Melanie Lynskey to Play Erin Patterson in Paramount+ Limited Series 'Mushroom Murders'
Melanie Lynskey will star as Erin Patterson in Mushroom Murders, a limited drama series unveiled as part of Paramount ANZ’s 2027 slate at an event in Melbourne on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, IF Magazine reported. The series will follow the 97 days between a now-infamous lunch and Patterson’s arrest.
The story behind the series
The drama depicts the 97 days between the lunch, at which Patterson prepared food for her in-laws containing highly toxic death cap mushrooms, and her subsequent arrest, IF Magazine reported. IF Magazine described Patterson as a convicted triple-murderer. The series is not to be confused with Tony Ayres Productions’ ABC drama Toxic, which also focuses on the case, IF Magazine noted.
TV Blackbox reported that the series will run for six episodes. It marks the third screen project to focus on the case, following Toxic and the Stan documentary series Revealed: Death Cap Murders, according to IF Magazine. The case, IF Magazine reported, has captivated audiences well beyond Australia, and the new drama arrives amid a continuing wave of true-crime commissioning.
Who is making it
The series was created by Anya Beyersdorf, Daina Reid and Deb Balderstone, IF Magazine reported. Beyersdorf is working on the scripts with Dianne Taylor and Belinda Chayko, while Reid will direct all six episodes and executive produce alongside Lynskey, Balderstone, Xavier Marchand and Paramount ANZ’s Sophia Mogford, according to IF Magazine. The series is due to shoot in Victoria.
Paramount ANZ vice-president of content Tamara Simoneau said Lynskey added a new dimension to the story, IF Magazine reported. “She’s already done such incredible work playing complex female characters before,” Simoneau said. She added: “This is a story that has captivated the world and it’s something, that in dramatic form, will continue to do so.”
A familiar face for a difficult role
Lynskey was introduced in the announcement as the Yellowjackets star taking the leading role, IF Magazine reported. The casting places a performer known for complex, morally layered characters at the centre of a story that many viewers will already know in outline, and asks the drama to fill in the days between the lunch and the arrest rather than simply retelling the headlines.
For Paramount, the announcement was one of four new originals launched at the Melbourne event, IF Magazine reported, alongside the scripted sport series Sam Kerr Kicking Goals, a comedy sketch show and a six-part true-crime docuseries. Mushroom Murders was presented as part of the 2027 slate, with no more specific premiere date announced in the reports. What is clear from the announcement is the shape of the project: six episodes, one performer at its centre, and a 97-day countdown at its heart.
Sources: IF Magazine, 28 October 2026; TV Blackbox, 28 October 2026.