Brief
Stan releases horror‑comedy ‘Gnomes’ after a decade‑long development
The new series blends horror and comedy, featuring killer garden gnomes and a quirky small‑town setting.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Stan has launched the Australian horror‑comedy series Gnomes, starring Asa Butterfield and Megan Smart, after more than ten years of development, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
What happened
The eight‑part series is set in the fictional town of Nompton, where an ancient "gnome queen" awakens lawn ornaments during the town’s inaugural "Gnome‑a‑Palooza" festival. The plot follows the local police as they try to stop the animated garden gnomes from wreaking havoc. Production took place at Melbourne Showgrounds, near the MasterChef set, and the show premiered on Stan on 14 October 2026.
What the reports add
The article notes that producer Richard Kelly said the premise – "killer garden gnomes" – was a fun pitch that many found appealing, but also described the project as "ambitious" for Australian television. Writer‑actress Tegan Higginbotham, who co‑created the series with her husband Paul Verhoeven, explained that the concept began as a web series in 2016 with Joel Cohn. She said she avoided watching Stranger Things during development to keep the tone original.
What was said
Kelly told the reporter, "killer garden gnomes is a fun pitch, and everyone goes, ‘Yeah, that’s fantastic’ … But it’s an ambitious project. It’s the kind of project that Australia doesn’t normally make." Smart said, "When I first read the scripts, I was laughing out loud. I thought it was so funny, and so unlike anything we’ve done in Australia." Higginbotham added, "When we were initially developing it, Stranger Things had just had its moment – that’s how long ago it was – and everything that was being pitched was like ‘Stranger Things meets this, Stranger Things meets that’… I didn’t allow myself to watch it because I didn’t want Gnomes to become a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy." Smart also said she watched the 2007 film Hot Fuzz on a flight from London to Melbourne to help set the series’ tone.
How it came about
The concept originated in 2016 when Joel Cohn conceived the idea of weaponised garden ornaments. Higginbotham and Verhoeven developed it further as a web series before pitching it to Stan. Over a decade later, the series was finally green‑lit, with Kelly producing and the cast including Butterfield, known for Sex Education, and Smart, a graduate of the 2007 class of Black Snow. The production team described the show as "Hot Fuzz meets Gremlins" and highlighted its blend of horror, comedy and nostalgic 80s influences.
Key facts
- Stan released the horror‑comedy series Gnomes on 14 Oct 2026. (smh.com.au)
- The series stars Asa Butterfield and Megan Smart. (smh.com.au)
- Production took place at Melbourne Showgrounds. (smh.com.au)
- The concept began in 2016 as a web series by Joel Cohn. (smh.com.au)
- Producer Richard Kelly called the project ambitious for Australian TV. (smh.com.au)
Sources
- [1] smh.com.au — originally reported as “Gnomes on Stan: Why this ‘unhinged’ Australian killer gnome comedy took 10 years to bring to life”
