Stan’s Incredible Summer Slate Continues with New Original Series, ‘Prosper’

Richard Roxburgh (Elvis, The Crown) and Rebecca Gibney (“Halifax: Retribution”, “Back to the Rafters”, “Wanted”) both yield phenomenal performances in “Prosper”, a Lionsgate/Stan series that’s slated to become one of Stan’s biggest summer Originals.

It’s hard to believe that twenty years have passed since Richard Roxburgh played Count Vladislaus Dracula in the horror flick “Van Helsing”. Two decades later, he’s taken on the role of Cal Quinn, global pastor at Australian megachurch U Star, and audiences can once again expect to see plenty of blood, sweat and tears in this family drama about the corruption of religious power. Quinn is an irresistible character; he’s a luminous and powerful figure, yet plagued with doubt and secrets. 

“Prosper” is full of equally complex characters; Cal’s wife and worship leader, Abi Quinn (played by Rebecca Gibney), is a formidable force within her own marriage. She is calculated as she deftly manoeuvres and manipulates to bend others to her will. Fearing her husband’s fallibility might cause the empire they have built to crumble, Abi is determined not to let it happen.

Ewen Leslie (Stan Original series “Bali 2002”, “The Stranger”) plays Cal’s son from his first marriage; plagued by feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, it’s hard not to feel sorry for him as he desperately tries to win his father’s love and approval. Ming-Zhu Hii plays his wife, Taryn Quinn. There’s plenty of sibling rivalry amongst Cal and Abi’s adult children as they fight each other for power within the family business. Jacob Collins-Levy (Stan Original Film “True History of the Kelly Gang”, “The Witcher: Blood Origin”) stars as Jed Quinn, the rebellious youngest son, along with Hayley Mcarthy (“Sylvie’s Love”, “The Originals”) as Isabel Kalani, the adored only daughter of the family and gifted singer-songwriter of U Star. 

Audiences will be left with a compelling dilemma: should they love or loathe the Quinn family? Should they find their fears and anxieties sympathetic or pitiful? Prosper employs a penetrating humour rife with schadenfreude and dives head first into the pressure points that enable audiences to fully comprehend the characters’ incredible flaws and fallibilities hidden from the outside world. 

The fictional church in Prosper U Star draws parallels to other churches like Hillsong, Horizon or C3 as they fight against the prevailing tide of secularism by embracing contemporary tools of capitalism using marketing, social media and celebrity culture to reach the masses. Consultants were hired by the production team to make sure the depiction of U Star was as contemporary and incisive as possible. 

“Prosper” is a gripping family drama that will immerse viewers in the inner sanctum of an organisation in which 21st-century values collide with the conservative brand of Christianity. The show follows the Quinns as they preach a message of faith, love and acceptance to their thousands of followers, all while protecting shameful secrets. Positioned on the brink of a lucrative American expansion, the family is on the verge of catapulting into a new echelon of wealth and unchecked power. “Prosper” is a razor-sharp study of the dire consequences that occur when religion and unchecked capitalism run amok. 

The series is set to premiere on January 18th, only on Stan.