New Zealand actress Melanie Lynskey has signed on to play convicted triple murderer Erin Patterson in Mushroom Murders: There’s More To Unearth, a six-part limited series announced by Paramount Australia during its upfronts presentation on October 28, 2026.
What You Need to Know About the Upcoming Series
- Paramount Australia revealed the casting and series greenlight at its upfronts presentation, making it the first scripted drama to tackle the high-profile case.
- The six-part limited series will chronicle the 97 days between the fateful Leongatha family lunch in 2023 and Patterson’s subsequent arrest.
- Melanie Lynskey, known for her Emmy-nominated work in Yellowjackets and The Last of Us, will star as Patterson and serve as an executive producer on the project.
Paramount Sets Sights on the Leongatha Case
The announcement arrives just over a year after Patterson was sentenced to life in prison. She was found guilty of murdering three relatives—her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson—by serving toxic death cap mushrooms in individual beef wellingtons during a family lunch at her home in Leongatha, Victoria. Heather’s husband, Ian, was the sole survivor of the poisoned meal.
The case commanded international headlines, spawning an array of true crime books, podcasts, and a three-part docuseries released in 2025. According to Tamara Simoneau, Paramount Australia’s vice president of content, stories that capture global attention inevitably find their way into writing rooms. There have been quite a few [scripts about the mushroom case] floating around, and that’s to be expected,
Simoneau noted during the upfronts presentation, adding that the network is thrilled with the project’s direction and Lynskey’s casting.
Creative Leadership and Production Plans
Production for Mushroom Murders: There’s More To Unearth is slated to take place in Victoria. The limited series is created by Anya Beyersdorf, Daina Reid, and Deb Balderstone, with Soapbox Pictures producing. Daina Reid is attached to direct all six episodes.
The creative team is incredible – I’ve worked with Daina Reid before and love her and trust that she can manage the tone of the series with great care,
Lynskey stated, emphasizing that the drama offers a compelling perspective behind the wall-to-wall headlines.
| Project Detail | Production Information |
|---|---|
| Platform | Paramount+ |
| Format | Six-part limited series |
| Focus | The 97 days between the 2023 lunch and Patterson’s arrest |
| Key Talent | Melanie Lynskey (Star / Executive Producer), Daina Reid (Director) |
A Crowded Field of Scripted Adaptations
Paramount’s project is not the sole dramatisation navigating the pipeline. The announcement follows the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s 2025 disclosure of Toxic, another scripted series centered on the same events that has yet to secure a release date. Meanwhile, legal proceedings continue to move forward as Patterson pursues appeals against her convictions.
More on Erin Patterson
Melanie Lynskey is set to star in the limited series “Mushroom Murders,” which has been greenlit at Paramount+.The show is based on the now-infamous case of Erin Patterson, the Australian woman who was convicted on multiple counts of murder and attempted murder after allegedly… pic.twitter.com/eKhXKeSNwa
