Doom Patrol Star Matt Bomer Lands New Series at Showtime

Doom Patrol star Matt Bomer’s new series Fellow Travelers is headed to Showtime. According to Deadline, the network has ordered the eight-part limited series. Bomer will star and executive produce. The series is created and executive produced by Ron Nyswaner. Freemantle, which is also behind American Gods, will co-produce with Showtime. Daniel Minahan will executive produce and direct the first two episodes. Robbie Rogers also executive produces.

Based on the Thomas Mallon novel of the same name, Fellow Travelers is described as a “love story and political thriller, chronicling the volatile romance of two very different men who meet in the shadow of McCarthy-era Washington,” according to Deadline. Bomer will play Hawkins Fuller, a handsome and charismatic man who maintains a financially rewarding behind-the-scenes career in politics who avoids emotional entanglements until he meets Tim Laughlin, a young man full of idealism and religious faith. The pair start a romance just as Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn declare war on “subversives and sexual deviants”, thus kicking off one of the darkest periods in 20th century American history. Over four decades, Hawkins and Tim cross paths amidst Vietnam War protests of the 1960s, disco hedonism of the 1970s, and the 1980s AIDS crisis as they face both world and personal obstacles. The series is expected to begin production in Toronto this July.

“As a thrilling and deeply moving exploration of character and American life in the latter half of the past century, Fellow Travelers shines an unprecedented light on stories that are as urgent today as ever,” said Jana Winograde, President of Entertainment at Showtime Networks. “The series delivers us directly into an insider world of Washington rife with national consequences, while drawing out the intimate moments that are profoundly personal and often heartbreaking. We are beyond thrilled to have Ron, Matt, Robbie and Daniel take us on this suspenseful and romantic journey.”

Bomer currently stars as Larry Trainor in HBO Max’s Doom Patrol. Season 3 of the series saw the character “close the loop” on much of the trauma he’d experienced in dealing with his sexuality and his family trauma over the years, something that Bomer spoke about last year.

“I love that group and those writers never fail to blow me away with what they come up with because they somehow find ways to outdo themselves, but it’s never ungrounded. It’s never so outlandish that it’s outside of the realm of possibility — I think it would be hard-pressed to find anything out of the realm of possibility for the show at this point,” Bomer said. “This season, particularly for Larry and what he’s going through, is just so fun to get to play and I feel like the writing is stronger than ever on the show.”

He continued, “I wish I were down there in person more often, but I also love the freedom of getting to find Larry in the booth as well. I love it and I think fans are really going to love what’s to come this season. Season 2 obviously dealt with trauma and this season kind of closes the loop on that because we had to finish early but also going to these new places with all the characters.”

Doom Patrol was renewed for a fourth season last fall. No release date for the new season has yet been announced.