Jonathan Bailey + Matt Bomer + historical queer drama: yes. With two of the industry’s most prominent LGBTQ+ actors and an equally impressive ensemble cast, Fellow Travelers is one of the most anticipated new series of the year. From the plot to where and watch you can watch it, here’s everything you need to know about the Showtime/Paramount Plus miniseries.
What is the plot?
Based on the novel of the same name from Thomas Mallon, Fellow Travelers is described as “an epic love story and political thriller, chronicling the volatile romance of two very different men who meet in the shadow of McCarthy-era Washington.”
Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey will play Tim Laughlin, a “young man brimming with idealism and religious faith” who is optimistic about a post-WWII world. His life changes when he meets Matt Bomer’s character Hawkins Fuller, who “maintains a financially rewarding, behind-the-scenes” political career.
“They begin a romance just as Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn declare war on “subversives and sexual deviants,” initiating one of the darkest periods in 20th-century American history.
“Over the course of four decades, we follow our five main characters – Hawk, Tim, Marcus Lucy, and Frankie – as they cross paths through 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.”
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Bomer and Bailey discussed the series and its powerful story. The former revealed that Fellow Travelers was “marinating with Ron for a solid decade before I ever came on board. Ron had an almost religious zeal about this project, this world and these characters that just washed over everyone involved, and made it the profound experience that it was.”
Bailey opened up about the series’ intense and emotional sex scenes, which he described as a “meticulous examination of power”: “The nuance of a complicated, volatile queer relationship is the power balance – and that is what is amazing about Tim and Hawk.”
Bomer added: “There’s a level of trust and intimacy that’s even more valuable when society is against you. You keep your secrets together.”
The cast and crew?
Directed by Ron Nyswaner, the eight-episode drama also stars Jelani Alladin (The Walking Dead: World Beyond) as Marcus, Allison Williams (Get Out) as Lucy, Noah J. Ricketts (American Gods) as Frankie, Linus Roache (My Policeman) as Senator Wesley Smith, Will Brill (The OA) as Roy Cohn, Chris Bauer (True Blood) as Senator Joseph R. McCarthy and Christine Horne (Lost Girl) as Jean Kerr.
Nyswaner directed the screenplays for Philadelphia (1993) and My Policeman (2022), with the former earning him an Academy Award nomination. Bomer and Nyswaner will executive produce Fellow Travelers with former American soccer player Robbie Rogers, while Daniel Minahan will executive produce and direct the first two episodes.
The release date?
The series is due for release 27 October in the US and 28 October in the UK.
Where can I watch it?
Fellow Travelers will air in the U.S. on Showtime. As for the UK and other international territories, the series will stream exclusively on Paramount Plus.
Watch the teaser trailer for Fellow Travelers here or below.
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