Based on the novel by Thomas Mallon, the series is a love story and political thriller, chronicling the volatile romance of two very different men who meet in the shadow of McCarthy-era Washington.
Bomer will play the handsome and charismatic Hawkins Fuller, who maintains a financially rewarding, behind-the-scenes career in politics. He avoids emotional entanglements - until he meets Tim Laughlin, a young man brimming with idealism and religious faith. 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, Hawk and Tim cross paths through the Vietnam 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.
Ron Nyswaner developed the series. He will executive produce with Bomer, Robbie Rogers and director Daniel Minahan. Fremantle will produce in association with Showtime.
"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, 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."
