‘Sweetpea’ Teaser: Ella Purnell Is a Woman on the Brink of Murder in Starz Dark Comedy

No one does murder quite like Ella Purnell. The “Yellowjackets” and “Fallout” actress next leads the upcoming Starz series “Sweetpea,” which is billed as a “deviously twisted coming-of-rage story.”

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Purnell stars as Rhiannon, a quiet wallflower who develops a vengeful and intoxicatingly liberating taste for murder after her life is upended. She’s overlooked for a promotion at work, the guy she likes won’t commit, and her dad is sick.

So how does Rhiannon cope? Well, according to this first teaser, all it takes is a cathartic scream and blood on her hands to cleanse her anger. Nicôle Lecky, Jon Pointing, Calam Lynch, Leah Harvey, Jeremy Swift, and Dustin Demri-Burns co-star.

“ Army of the Dead ” alum Purnell returns to Starz after starring in another “sweet” series: The actress previously led the adaptation of Stephanie Danler’s novel “Sweetbitter” at the network back in 2018 . Now, Purnell is both the lead star and executive producer of “Sweetpea,” another novel adaptation, this one based on C.J. Skuse’s book.

“I truly cannot wait for the world to meet ‘Sweetpea’! I’ve loved exploring this incredibly complex character, as well as working alongside our dynamic cast and powerhouses Ella Jones, Kristie Swain, and Patrick Walters,” Purnell said in a press statement. “This has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career so far. At its core, the series is about a woman finally finding her voice, told through a uniquely dark and comedic lens. I hope audiences have as much fun going on Rhiannon Lewis’ wild, coming-of-rage journey as we did bringing it to life.”

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Purnell previously The Independent that she wants to showcase different ways women can be depicted as equally unhinged characters onscreen to their male counterparts. “It’s still very new to see a woman be violent in a way that isn’t fetishized or used for the gore tactic,” the Purnell said in 2022. “In ‘Yellowjackets,’ we’re not these half-naked sexy cannibals. We’re just surviving, and you don’t see that often, so it’s interesting when you do.”

“Sweetpea” is a six-part series that was acquired by Starz directly from Sky Studios. The show is produced by See-Saw Films and Fanboy in association with Sky Studios. The series was adapted by writer/executive producer Kirstie Swain along with fellow writers Krissie Ducker, Laura Jayne Tunbridge, and Selina Lim. Ella Jones directs and executive produces.

Additional executive producers include Manpreet Dosanjh for Sky Studios, Patrick Walters for Fanboy, and Helen Gregory, Iain Canning, and Emile Sherman for See- Saw Films. Zorana Piggott is the series producer.

“Sweetpea” premieres in October on Starz. Check out the teaser below.