Fellow Travelers (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.

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".

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, 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
 * Chris Bauer as Senator Joseph McCarthy
 * Matt Visser as David Schine
 * Christine Horne as Jean Kerr, aide to Senator McCarthy and later his wife
 * Erin Neufer as Mary Johnson, a closeted secretary in Hawkins' office and friend of Tim
 * 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

Development
A television adaptation of Mallon's work was in development as a co-production from Fremantle for Showtime as of October 2021. 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.

Casting
Alongside the greenlight announcement in April 2022, it was announced Matt Bomer 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 would star opposite Bomer as Tim Laughlin.

Filming
Principal photography began in Toronto on July 27, 2022, and wrapped on December 9, 2022.

Release
Episodes of the series were released on Paramount+ with Showtime two days prior to their debuts on Showtime.

Critical response
On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Fellow Travelers was named among the best TV shows of 2023 by Variety, The Washington Post and The New Yorker. 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.