“All those stinker-thinkers who tried to tell me this whole thing was a scam? They’re about to see what a winner looks like!.”
After its highly anticipated release in the United States, dark comedy series On Becoming a God in Central Florida will premiere exclusively in Australia next month on both SBS and SBS On Demand.
Starring Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Kirsten Dunst (Fargo, Bring It On), the ten-episode series is about the cult of free enterprise and one woman’s relentless pursuit of the American Dream.
Set in a small Orlando-adjacent town in 1992, On Becoming a God in Central Florida follows Krystal Stubbs (Kirsten Dunst), a minimum-wage water park employee who lies, schemes and cons her way up the ranks of Founders American Merchandise (FAM) — the cultish, flag-waving, multibillion-dollar pyramid scheme that drove her to ruin in the first place, run by the powerful Obie Garbeau II (Ted Levine, The Silence of the Lambs).
Determined to make a better life for herself, Krystal dives deep into FAM and develops a tangled relationship with FAM’s most loyal and fanatical follower Cody (Théodore Pellerin, Genesis), until her business begins to affect those closest to her, including Ernie (Mel Rodriguez, The Last Man on Earth), her affable water park boss, and his FAM-skeptic wife Bets (Beth Ditto, Nocturnal Animals).
SBS Director of Television and Online Content, Marshall Heald, said:
“On Becoming a God in Central Florida is funny, moving and compelling. A quirky, complex drama about the American Dream and pyramid schemes in the 1990s, we’re thrilled to bring the first season of this US hit drama to Australians exclusively in November.”
Created and executive produced by Robert Funke and Matt Lutsky, and produced by Sony’s TriStar Television, the series is also executive produced by Smokehouse Pictures’ George Clooney (Catch-22) and Grant Heslov (Catch-22), along with Kirsten Dunst, Charlie McDowell (The One I Love), who also directed the pilot and Esta Spalding (Masters of Sex), who also serves as showrunner.
Kirsten Dunst is supported by a stellar additional cast comprising of Golden Globe® and Emmy® winner Alexander Skarsgård (Big Little Lies, True Blood), Usman Ally (Veep), Julie Benz (Dexter), Melissa De Sousa (Ladies of the Law),John Earl Jelks (True Detective), Sharon Lawrence (Shameless), Josh Fadem (Better Call Saul), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Empire) and Academy Award® winner Mary Steenburgen (The Last Man on Earth).
On Becoming a God in Central Florida has since been renewed for a second season, which will be exclusive to SBS.
SBS will air the double-episode premiere of On Becoming a God in Central Florida at 8.30pm Thursday 21 November. From Thursday 28 November, the remaining episodes will air weekly at 9.30pm.
On Becoming a God in Central Florida will also be made available on SBS On Demand each week at the time of broadcast on SBS.
