Quick Links
1970's New York City. The sordid downtown punk scene. Estranged heirs to one of the city's greatest fortunes. Love lies, and lives are lost. If you're at all familiar with Garth Risk Hallberg's 2015 novel City on Fire, you'll know this mystery is a knotted ball of yarn you'll lose yourself spending hours unpicking. By a stroke of luck (and Apple TV+'s increasingly compelling taste in their streaming catalog), City on Fire is receiving its very own television adaptation exclusive to the platform, and a star-studded one at that.
On June 30, 2021, Apple announced a series order for City on Fire, a new crime drama to be created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Such prominent names in the industry definitely have the power to turn heads their way; after all, with projects like Gossip Girl, Looking for Alaska, and The O.C. in their portfolio, is it any wonder that prospective viewers are already buzzing with fervor of a beehive in anticipation? With an eight-episode first season already confirmed in an Apple TV+ Press release, what can we expect to unfold over that duration?
Editor's Note: This piece was updated on April 22.
When Is City On Fire Coming Out?
The first three episodes of City on Fire will be available on Friday, May 12, with subsequent episodes releasing weekly.
Where Can You Watch City On Fire?
Exclusive to Apple+ TV, you can find the series on the platform so long as you're a member. Apple TV+ costs $4.99 / £4.99 / €4.99 per month for a family subscription. That said, if you're interested in saving, a subscription to Apple One bundles other Apple streaming services together at a discount. If you're intrigued by the platform but don't know whether to subscribe, you can take part in a 7-day trial period to sample all the content Apple TV+ has to offer.
Is There a Trailer for City on Fire?
The trailer for City on Fire was released on April, 18, 2023 on Apple TV's YouTube channel.
Who's in the City on Fire Cast?
Chase Sui Wonders stars as Samantha Cicciaro, whose tragic demise forms the roots from which the mystery's twisted tree sprouts. Fans of Wonders will inevitably recognize her from her phenomenal break-out performance as Riley Luo in Generation, a young, aspiring photographer grappling with an internal struggle against anxiety and self-acceptance.
Her role in the satire horror Bodies Bodies Bodies that developed a cult following and even featured its very own Charli XCX hot girl anthem, City on Fire is bound to be another project that cements her tremendous talent. It's no doubt that her undeniable screen presence will make Samantha a character that we are just as wrapped up in as the detectives attempting to crack her case.
Wyatt Oleff was among the first names announced, alongside Wonders, to star in the crime drama. He will be playing Charlie, Samantha's friend who rests at nothing to unravel the tangled web of her murder. It's a welcome addition for those that found his performance as Stanley in IT to be subtly poignant, easily managing to keep up beside more established young names such as Finn Wolfhard and Sophia Lillis. His other credits include his role as Stanley Barber in I Am Not Okay With This and a young Peter Quill in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
Jemima Kirke (Girls), Nico Tortorella (Younger), Ashley Zukerman (Succession), Xavier Clyde, Max Milner (The Dirt), Alexandra Doke, Omid Abtahi (Fear the Walking Dead), Kathleen Munroe and John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) were announced at a later stage as series regulars in addition to Wonders and Oleff. Already, we can see that the show's shaping up to be quite the powerhouse with such successful credits beneath so many of the actors' belts.
So far, Kirke and Tortorella are confirmed to play Regan and William, estranged heirs to one of the city's great fortunes. Zukerman and Clyde will be playing Keith and Mercer, as described in the book's blurb as "the men who, for better or worse, love them." Milner plays Nicky Chaos, a charismatic and compelling activist who leads a revolutionary group of followers against the wealthy 1%. Doke stars as Sewer Girl, the soft spot of Nicky's crew. Abtabi gives it his all as workaholic Detective Ali Parsa, alongside Munroe as the straight-shooting Detective PJ McFadden. Cameron Mitchell puts his talents to playing Amory, dominating Manhattan executive who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
What's the Plot of City on Fire?
In a condensed summary of the plot, Apple TV+ announced that the catalyst of the narrative is a gunshot slicing through Central Park on the Fourth of July 2003. Samantha Cicciaro's life is abruptly cut short, her dreams as an NYU student dashed, and with no witnesses and little evidence, answers are few and far in between. She leaves a gig where her friends' band is playing at her favorite downtown club, vowing to make a swift return, but she never makes it back. It seems as intangible as plucking a grain of rice from a tornado, the prospect of solving such an anomalous case, but that doesn't stop the tooth-and-nail efforts of an investigative team determined to piece together the unknown.
Lifted directly from the press release,
"As the crime against Samantha is investigated, she’s revealed to be the crucial connection between a series of mysterious citywide fires, the downtown music scene, and a wealthy uptown real estate family fraying under the strain of the many secrets they keep."
As if this rich tapestry of overlapping, intricately threaded storylines isn't compelling enough for those who love to sink their teeth into a spongy mystery, a confirmed cast of both rising and renowned talents serves as the cherry on top of the cake. Eager to cut a slice and sample the ingredients? Check out the cast below.
Who Are the Creators of City on Fire?
As briefly touched on above, City on Fire is a television adaptation of Garth Risk Hallberg's novel of the same name. Most notably, City on Fire establishes itself as the first series order to stem from Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage's first-look deal with Apple under their Fake Empire Productions banner. All eight episodes will be written by Schwartz and Savage, and they will operate as showrunners and executive producers under Fake Empire. If you're interested to know what else they've worked on, as mentioned above, Gossip Girl, Looking for Alaska and The O.C. are all in their portfolio. Currently, they're working on the Gossip Girl reboot, which premiered July 8 on HBO Max and is still in the process of airing. Jesse Peretz is contracted to direct four episodes of City on Fire and act as executive producer, with Lis Rowinski co-executive producing under Fake Empire. Patrick Rush was in charge of casting for the program.
The book on which it's based, sporting the same name, was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2015 and excelled as a New York Times notable book. It was also named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Vogue, San Francisco Journal, and The Wall Street Journal.
When and Where Did City on Fire Film?
City on Fire began filming in April 2022 in New York City. In July 2022, star Xavier Clyde confirmed that he had wrapped filming his scenes for the series.