In a competitive streaming market, Apple TV+ has proven itself more than efficient at forging its own path. It's too early to know if their upcoming drama series, City on Fire, will receive the same clout, but if the service continues its ascension, the series should become yet another conversation starter — notably with a newly-announced cast of TV favorites that includes Jemima Kirke, Nico Tortorella, Ashley Zuckerman, Xavier Clyde, and John Cameron Mitchell.
As Deadline reports, this notable ensemble will join Chase Sui Wonder and Wyatt Oleff, who were previously announced to star in the forthcoming series. Based on Garth Risk Hallberg's novel of the same name, City on Fire follows a shocking murder of an NYU student in Central Park in 2003, on the Fourth of July. Setting out to see her friends' band at her favorite downtown bar, the late woman was alone at the time of the crime. There were no witnesses and little available evidence related to her death, and as the crime is investigated, it's revealed that Samantha, the slain woman at the center of this crime, is an unsuspecting connection between a series of mysterious citywide fires, the music scene downtown, and a wealthy uptown real estate dynasty, the latter straining under their many dark secrets.
As far as the new cast members are concerned, Kirke is signed on to play Regan, the daughter of Manhattan's real estate mogul who is striving to succeed under her own terms, while Tortorella will play William, a smart, if self-destructive, artist living in the heart of the city. Additionally, Zuckerman will take on the role of Keith, Regan's husband, who carries a patriotic spirit that continues to help him "fail upward," and Clyde will be seen as Mercer, William's boyfriend who moved to the Big Apple from Georgia in "the pursuit of writing the great American novel," while also "embracing his true self." Furthermore, Mitchell is attached to the part of Amory, an influential and powerful Manhattan executive who can be ruthless and charming in equal measure.
Along with the previously announced new cast members, there's also Max Milner, who will be seen as Nicky Chaos, a charismatic revolutionary with a sizable following who's dedicated to fighting against the elitist one percent, while Alexandra Doke will play the role of Sewer Girl, who's considered "the bleeding heart" of Nicky's crew. There's also Omid Abtahi and Kathleen Monroe as a pair of detectives. The former plays Detective Ali Parsa, a workaholic assigned to work with a no-nonsense private eye, Detective PJ McFadden, played by Monroe. Production for this upcoming Apple TV+ series is already underway in New York City.
Written by showrunners Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, best known for creating Gossip Girl and writing and producing The O.C., City on Fire will run for eight episodes and is expected to premiere either later this year or early next year. The first four episodes are being directed by executive producer Jesse Peretz.