Melissa Benoist will star in The Girls on the Bus for HBO Max, the streamer announced June 28. The Supergirl actress will also produce the series through her production house, Three Things Productions, which has renewed its overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group.
The Girls on the Bus is a political campaign drama inspired by Amy Chozick’s book Chasing Hillary. Benoist will play Sadie McCarthy, a journalist who romanticizes Tim Crouse’s non-fiction book Boys on the Bus about reporters covering the 1972 presidential election.
Benoist’s character decides to upend her life to cover a presidential campaign for a news organization, per Deadline. Sadie sets off on the campaign trail and eventually bonds with three female competitors as they enjoy a front-row seat to the battle for the White House.
The series is written and executive produced by Chozick and The Vampire Diaries creator Julie Plec. Benoist will also produce the series, and Rina Mimoun, Berlanti Productions, and Sarah Schechter will also executive produce. Mimoun will serve as showrunner.
The Girls on the Bus will see Benoist reunited with Berlanti Productions, the studio behind Supergirl and all of The CW DC Comics shows. Benoist and Sahar Kashi, Vice President of Development at Three Things Productions, will continue to develop and produce dramas, comedies, and limited series for HBO Max and other WBTV platforms as part of the renewed overall deal.
The banner was originally created along with WB in February 2021 following Supergirl‘s successful six-season run. The Supergirl series finale aired November 9, 2021.
The Girls on the Bus, TBA, HBO Max