Fellow Travelers is an American historical and romantic political thriller limited series set in the 1950s. It portrays a long-term relationship between the two gay leads. Produced by Anya Leta, it is created, written, and executive produced by Ron Nyswaner.
Daniel Minahan is another executive producer who wrote the first two episodes. Fellow Travelers is an ongoing series on Showtime, and the main cast includes Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey, Allison Williams, Jelani Alladin, Noah J. Ricketts, and Linus Roache.
Hawkins Fuller (played by Matt Bomer) and Tim Laughlin (played by Jonathan Bailey) have an eye-catching chemistry from the first episode of a historical show, which makes viewers question whether it happened in real life.
Synopsis
Hawkins Fuller and Tim Laughlin are the political staffers who fall in love with each other, which leads to a risky, hot, and volatile relationship in Washington, DC, in the 1950s.
They survive various real-life happenings, such as the Vietnam War protests of the 1960s, disco and the drug subculture in the 1970s, and the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. They must fight challenges in the outer world and within themselves.
In the first episode, Hawkins Fuller climbs the ladder of politics and flirts with women while enjoying secret intimacy with fellow gay members at Washington’s State Department. He falls in love with Tim Laughlin after seeing him in 1950 and finds the courage to confess his love in 1986.
However, the State Department starts investigations over suspected homosexuals, and Hawkins steps away from Tim to avoid coming into their sights. However, he gets closer to Lucy Smith and enjoys a homosexual life amid the AIDS crisis in the United States.
Meanwhile, Hawkins’ colleague Mary Johnson comes into the sights of the investigating State Department. Hawkins cannot meet Tim because the latter’s sister stops him from doing so.
Senator Joseph R. McCarthy’s masculinity gets questioned by Jean Kerr in the third episode. Hawkins and Tim go on a trip, which does not end well when Tim learns about Hawkins’ plan to find the secrets of Senator Smith’s enemies.
Filming took place from July 2022 to December 2022. According to some critics, the queer romance was shown in depth with a steamy chemistry and appreciable performances of the leading actors. Thus, the series got favorable reviews.
Is Fellow Travelers Based On A True Story?
‘Fellow Travelers’ is not based on a true story. However, the events mentioned in the series are taken from the real world. The series is based on Thomas Mallon’s novel, which has the same name. Let us break down the statement.
Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey played the leading fictional characters that did not exist in the real world.
According to the series, these two characters, Hawkins Fuller and Tim Laughlin, are secretly gay. They even date women not to stand out of the crowd.
The plot is set in the 1950s, and Hawkins and Tim face situations that really happened in the 1950s. For instance, they used code language and secretly met at bars and other places that depict real-life incidents that happened in history.
According to the series, Hawkins and Tim witnessed the Vietnam War protests in the 1960s. In real life, a war between Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, called the Vietnam War, took place from November 1955 to April 1975.
The series portrays disco and the drug subculture in the 1970s, which emerged at the same time in the real world. Disco emerged from the United States’ urban nightlife. Hawkins and Tim go through the AIDS crisis in the 1980s in the series.
In the real world, the AIDS epidemic was spread due to HIV in the US between the 1970s and 1980s, which led to travel restrictions during the period. Moreover, the symptoms were initially found in homosexual men, but it does not mean the epidemic did not hit others.
According to the series creator, Ron Nyswaner, some part is inspired by him because he is openly gay and knows how it felt in the second half of the twentieth century. Moreover, he saw the rise of Donna Summer and survived the AIDS crisis.
On the other hand, the openly gay Thomas Mallon addresses himself as the supposed literary homosexual. He resides in Washington, DC, with his long-run partner, William Bodenschatz.
