Stan today announced the Stan Original Series He Had It Coming as part of a wider lineup unveiled at its 2025 showcase event in Sydney.
Produced by Jungle Entertainment with major production investment from Screen Australia, the comedy-drama follows two unlikely friends entangled in a campus murder mystery after their feminist art activism takes a deadly turn.
From Stan:
Stan today announced the Stan Original Series He Had It Coming, produced by Jungle Entertainment with major production investment from Screen Australia, an odd couple comedy-drama of two women accidentally entangled in a murder mystery when their spontaneous feminist art activism is co-opted by a killer.
From Executive Producer Gretel Vella (Stan Original Series Totally Completely Fine, The Great), with Chloe Rickard (Stan Original Series Population 11, No Activity), Shay Spencer (Wakefield), Bridget Callow-Wright (Stan Original Series Population 11), Robert Taylor and Ellie Gibbons. He Had It Coming is a comedic whodunnit following mismatched friends who get caught up in gender politics on campus and murder.
Created and written by Gretel Vella and Craig Anderson (Double The Fist), with writers Emme Hoy (Renegade Nell), Belinda King (Wellmania), Nicholas Cole (Bump) and Hannah Samuel (The Heights). Directed by Rachel House (Mountain) and Anne Renton (The Good Doctor, The Bold Type).
He Had It Coming stars Lydia West (Big Mood, It’s a Sin) and Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Ahsoka: Star Wars, The Voyeurs) who are also Executive Producers, and Liv Hewson (Yellowjackets, Bombshell), with ensemble cast Duncan Fellows (Deadloch), Roxie Mohebbi (Stan Original Series Critical Incident), Tom Dawson (Total Control), Alex Campion De Crespigny (Heartbreak High) and Miah Madden (The Sapphires).
Lydia West plays Elise, an awkward English scholarship student (for the bagpipes, she has the shoulders for it) who forms an unlikely alliance with Barbara (Liu Bordizzo), a fashion influencer who posts about girl power all day but is always too busy to attend a protest. After a series of mishaps with men, both decide to take a stand. Barbara spearheads an activist art project in the dead of night and drunk as skunks, the girls deface a statue of the university’s male founder in the University’s Quadrangle.
When the girls wake to discover that the university’s star athlete has been murdered and displayed at the foot of their political statement, they must urgently erase all ties to the crime. With Detective Shepherd (Hewson) following the breadcrumbs they have been trying to sweep up, Barbara and Elise need to find the real culprit amid rising gender tensions on campus and a growing body count.
Stan Chief Content Officer Cailah Scobie said: “He Had It Coming is a clever and sharp exploration of gender politics led by an extraordinary cast in this vacuum-sealed murder mystery. We celebrate the ongoing collaboration with Gretel Vella who has developed yet another exciting script, attracting an incredible cast to film in Australia. We are also thrilled to continue our ongoing successful collaboration with Jungle Entertainment with support from FIFTH SEASON, Screen Australia, and Screen NSW.”
Screen Australia Director of Narrative Content Louise Gough said: “He Had It Coming is a fun, feminist romp that approaches gender equality in a contemporary, innovative, and hilarious way. With a stellar cast and powerhouse creative and producing teams, this is must-watch TV.”
Ava Knight, Director, of Acquisitions at FIFTH SEASON said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Jungle Entertainment and creator Gretel Vella on He Had It Coming. Gretel expertly uses humour to explore universal themes around gender politics in a way that feels incredibly fresh and timely. We’re excited to bring this brilliant and bold female-led crime caper to audiences around the world – where nothing is quite as it seems.”
Jungle partner and Executive Producer Chloe Rickard said: “We have absolutely loved collaborating again with Stan, Screen Australia and Screen NSW and new partners FIFTH SEASON to bring another unique Australian voice and story to the world. Add Lydia West, Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Liv Hewson to the mix and you’ve got the sizzle for a completely original and fun campus caper.”
Head of Screen NSW Kyas Hepworth said: “Jungle Entertainment continues to produce leading Australian content, and Screen NSW is pleased to support them to bring another first-class project to NSW. With a standout creative team led by NSW-based Gretel Vella and Craig Anderson, the series is a clever and hilarious whodunnit story. I look forward to audiences tuning in when it arrives on Stan.”
The Stan Original series He Had It Coming is produced by Jungle Entertainment. Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Stan. Financed with support from Screen NSW. International sales by FIFTH SEASON. Post, digital, and visual effects supported by Screen NSW. Developed with the assistance of Screen NSW and in association with The Development Partnership. Stan Executive Producers are Cailah Scobie and Alicia Brown.
