Fellow Travelers (miniseries)

2023 historical miniseries

Fellow Travelers is a 2023 American historical romance political thriller television miniseries based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Thomas Mallon. Starring Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey, it centers on the decades-long romance between two men who first meet during the height of McCarthyism in the 1950s. The series premiered on October 29, 2023, on Showtime following an October 27 release on Paramount+ with Showtime.^[1]

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 protests of the 1960s, the drug-fueled disco hedonism of the 1970s and the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, while facing obstacles in the world and in themselves".^[2]

Cast

Main

• Matt Bomer as Hawkins "Hawk" Fuller, a World War II veteran and official at the State Department who vigilantly hides his homosexuality
• Jonathan Bailey as Timothy "Tim" Laughlin, a young and idealistic congressional staffer who becomes entangled with Hawkins
• Jelani Alladin as Marcus Gaines,^[3] a gay African-American reporter chafing at the unofficial segregation of 1950s Washington, D.C.
• Linus Roache as Senator Wesley Smith, a father figure to Hawkins and opponent of McCarthyism (based in part on Lester C. Hunt)
• Noah J. Ricketts as Frankie Hines, a self-assured drag queen and love interest of Marcus
• Allison Williams as Lucy Smith, daughter of Senator Smith and a childhood friend of Hawkins

Supporting

• Will Brill as Roy Cohn^[4]
• Chris Bauer as Senator Joseph McCarthy^[4]
• Matt Visser as David Schine^[4]
• Christine Horne as Jean Kerr, aide to Senator McCarthy and later his wife^[4]
• Erin Neufer as Mary Johnson, a closeted secretary in Hawkins' office and friend of Tim^[4]
• Keara Graves as Miss Addison, a secretary in Hawkins' office who is a true believer in McCarthyism
• Chelsea Russell as Stormé, an entertainer at the Cozy Corner
• Andy Milne as Andre, the pianist at the Cozy Corner
• David Tomlinson as Eddie Kofler, a young government employee who Hawkins sleeps with and later turns in to investigators
• Jane Moffat as Helen Smith, wife of Senator Smith
• Mike Taylor as Leonard Smith, son of Senator Smith and brother of Lucy
• Rosemary Dunsmore as Estelle, Hawkins' mother
• Michael Therriault as Fred Treband, an investigator working to purge homosexual employees from the U.S. government
• Jude Wilson as Jerome, a San Francisco youth taken in by Marcus and Frankie
• Brittany Raymond and Teagan Sellers as the adult and teenage Kimberly, daughter of Hawkins and Lucy
• Etienne Kellici as Jackson, son of Hawkins and Lucy
• Morgan Lever as Craig, Hawkins’ "boy toy" on Fire Island

Episodes

^{[copyright violation?]}

Production

Development

A television adaptation of Mallon's work was in development as a co-production from Fremantle for Showtime as of October 2021.^[7] Showtime officially greenlit the series in April 2022, with the screenplay written by Ron Nyswaner who also serves as executive producer. Other executive producers include Daniel Minahan, who is directing the first two episodes.^[8]

Casting

Alongside the greenlight announcement in April 2022, it was announced Matt Bomer would executive produce the series and star as Hawkins Fuller.^[8] Allison Williams joined the cast in June as Lucy Smith.^[9] It was announced in July that Jonathan Bailey would star opposite Bomer as Tim Laughlin.^[10]

Filming

Principal photography began in Toronto on July 27, 2022, and wrapped on December 9, 2022.^[8][11]

Release

Episodes of the series were released on Paramount+ with Showtime two days prior to their debuts on Showtime.^[1][6]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of 66 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.40/10. The website's consensus reads: "A queer romance with the full breadth and depth of an epic, Fellow Travelers is a moving showcase for Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey's captivating on-screen chemistry."^[12] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[13]

Fellow Travelers was named among the best TV shows of 2023 by Variety, The Washington Post and The New Yorker.^[14][15][16]

Accolades

See also

• Fellow Travelers (opera)

References

1. Petski, Denise (August 17, 2023). "'Fellow Travelers': Matt Bomer & Jonathan Bailey Limited Series Gets Showtime Premiere Date". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 26, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
2. Otterson, Joe (July 11, 2022). "'Bridgerton' Star Jonathan Bailey Joins Matt Bomer in Showtime Limited Series 'Fellow Travelers'". Variety. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
3. Porter, Rick (July 19, 2022). "Showtime's 'Fellow Travelers' Adds Trio to Cast". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
4. Otterson, Joe (July 21, 2022). "Showtime Limited Series Fellow Travelers Adds Five to Cast". Variety. Archived from the original on July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
5. "Fellow Travelers". Writers Guild of America West. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
6. "Shows A-Z - fellow travelers on showtime". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
7. Grobar, Matt (October 2021). "Fremantle Adds Nyanza Shaw And Jerry Jacobs As Scripted EVPs". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
8. White, Peter (April 20, 2022). "Matt Bomer's 'Fellow Travelers' Lands Series Order At Showtime". Deadline. Archived from the original on April 20, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
9. Otterson, Joe (June 7, 2022). "Allison Williams to Star Opposite Matt Bomer in Showtime Limited Series 'Fellow Travelers' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
10. Porter, Rick (July 11, 2022). "'Bridgerton' Star Jonathan Bailey Joins Showtime's 'Fellow Travelers'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
11. "Project Title: Fellow Travelers". toronto.ca. December 9, 2022. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
12. "Fellow Travelers: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
13. "Fellow Travelers". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
14. Tinubu, Aramide (December 8, 2023). "The Best TV Shows of 2023". Variety. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
15. Loofborouw, Lili (December 5, 2023). "The best TV shows in 2023". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
16. Kang, Inkoo (December 10, 2023). "The Best TV Shows of 2023". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
17. "Best Miniseries 2023 | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
18. Pedersen, Erik (December 5, 2023). "'The Morning Show' & 'Succession' Lead Critics Choice Awards TV Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
19. Pedersen, Erik (January 17, 2024). "GLAAD Media Awards Nominations Revealed". Deadline Hollywood.
20. Shanfeld, Ethan; Lang, Brent (December 11, 2023). "Golden Globes 2024: Full Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
21. "GLAAD Media Awards Nominations Revealed". Deadline. January 17, 2024.
22. Anderson, Erik (May 10, 2024). "84th Peabody Awards Winners: 'Fellow Travelers,' 'Jury Duty,' '20 Days of Mariupol' and More". Awards Watch. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
23. Malec, Brett (January 11, 2024). "2024 People's Choice Awards: Complete List of Nominees". E! Online. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
24. Admin, I. P. A. "IPA Reveals Nominations for the 28th Satellite™ Awards | International Press Academy". Retrieved December 18, 2023.
25. "Nominees & Recipients - The 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
26. Longeretta, Emily (June 10, 2024). "'Baby Reindeer', 'Ripley' and 'Shogun' Lead 2024 TCA Awards Nominations: Full List". Variety. Retrieved June 10, 2024.

External links

• Official website
• Fellow Travelers at IMDb