HBO Max has handed a hefty 15-episode series order to ‘How to Survive Without Me‘, a new one-hour family drama from Greg Berlanti, with Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond), Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory, The Flight Attendant), Joshua Jackson (Fringe, Doctor Odyssey) and Rita Wilson (Sleepless in Seattle) leading the ensemble.
The drama comes from Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, and follows the De Angelis family in the aftermath of the death of matriarch Beverly, played by Wilson. Without the woman who had been holding everyone together, the family has begun to drift apart as they attempt to navigate their increasingly complicated and evolving lives.
However, Beverly apparently wasn’t going to let something as inconvenient as death stop her from keeping the family organised. Before she died, she left behind one final piece of work designed to keep the De Angelis clan connected. If they want to experience it, they will need to find the time and make the effort to remain part of each other’s lives, showing up for one another through whatever comes next.
Romano plays the family’s patriarch, with Cuoco and Jackson amongst the members of the sprawling De Angelis clan. The series has assembled a sizeable ensemble around them, with the 15-episode order giving ‘How to Survive Without Me’ plenty of room to dig into the family’s various relationships and problems.
“Ray Romano, Kaley Cuoco, Joshua Jackson, and Rita Wilson lead a dream cast perfect for this emotional, extraordinary story. We’re delighted to be in business again with Greg and our partners at Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television,” commented Sarah Aubrey, Head of HBO Max Original Programming.
The pilot was written by Berlanti and Bash Doran, with the story coming from Berlanti, Doran and Robbie Rogers. Berlanti has described the project as particularly personal, drawing on the creators’ own family experiences of love and loss.
“The first show I ever created was a family drama, almost exactly 25 years before this one was picked up. It’s been incredibly emotional to return to this kind of storytelling and I’m so grateful to Casey, Sarah, Joey and everyone at HBO Max for asking, to Channing, Brett and Clancy and the Warner Bros. team, and finally our brilliant cast – Ray, Kaley, Josh, Rita and the rest of our extraordinary ensemble and crew. To also co-create it with Bash and my husband, Robbie, and draw from our own families’ experiences of love and loss has made the whole show the most personal thing I’ve worked on in years,” said Berlanti.
The drama is executive produced by Sarah Schechter, Leigh London Redman and Robbie Rogers through Berlanti Productions, alongside Doran, Ryan O’Connell and Daniel Minahan, who also directs.
The wider regular cast includes Julia Schlaepfer (1923), Jack Ball (The Rookie), Kylar Miranda (The Spiderwick Chronicles), Julian Grey (Fear the Walking Dead), Scarlett Abinante (The Rookie), Tommy Dewey (Casual), Matthew Kellison (The Irrational), Colette Porch (Grey’s Anatomy) and Ella Rubin (The Idea of You).
‘How to Survive Without Me‘ does not yet have a premiere date on HBO Max.
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