''Fellow Travelers'' is an upcoming American
historical
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
television miniseries based on the 2007 fictional novel of the same name by
Thomas Mallon
Thomas Mallon (born November 2, 1951) is an American novelist, essayist, and critic. His novels are renowned for their attention to historical detail and context and for the author's crisp wit and interest in the "bystanders" to larger historical ...
. Starring
Matt Bomer
Matthew Staton Bomer (born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. He is the recipient of accolades such as a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
In 2000, he made his television debut o ...
and
Jonathan Bailey
Jonathan Stuart Bailey (born 25 April 1988) is an English actor. Known for his comedic, dramatic, and musical roles on stage and screen, he is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award and a nomination for a Evening Standard Theatre Award.
Ba ...
, it centers on the decades-long romance between two men who first meet during the height of
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner.
The term origin ...
in the 1950s.
Premise
After a chance encounter in Washington D.C. in the 1950s, Hawkins Fuller (Bomer) and Timothy Laughlin (Bailey) start a volatile romance that spans "the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
protests of the 1960s, the drug-fueled
disco hedonism of the 1970s and the
AIDS crisis
The AIDS epidemic, caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), found its way to the United States between the 1970s and 1980s, but was first noticed after doctors discovered clusters of Kaposi's sarcoma and pneumocystis pneumonia in homosexu ...
of the 1980s, while facing obstacles in the world and in themselves".
Cast
Main
*
Matt Bomer
Matthew Staton Bomer (born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. He is the recipient of accolades such as a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
In 2000, he made his television debut o ...
as Hawkins Fuller
*
Jonathan Bailey
Jonathan Stuart Bailey (born 25 April 1988) is an English actor. Known for his comedic, dramatic, and musical roles on stage and screen, he is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award and a nomination for a Evening Standard Theatre Award.
Ba ...
as Tim Laughlin
Supporting
*
Allison Williams as Lucy Smith
*
Jelani Alladin
Jelani Alladin (born August 6, 1992) is an American actor, singer, and dancer. In his Broadway debut, he originated the role of Kristoff in the '' Frozen'' musical in 2018.
Early life
Alladin grew up in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brookly ...
as Marcus Hooks
* Noah J. Ricketts as Frankie Hines
*
Linus Roache
Linus William Roache (born 1 February 1964) is a British actor. He is known for playing Executive ADA Michael Cutter in the NBC dramas ''Law & Order'' (2008–2010) and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2011–2012). More recently, Roach ...
as Senator Wesley Smith
*
Will Brill as Cohn
*
Chris Bauer
Mark Christopher Bauer (born October 28, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for his television work in ''The Wire'', ''Third Watch'', ''True Blood'', ''Survivor's Remorse,'' '' The Deuce and'' the Apple TV+ original science fiction spac ...
as McCarthy
* Erin Neufer as Mary Johnson
* Matt Visser as David Schine
*
Christine Horne
Christine Horne (born December 14, 1981, in Aurora, Ontario) is a Canadian actress who co-starred with Ellen Burstyn in the movie ''The Stone Angel''.
She received her BFA in Theatre at York University in 2004 and has since become an establish ...
as Jean Kerr
Production
Development
A television adaptation of Mallon's work was in development as a co-production from
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
for
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
as of October 2021. Showtime officially greenlit the series in April 2022, with the screenplay written by
Ron Nyswaner
Ronald L. Nyswaner (born October 5, 1956) is an American screenwriter and film director. He has been nominated for numerous awards including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
He is known for his screenplays '' Smitheree ...
who also serves as executive producer. Other executive producers include
Daniel Minahan
Daniel Minahan (born 1962) is an American television and film director and writer.
Minahan has directed several episodes of the HBO original series '' Six Feet Under'', '' Deadwood'', ''True Blood'', '' The Newsroom'' and '' Game of Thrones ...
, who is directing the first two episodes.
Casting
Alongside the greenlight announcement in April 2022, it was announced
Matt Bomer
Matthew Staton Bomer (born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. He is the recipient of accolades such as a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
In 2000, he made his television debut o ...
would executive produce the series and star as Hawkins Fuller.
Allison Williams joined the cast in June as Lucy Smith. It was announced in July that
Jonathan Bailey
Jonathan Stuart Bailey (born 25 April 1988) is an English actor. Known for his comedic, dramatic, and musical roles on stage and screen, he is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award and a nomination for a Evening Standard Theatre Award.
Ba ...
would star opposite Bomer as Tim Laughlin.
Filming
Filming began in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
on July 27, 2022 and ended on December 9, 2022.
See also
*
''Fellow Travelers'' (opera)
References
External links
*
{{Showtime Network programming
Upcoming drama television series
2020s LGBT-related drama television series
Cultural depictions of Joseph McCarthy
Gay-related television shows
Homophobia in fiction
Showtime (TV network) original programming
Television series based on American novels
Television shows filmed in Toronto
Television series set in the 1950s
Television series set in the 1960s
Television series set in the 1970s
Television series set in the 1980s
Television shows set in Washington, D.C.
Television series by Fremantle (company)
Television series by CBS Studios