Fellow Travelers (miniseries) explained

Creator:	Ron Nyswaner
Composer:	Paul Leonard-Morgan
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Episodes:	8
Producer:	Anya Leta
Network:	Showtime

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

Production

Development

A television adaptation of Mallon's work was in development as a co-production from Fremantle for Showtime as of October 2021.^[5] Showtime officially greenlit the series in April 2022, with the series being written by Ron Nyswaner who also served as executive producer. Other executive producers included Daniel Minahan, who directed the first two episodes.^[6]

Casting

Alongside the greenlight announcement in April 2022, it was announced Matt Bomer would executive produce the series and star as Hawkins Fuller.^[6] Allison Williams joined the cast in June as Lucy Smith.^[7] It was announced in July that Jonathan Bailey would star opposite Bomer as Tim Laughlin.^[8]

Filming

Principal photography began in Toronto on July 27, 2022, and wrapped on December 9, 2022.^{[6] [9]}

Release

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

Reception

Critical response

^[10] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[11]

Fellow Travelers was named among the best TV shows of 2023 by Variety, The Washington Post and The New Yorker.^{[12] [13] [14]} The show was nominated for three awards at the 76th Emmy Awards, Lead Actor in a Limited Series (Bomer), Supporting Actor in a Limited Series (Bailey), and Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series.

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2023	Golden Tomato Awards	Best Miniseries	Fellow Travelers		^[15]
2024	Astra TV Awards	Best Limited Series			^[16]
		Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie	Matt Bomer
		Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie	Jonathan Bailey
		Best Writing in a Limited Series or TV Movie
	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Limited Series	Fellow Travelers		^[17]
		Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television	Matt Bomer
		Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television	Jonathan Bailey
	GLAAD Media Awards	Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series	Fellow Travelers		^[18]
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film			^[19] ^[20]
		Best Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television	Matt Bomer
	Peabody Awards	Entertainment	Fellow Travelers		^[21]
	People's Choice Awards	The TV Performance of the Year	Matt Bomer		^[22]
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie	Matt Bomer		^[23]
		Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie	Jonathan Bailey
		Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie	Ron Nyswaner
	Satellite Awards	Best Miniseries & Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television	Fellow Travelers		^[24]
		Best Actor in a Miniseries, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television	Matt Bomer
		Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television	Jonathan Bailey
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie	Matt Bomer		^[25]
	Television Critics Association Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials	Fellow Travelers		^[26]

See also

• Fellow Travelers (opera)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Petski . Denise . August 17, 2023 . 'Fellow Travelers': Matt Bomer & Jonathan Bailey Limited Series Gets Showtime Premiere Date . August 17, 2023 . Deadline . en-US . August 26, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230826183520/https://deadline.com/2023/08/fellow-travelers-premiere-date-showtime-matt-bomer-series-1235521117/ . live .
2. Web site: Otterson . Joe . 2022-07-11 . 'Bridgerton' Star Jonathan Bailey Joins Matt Bomer in Showtime Limited Series 'Fellow Travelers' . 2022-07-12 . Variety . en-US . 2022-07-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220712011129/https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/bridgerton-jonathan-bailey-showtime-fellow-travelers-1235313439/ . live .
3. Web site: Porter . Rick . 2022-07-19 . Showtime's 'Fellow Travelers' Adds Trio to Cast . 2022-07-20 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US . 2022-07-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220719213754/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/showtime-fellow-travelers-adds-three-actors-1235182790/ . live .
4. Web site: Otterson . Joe . 2022-07-21 . Showtime Limited Series Fellow Travelers Adds Five to Cast . 2022-07-21 . . en-US . 2022-07-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220721200039/https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/showtime-fellow-travelers-cast-1235322304/ . live .
5. Fremantle Adds Nyanza Shaw And Jerry Jacobs As Scripted EVPs. Deadline. Matt. Grobar. October 2021. 11 July 2022. 11 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220711232423/https://deadline.com/2021/10/fremantle-adds-nyanza-shaw-and-jerry-jacobs-as-scripted-evps-1234851123/. live.
6. Matt Bomer's 'Fellow Travelers' Lands Series Order At Showtime. Deadline. Peter. White. 20 April 2022. 11 July 2022. 20 April 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220420230931/https://deadline.com/2022/04/matt-bomer-adaptation-fellow-travelers-lands-series-order-showtime-1235006697/. live.
7. Allison Williams to Star Opposite Matt Bomer in Showtime Limited Series 'Fellow Travelers' (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. Joe. Otterson. 7 June 2022. 11 July 2022. 11 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220711232423/https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/allison-williams-matt-bomer-showtime-fellow-travelers-1235286675/. live.
8. 'Bridgerton' Star Jonathan Bailey Joins Showtime's 'Fellow Travelers'. The Hollywood Reporter. Rick. Porter. 11 July 2022. 11 July 2022. 11 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220711170229/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/bridgerton-jonathan-bailey-showtime-fellow-travelers-1235178074/. live.
9. Web site: Project Title: Fellow Travelers. https://web.archive.org/web/20221209232222/https://www.toronto.ca/business-economy/industry-sector-support/film/current-productions-and-news/ . toronto.ca.. December 9, 2022 . December 9, 2022 . December 9, 2022.
10. Fellow Travelers . fellow_travelers . tv . 1 . November 17, 2023 .
11. Web site: Fellow Travelers . . October 27, 2023 . October 26, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231026195925/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/fellow-travelers/ . live .
12. Web site: The Best TV Shows of 2023 . Variety. Aramide . Tinubu . December 8, 2023 . December 9, 2023 .
13. News: The best TV shows in 2023 . . Lili . Loofborouw . December 5, 2023 . December 9, 2023.
14. The Best TV Shows of 2023 . . Inkoo . Kang . December 10, 2023 . December 10, 2023 .
15. Web site: Best Miniseries 2023 Rotten Tomatoes . . January 14, 2024.
16. Web site: The 2024 Astra TV Awards Nominations Have Arrived . . July 9, 2024 . July 10, 2024.
17. News: Pedersen. Erik. December 5, 2023. 'The Morning Show' & 'Succession' Lead Critics Choice Awards TV Nominations. Deadline Hollywood. December 6, 2023.
18. Web site: GLAAD Media Awards Nominations Revealed. Deadline Hollywood. January 17, 2024. Erik. Pedersen.
19. Web site: Shanfeld. Ethan. Lang. Brent. December 11, 2023. Golden Globes 2024: Full Nominations List. December 11, 2023. Variety.
20. Web site: GLAAD Media Awards Nominations Revealed. January 17, 2024 . Deadline.
21. Web site: 84th Peabody Awards Winners: 'Fellow Travelers,' 'Jury Duty,' '20 Days of Mariupol' and More. Awards Watch. Erik. Anderson. 10 May 2024. 16 May 2024.
22. Web site: Malec . Brett . January 11, 2024 . 2024 People's Choice Awards: Complete List of Nominees . January 11, 2024 . . January 11, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240111232312/https://www.eonline.com/news/1392489/2024-peoples-choice-awards-complete-list-of-nominees . live.
23. Web site: Fellow Travelers . . July 17, 2024 . July 17, 2024.
24. Web site: Admin. I. P. A.. IPA Reveals Nominations for the 28th Satellite™ Awards International Press Academy. December 18, 2023. en-US.
25. Web site: Nominees & Recipients - The 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards. Screen Actors Guild Awards. January 10, 2024.
26. Web site: 'Baby Reindeer', 'Ripley' and 'Shogun' Lead 2024 TCA Awards Nominations: Full List . . Emily . Longeretta . June 10, 2024 . June 10, 2024.