'Candy' TV Series: Elisabeth Moss To Play A Real-Life Killer In 1980s Texas

Elisabeth Moss, one of the best actresses of her generation, is set to play a real-life killer in a new TV series.

In Candy, a limited series currently being developed by Universal Content Productions, Moss will play Candy Montgomery, a Texas woman who murdered her friend Betty Gore with an ax.

After breaking into the mainstream with her portrayal of the timid-secretary-turned-eventual-advertising guru Peggy Olson on AMC's Mad Men, Moss established herself as one of the preeminent performers who's capable of excelling at playing increasingly frantic characters. That ability to start at a one and ratchet things up to a ten should serve her very well in Candy, which The Hollywood Reporter describes like this:

Set in 1980 Texas, Candy (Moss) had it all — a loving husband with a good job, a daughter and son and a nice house in the new suburbs — and killed her friend from church with an ax.

The real story involves Candy having an affair with Betty's husband while Betty was pregnant. When Betty found out about it, she confronted Candy – and the confrontation ended with Betty being brutally murdered. You can read all about the true story in this detailed two-part article at Texas Monthly.

Robin Veith, who was nominated for three Emmys for writing episodes of Mad Men, wrote the script and will executive produce the show alongside Nick Antosca, the creator of shows like Channel Zero and the Hulu series The Act, which is also based on a twisted real-life instance of murder. THR says Antosca will oversee the series.

"I have been wanting to play an anti-heroine for a while now, and have been trying to work with Robin again after Mad Men for even longer, so when she asked me if I wanted to play a housewife from Texas who, some would say, got away with murder, I simply said, 'Where do I sign?'" Moss said in a statement. "Adding the opportunity to work with Nick after his incredible work on The Act was like taking a delicious dessert and putting 100 cherries on top. My producing partner Lindsey and I are so thrilled to be partnering with them and Alex and Scott and everyone at UCP on a show that I believe is truly going to be like no other we've done and will be a role like none I've ever played."

The show doesn't have a home yet, and Universal Content Productions is planning to shop it around to streaming services and networks soon. Moss will next be seen in Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch, and The Handmaid's Tale season 4 will premiere on Hulu in 2021.