A Hollywood Producer and Small-Town Secrets Collide in Chris O'Dowd's New Quirky Irish Comedy Series "Small Town, Big Story," Starring Paddy Considine and Christina Hendricks
Paddy Considine and Christina Hendricks Star in Chris O'Dowd's Quirky Irish Small-Town Comedy For Sky TV
You may recognize English actor Paddy Considine from his phenomenal portrayal of the deteriorating and literally physically decaying King Viserys I Targaryen in the first season of the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon. While Considine is a fantastic dramatic actor, he occasionally showcases his comedic side in films like Hot Fuzz and The World's End, albeit with a dry, deadpan delivery. Now, Considine gets to lean into his humorously deadpan skills in this new offbeat small-town comedy series, co-starring alongside Mad Men star Christina Hendricks and Irish comedian Chris O'Dowd.
In fact, O'Dowd is the creator and writer of Small Town, Big Story, his first created show since his acclaimed British coming-of-age comedy Moone Boy, which ran for three seasons from 2012 to 2015.
Set in a small Irish town where a strange phenomenon has been occurring for years (birds mysteriously dropping dead from the sky), Small Town, Big Story centers around the arrival of a big-time Hollywood television producer, Wendy Patterson (Hendricks), who left Ireland decades ago but has returned with the goal of making a show based on her childhood experiences in this small town.
Considine takes on the role of Séamus Proctor, a local doctor and family man with teenage children. When he hears the news that Wendy has returned, now with a television production crew in tow, he is flooded with memories. Séamus and Wendy were once romantically involved when they were younger, and they share a bizarre incident from their past. Together, they witnessed something strange in the sky in the woods that might just explain why birds have been mysteriously dying for decades. It's a memory Séamus had buried for years, while it seems it was something Wendy hasn't stopped thinking about ever since.
In addition to Hendricks and Considine, the cast also features Eileen Walsh (Catastrophe) as Catherine Proctor, Séamus’ wife and local schoolteacher, while other cast members include Leia Murphy, David Rawle, Patrick Martins, Evanne Kilgallon, Andrew Bennett, Ruth McCabe, David Wilmot, Michèle Forbes, Sam C Wilson, Peter McGann, Ruth Codd, Jamie Michie, and Ian McElhinney. Meanwhile, series creator Chris O'Dowd makes a guest appearance alongside other notable cameos from Tim Heidecker (Tim and Eric Awesome Show) and Clarke Peters (The Wire).
Consisting of six episodes, Small Town, Big Story is scheduled to premiere on Thursday, February 27th on SKY TV in the U.K. As of yet, there's no official U.S. release date. Watch the U.K. trailer, above.