The Girls on the Bus
The Girls on the Bus is an American political comedic drama television series created by Julie Plec and Amy Chozick for Max, following four female journalists who travel together on a presidential campaign bus during a fictional Democratic primary. It premiered on March 14, 2024, ran for ten episodes through May 9, 2024, and was canceled after one season.1 • 2
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and run | Max (HBO Max); premiered March 14, 2024 with two episodes, one episode weekly through May 9, 20241 |
| Episodes | 10 episodes in a single season3 |
| Creators | Julie Plec and Amy Chozick; produced by Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television4 |
| Source material | Inspired by a chapter of Chozick's 2018 book Chasing Hillary, about covering Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign for the New York Times2 |
| Main cast | Melissa Benoist, Carla Gugino, Natasha Behnam, Christina Elmore, and Brandon Scott3 |
| Reception | 59% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (22 reviews) with an 88% audience score; Metacritic metascore of 645 • 6 |
| Cancellation | Cancelled by Max on May 24, 2024, two weeks after the season 1 finale2 |
Spoilers
Premise and characters
The series chronicles four female journalists who follow the campaigns of a parade of flawed presidential candidates, finding friendship, love, and a scandal that could threaten the presidency and democracy itself.3 At the heart of the story is Sadie McCarthy (Melissa Benoist), a reporter with a nostalgic idealization of old-school campaign coverage who abandons everything in her life to pursue the chance to trail a presidential candidate on behalf of a newspaper of record.1 On the bus she bonds with three competitors: seasoned reporter Grace Gordon Greene (Carla Gugino), conservative journalist Kimberlyn Kendrick (Christina Elmore), and progressive Gen Z influencer Lola (Natasha Behnam). Despite differences in personality, politics, and lifestyle, the women become a found family.1 • 7 Brandon Scott plays Malcolm, with Griffin Dunne, Joanna Gleason, and Scott Foley in recurring roles.3
The fictional candidates include Felicity Walker (Hettienne Park), who came close to winning the presidency four years earlier and is trying again, and Hayden Wells Garrett (Scott Foley), a widower war veteran and Midwestern mayor considered a longshot; Mark Consuelos recurs as an action star seeking the presidency.8 The story deliberately avoids naming real politicians, placing the race in a fictionalized present-day primary.5
Origins
The show is inspired by a chapter of Amy Chozick's best-selling 2018 book Chasing Hillary, which drew on her time covering Hillary Clinton's presidential campaigns as a New York Times correspondent.4 Chozick has said the chapter's title, "The Girls on the Bus," is an homage to Timothy Crouse's 1972 classic The Boys on the Bus, which chronicled the mostly male press corps covering the 1972 presidential race.9
The project had a long development path. HBO Max announced a straight-to-series order in February 2022, from executive producers and writers Julie Plec (through her My So-Called Company) and Chozick, with Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and David Madden executive producing through Berlanti Productions.4 Before landing at HBO Max, the adaptation had moved from Netflix to The CW.10
Production and release
The ten-episode first season debuted with two episodes on Thursday, March 14, 2024, followed by one new episode weekly through May 9 on Max.1 Benoist was approached about the series after wrapping a six-season stint as the lead of The CW's Supergirl; she described gaining a new respect for campaign journalism during production.8 The series carries a TV-MA rating.5
Reception
Critical response was mixed to positive. On Rotten Tomatoes the season holds a 59% Tomatometer from 22 reviews, with an 88% audience score; the critics consensus says the show travels a fictionalized campaign trail with high drama and ideals, though it swerves bumpily between frothy and civic-minded lanes.5 Metacritic assigned a metascore of 64, based on 7 positive, 3 mixed, and 2 negative reviews; Paste Magazine scored it 87 and Collider 80, while CNN gave 40 and the San Francisco Chronicle 50.6 Eric Deggans of NPR wrote that it provides an entertaining look at politics and media as long as viewers do not look too closely at the journalism.5 A critical essay in Time argued that the series set out to refute old tropes about female journalists but instead reproduced them, leaving its four leads as stereotypes representing different ages and ethics of women in media.11
Cancellation
Max canceled the series on May 24, 2024, two weeks after the season 1 finale aired, opting not to proceed with a second season.2 In a statement, the streamer thanked creators Amy Chozick, Julie Plec, and Rina Mimoun and the teams at Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, calling the show a story of found family and a celebration of journalism in all its forms.2
References
- The Girls on the Bus, WBD Pressroom
- The Girls On The Bus Cancelled At Max, TVLine
- The Girls on the Bus, a Titles & Air Dates Guide, epguides.com
- HBO Max Orders New Series THE GIRLS ON THE BUS, WBD Pressroom
- The Girls on the Bus: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes
- The Girls on the Bus critic reviews, Metacritic
- Watch The Girls on the Bus, Hulu
- The Girls on the Bus takes you on a soapy ride, AP News
- Fourth Watch BCC Interview with NYT's Amy Chozick, The First TV
- The Girls On The Bus: Series Adaptation Moves From Netflix To The CW, IMDb News
- Why TV Can't Stop Making Silly Shows About Lady Journalists, Time
Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026
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