Aussie streamer Stan has acquired the exclusive Australian rights to The Walsh Sisters, a six-part comedy drama inspired by Marian Keyes’ bestselling novels.
Starring Louisa Harland, Caroline Menton and Aidan Quinn, the series follows five chaotic yet close-knit Irish sisters as they navigate adulthood in Dublin.
The series is adapted by Stefanie Preissner and directed by Ian Fitzgibbon, with Marian Keyes—currently touring Australia—also serving as an executive producer.
From Stan:
INSPIRED BY MARIAN KEYES’ GLOBALLY BESTSELLING NOVELS, COMEDY DRAMA SERIES THE WALSH SISTERS TO PREMIERE EXCLUSIVELY ON STAN
As Marian Keyes tours Australia, Stan acquires exclusive rights to The Walsh Sisters, starring Louisa Harland, Caroline Menton and Hollywood’s Aidan Quinn.
Inspired by Marian Keyes’ best-selling novels, Stan has acquired the exclusive rights to the six-episode comedy drama series The Walsh Sisters.
Directed by Ian Fitzgibbon (Hullraisers, Moone Boy), the returnable drama series features the chaotic, dysfunctional but deeply loveable Walsh family of five sisters, a devout mother and a bemused father.
Set in their Dublin hometown, The Walsh Sisters follows the lives of Anna, Rachel, Maggie, Claire and Helen as they navigate the peaks and troughs of their late 20s and 30s. This is a sisterhood full of in-jokes, hand-me-down resentments and more than a few old wounds. But their DNA, history and shared love of power ballads keep the Walsh sisters together in the face of heartbreak, grief, addiction and parenthood.
Stan Chief Content Officer Cailah Scobie said:
“Marian Keyes’ books are adored all over the world, and we’re delighted to partner with RTÉ, BBC and Cineflix Rights as we bring The Walsh Sisters to Australian audiences.”
“With Ian Fitzgibbon at the helm, alongside such a talented cast, we’re confident the series will capture Marian’s sharp wit and her heartwarming characters that have captivated readers for decades, and we look forward to introducing her storytelling to a whole new audience through this adaptation.”
Greg Johnson, EVP, Americas and Asia Pacific, Cineflix Rights said:
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Stan to bring The Walsh Sisters to Australian fans.”
“Marian’s novels have millions of readers all over the world and we’re looking forward to more deals shortly as we roll the series out internationally to buyers.”
Headlining the cast is Louisa Harland (Derry Girls) as the troubled Anna Walsh. She is joined by rising talent Caroline Menton (Oddity) taking on the role of party-girl sister Rachel and Danielle Galligan (House of Guinness) brings oldest sister Claire to life. BAFTA-nominated Máiréad Tyers (Extraordinary) plays the fearless baby of the family, Helen, with the final Walsh sister interpreted by multi-hyphenate stage, screen and screenwriting talent Stefanie Preissner (Solpadeine is My Boyfriend), who plays family ‘white sheep’ Maggie.
In addition to appearing on screen as Maggie, Preissner led the writing team with four episodes of The Walsh Sisters, while award-winning writer Kefi Chadwick (Rivals) completes the team with two episodes.
Adding Hollywood stardust to the line-up is Irish American actor Aidan Quinn (Michael Collins), whose most recent project is Oscar-winning director Neil Jordan’s film adaptation of his novel The Well of Saint Nobody. Quinn plays put-upon Jack ‘Daddy’ Walsh alongside Carrie Crowley (An Cailín Ciúin), who recreates eccentric Mammy Walsh. American actress and personality Debi Mazar (Batman Forever) will play Chaquie. Other cast members include Gina Moxley who will play Josephine (The Patient Gloria) and Jay Duffy (Wheel of Time) who will play Rachel’s complicated love interest Luke.
The series revolves around characters from Marian Keyes’ novels, including Rachel’s Holiday and Anybody Out There. One of the most successful Irish novelists of all time, Marian’s many accolades include five Irish Book Awards and being named Author of the Year at the prestigious British Book Awards in 2022. Since her first novel was published in 1995, more than 39 million copies of Keyes’ books have been sold around the world, translated into 36 languages. Marian Keyes is currently touring Australia, with events in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Busselton, Margaret River, Hobart and Adelaide.
The Walsh Sisters is adapted by Stefanie Preissner (Solpadeine is My Boyfriend, Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope), with Kefi Chadwick (Rivals, Death in Paradise) writing two episodes. It is directed by Ian Fitzgibbon (Hullraisers, Moone Boy), and the producer is Patrick O’Donoghue (The Tourist, Brooklyn, The Wonder).
It is produced by Cuba Pictures and Metropolitan Pictures for RTÉ in association with the BBC, Screen Ireland and Cineflix Rights. The executive producers are Dixie Linder and Nick Marston for Cuba Pictures, David McLoughlin for Metropolitan Pictures, David Crean Dermot Horan for RTÉ, James Durie and Tom Misselbrook for Cineflix Rights, Stefanie Preissner, Marian Keyes, and Tony Baines.
Cineflix Rights is the exclusive worldwide distribution partner.
