Three Women: Starz Saves Drama From Showtime Cancellation

More than a week since Showtime decided not to air Three Women, it looks like the Shailene Woodley-led drama has already found its new home.

The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Starz has signed on to acquire the completed series after it was shopped to multiple networks including HBO and Amazon. Based on Lisa Taddeo’s blockbuster nonfiction bestseller, Three Women is created and executive produced by Taddeo. It is also executive produced by Emmy Rossum, Kathy Ciric, Laura Eason, and Louise Friedberg, who also directed the first episode.

Joining Woodley’s Gia is Betty Gilpin as Lina, Austin Stowell as Aidan, DeWanda Wise as Sloane, Lola Kirke as Jenny, Blair Redford as Will, Blair Underwood as Richard, Brían F. O’Byrne as Mark Wilkin, Gabrielle Creevy as Maggie, Heather Goldenhersh as Arlene Wilkin, Jason Ralph as Aaron Knodel, Jess Gabor as Billie, John Patrick Amedori as Jack, and Ravi Patel as Dr. Henry.

“In this intimate, haunting portrayal of American female desire, three women are on a crash course to radically overturn their lives. Lina (Gilpin), a homemaker in suburban Indiana, is a decade into a passionless marriage when she embarks on an affair that quickly becomes all-consuming and transforms her life,” reads the synopsis. “Sloane (Wise), a glamorous entrepreneur in the Northeast, has a committed open marriage with Richard, until two sexy new strangers threaten their aspirational love story. Maggie, a student in North Dakota, weathers an intense storm after accusing her married English teacher of an inappropriate relationship. Gia (Woodley) , a writer grieving the loss of her family, persuades each of these three spectacular “ordinary” women to tell her their stories, and her relationships with them change the course of her life forever.”

The book, published in 2019 by Simon & Schuster, tells the story of three American women who suffered private and/or public backlash for their sexual desires. It took Taddeo “a decade to research, report, and write it,” with the author moving to the towns of her novel’s subjects in order to “achieve complete authenticity.” Gia’s storyline in the project mirrors Taddeo’s experience developing the novel.