calling it "an entertaining and well-constructed twist on the traditional outback mystery," and praising lead performances by Mia Wasikowska and Heather Mitchell as "phenomenal."[15] TV Tonight's David Knox was another to give the series four stars, calling it "a series unlike any other local drama series on screen this year."[16]
The Nightly's Wenlei Ma gave a more mixed assessment, writing that the series "is undeniably creepy and the mystery is intriguing enough to keep you around for the story, if not the characters," and calling it "an ambitious swing which you don't always get in Australian TV."[17] Writing in The West Australian, Clare Rigden compared the series to acclaimed Australian mystery The Kettering Incident, describing it as a "paranormal mystery" that leaves viewers "scratching your head," and noting that "this doesn't head in the direction you think it will."[18]
References
- ↑ Knox, David (26 May 2026). "Airdate: The Killings at Parrish Station". TV Tonight. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ "The Killings at Parrish Station". Sydney Film Festival. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ Rugendyke, Louise (25 June 2026). "The cult Russian cold case that inspired an outback murder mystery". Sydney Morning Herald.
- ↑ McNamara, Lauren (22 September 2025). "Production Begins on Stan Original Horror Crime Series 'The Killings: Parrish Station'". Variety. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- ↑ Slatter, Sean (22 September 2025). "Stan, ITV Studios co-commission 'The Killings: Parrish Station' begins production in Sydney with Mia Wasikowska, Heather Mitchell". If.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 September 2025. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- ↑ Lee, Natasha (September 2025). "Stan and ITV Studios begin production on new crime drama The Killings: Parrish Station". Media Week.
- ↑ Whittock, Jesse (21 September 2025). "Mia Wasikowska, Heather Mitchell & Xavier Samuel Leading Stan & ITV Studios Drama 'The Killings: Parrish Station'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- ↑ Whittock, Jesse (1 October 2025). "Essie Randles Boards Stan Mystery Drama 'The Killings: Parrish Station'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 1 October 2025. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- 1 2 "A Gripping Decades-Long Murder Mystery Is Unearthed, and a Chilling Conspiracy Collides in the Stan Original Drama, The Killings at Parrish Station, Premiering June 24, Streaming Only on Stan". Stan. 26 May 2026. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ "The Killings at Parrish Station". Sydney Film Festival. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ Lochrie, Conor (26 June 2026). "Stan Thriller 'The Killings at Parrish Station' Acquired for HBO Max". Variety. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ Story, Hannah (10 July 2026). "From giant crab men to searing satire, here is the best TV of 2026 so far". ABC News. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ Buckmaster, Luke (24 June 2026). "The Killings at Parrish Station review – a whacked-out murder mystery packed with twists". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ Richards, Jared (22 June 2026). "What to stream this week: An audacious outback crime drama, plus five more picks". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ Morris, Anthony (24 June 2026). "The Killings at Parrish Station review: not your average outback murder mystery". ScreenHub. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ Knox, David (21 June 2026). "The Killings at Parrish Station: Review TVT". TV Tonight. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ Ma, Wenlei (24 June 2026). "The Killings at Parrish Station: An Australian cosmic horror murder mystery". The Nightly. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ Rigden, Clare (20 June 2026). "Screen Queen: TV reviews – The Killings at Parrish Station, The Bear, House of the Dragon and The Deep End". The West Australian. Retrieved 30 June 2026.