Between Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey, steamy romance scenes, and a story of forbidden love in McCarthy-era Washington, Fellow Travelers is bound to generate plenty of buzz. The absorbing new limited series, which hits Paramount+ and Showtime this weekend, blends an epic love story with a Washington DC political thriller to present a compelling drama about a secret romance between two very different men. You’ll quickly forgive some of the soapy melodrama that accompanies this outing because Bomer and Bailey electrify the screen, turning exceptional performances in a drama that is worthy of our attention. And the eyes of Emmy voters, perhaps.
Created by Oscar nominee Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia, Homeland), the series is based on the novel by Thomas Mallon. Bomer plays Hawkins Fuller, a Washington DC influencer who operates behind the scenes in the political arena. Hawkins/Hawk has money, verve, and thick emotional walls. He’s not one to let down his defenses. Tim Laughlin (Bailey) tries to change that. Tim is younger, an idealist, and questioning his faith. Sparks fly — the good kind — and the two begin a romance just as Sen. Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn declare war on “subversives and sexual deviants.” Everything seems set against Hawk and Tim.
Fellow Travelers wins points for its powerful acting, the way it illuminates one of the darkest periods in 20th-century American history, and for delivering a kind of love story audiences can get invested in over the course of eight episodes.
Capturing the Era
Paramount+
Matt Bomer has been audience favorite for some time with roles in Magic Mike, Echoes, The Normal Heart, and American Horror Story. Jonathan Bailey may be best known for his breakout performance in Bridgerton. Together, these actors offer tour de force performances in a historical drama that begins deep in the heart of the 1950s. Visually and creatively, the limited series hits the mark, creating a compelling story in a high-stakes backdrop. It soon expands decades out, then floats between various decades.
The crux of the tale is the evolution of Hawk and Tim’s intense relationship, which is filled with a bevy of emotional highs and lows as the two men attempt to come to terms with who they really are—to themselves and to each other. Hawk is controlling and guarded; Tim open-minded and curious. Bomer and Bailey breathe life into these characters with such beauty and believability that it becomes easy just lose yourself in this experience. That’s a fine feat for actors, and you may have to think a bit to recall recent on-screen couples who captured your interest as much as these two characters do here.
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Hawk’s cocksure demeanor affords him a nice lifestyle. He’s tight with a well-known senator, Wesley Smith (Linus Roache), and seems destined to marry the man’s (very 1950s) daughter Lucy (Allison Williams of M3GAN). This doesn’t much faze Hawk, although it should, considering his list of discreet sexual encounters with men continues to grow. In his eyes, he’s effectively balancing two very different worlds, attempting to get his needs met in each arena.
Tim—dripping in Catholic sweetness—wants to help Sen. McCarthy (Chris Bauer) thwart off the Soviets and communism. Internally, he’s at battle. He’s gay. He knows it. But everything he’s been taught tells him gay acts are mortal sins. But he can’t escape Hawk’s charm. Or force. Their passion is visceral. So are some of their love scenes here. Revealing and well executed scenes and sexually charged all the way. Kudos to that. It also adds another level of believability to the couple’s attraction.
Exploring a Hidden Love Story
Paramount+
Hawk soon nicknames Tim “Skippy” and manages to get him a job in McCarthy’s lair where Tim witnesses the dysfunctional dynamics between the senator and his lawyer Roy Cohn (Will Brill), who begin their rampage on “un-American” activities. It’s off-putting for Tim as the job feeds the careerist aspect of his life, yet demonizes another — his queer identity. Watching the shocking attacks on individuals fuels a horrible dread within Tim. But from that, a sick allure; Hawk and Tim can’t escape their attraction to each other.
As the two men keep things on the “down low,” emotions fly. At several points throughout the series, Tim confronts Hawk about their true feelings for one another, but Hawk can’t even utter the word “love.” On it goes, but Fellow Travelers doesn’t remain so hyper-focused on Hawk and Tim’s relationship. The series acts as a kind of history lesson, too, offering its own unique creative spin.
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It may begin as a 1950s witch hunt for any workers involved in “questionable” activities, thereby making them a national security risk, but there’s more here than that. Fellow Travelers is also a story that moves us across the decades and through the evolution of civil rights, ultimately landing on the onset of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. The opening episode, in fact, begins in 1986, effectively introducing Hawk and Tim’s relationship, before flashing back and forth between timelines. All this works well, yet take note: Fellow Travelers hits high marks in its early episodes, then trips slightly over melodrama midway through, only to rise high in its last entries.
The Acting in Fellow Travelers
Paramount+
Matt Bomer has turned heads before in LGBTQ-themed outings, such as The Normal Heart and The Boys in the Band. The actor’s powerful performance in Fellow Travelers is powerful. The actor completely loses himself into the role of Hawk. There are several emotionally rich scenes in the latter episodes that are among Bomer’s finest throughout his career.
But Jonathan Bailey steals the show here. Bailey is a likable actor all around, but he offers rawness and vulnerability here that is mesmerizing. We all know somebody like Tim. In some ways, we are Tim—idealistic, hopeful, curious, and wondering how to be a better human. The series gives Bailey plenty to nosh on that front, creatively moving the actor’s beleaguered figure through the decades—queerness, patriotism, faith, dysfunctional bonds, civil rights. The last two episodes will leave you breathless. (Have a tissue handy.) The man is that good.
The supporting cast is solid. Jelani Alladin (tick, tick… BOOM!) stands out as a Black journalist who befriends both Hawk and Tim. Erin Neufer and Gabbi Kosmidis bring a sense of urgency to their roles, playing two lesbians in the 1950s. Allison Williams does enough with what initially appears to be a limited role as Hawk’s wife, Lucy, but she will surprise you in those final episodes. Chris Bauer and Will Brill are a perfect duo as McCarthy and Cohn, respectively. They know how to pour on the slime.
Overall, Fellow Travelers is a winner. Despite its brief creative dips, the limited series is as sexy and fierce as it is raw and emotionally charged. Led by its dynamic two leading men, put this one on your must-watch list.
Fellow Travelers premieres on Paramount+ on October 27 and Showtime on October 29. You can check out the trailer below:
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