Julie Plec is expanding her TV universe with The Girls on the Bus, a show inspired by Hillary Clinton’s high-profile presidential campaign.
The Girls on the Bus, which was developed by Plec and Amy Chozick, is a political drama that chronicles four journalists who follow every move of several flawed presidential candidates, while finding friendship, love and scandal along the way.
The show was inspired by Chozick’s 2018 memoir, Chasing Hillary, which documented her decade-long experience with Clinton. Chozick had a front-row seat to Clinton’s 2008 campaign before returning for the 2016 election when Clinton lost to Donald Trump.
Before developing The Girls on the Bus, Plec became a big name in the entertainment industry because of her involvement in The CW’s Vampire Diaries franchise including The Originals and Legacies. She was also an executive producer on the network’s Roswell, New Mexico series. Plec has since branched out with shows such as The Tomorrow People, Containment, Vampire Academy and the upcoming We Were Liars and Confessions.
Keep scrolling for everything to know about The Girls on the Bus:
When Will the Show Air on Max?
After nearly landing at Netflix and The CW, Max ordered The Girls on the Bus straight-to-series in February 2022. The Girls on the Bus will premiere the first two episodes on March 14, 2024, before releasing one new installment weekly.
What Book Is the Show Based On?
The political drama is inspired by Chozick’s experience covering Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign as a political reporter. Chozick detailed the ups and downs in her aforementioned 2018 memoir, Chasing Hillary: Ten Years, Two Presidential Campaigns, and One Intact Glass Ceiling.
What Is the Plot of the Show?
According to the official longline, Melissa Benoist plays a journalist named Sadie McCarthy who “romanticizes the original Boys on the Bus and who scrapped her whole life for her own shot at covering a presidential campaign for the paper of record.”
Sadie hits the trail and ultimately bonds with three female competitors. “Despite their differences, these women become a found family with a front-row seat to the greatest soap opera in town: the battle for the White House,” the synopsis concluded.
Who Else Was Cast in ‘The Girls on the Bus’?
In addition to Benoist, Carla Gugino, Natasha Behnam and Christina Elmore star on the show. The star-studded cast is rounded out with Brandon Scott, Scott Foley, Tala Ashe, Griffin Dunne and Mark Consuelos.
What Did the Trailer Reveal?
Max released the official trailer in February 2024, which followed the four women at the center of the series.
“Here we are. Four political reporters. Rivals, vicious competitors, getting entirely out of control,” Benoist’s character said in the clip. “Why? Because the state of American politics is the state of our own lives.”
