LIFE & CULTURE

Political Drama ‘The Girls On The Bus’ Almost Didn’t Happen, But We’re So Glad It Did

Campaigns and crises.
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When we think of political dramas, we don’t often associate them with excitement. Politics, after all, is serious business.

But that hasn’t stopped a slew of TV series releasing in the genre – think Scandal and The Diplomat – who have taken on the challenge to make politics more gripping, more relatable, and, dare we say, more comedic.

Stepping up to the plate is HBO’s newest series, The Girls on the Bus, which tells the tale of a political reporter’s experience on a campaign bus with a parade of flawed presidential candidates.

Filmed in New York City, the series stems from creators Amy Chozick and Julie Plec and is inspired by Chozick’s best-selling book, Chasing Hillary.

Image: Binge

According to one of the stars in the 10-episode drama, Scott Foley, the show almost didn’t make it to air, however, after facing every kind of obstacle when production first began.

“Talk about a journey! Covid and all the complications that came with filming during a pandemic, then a monster strike and all of the worry and strife (and hope!) that entailed. I wasn’t sure if this wonderful project would ever find its way to your screens but it will!” he penned on social media.

“I’m not one of those girls, nor am I on the bus, but this show is truly special. I was able to screen the first season in its entirety… and I could not stop watching!” Foley added.

With that, you probably want to know exactly how you can watch The Girls on the Bus in Australia, among other things, so we’ve rounded up the essential details, below.

Image: Binge

What Is ‘The Girls On The Bus’ About?

The story centres on Sadie McCarthy, a journalist who, as per the synopsis, romanticises a bygone era of campaign reporting and scraps her whole life for a shot at covering a presidential candidate for a paper of record.

Sadie joins the campaign bus and eventually bonds with three female competitors, Grace, Lola, and Kimberlyn, who despite their differences, become a found family with a front-row seat to the greatest soap opera in town – the battle for the White House.

“Excited for all of you to meet Sadie, Kimberlyn, Lola, and Grace. Formidable women who are falling apart and coming together like the rest of us,” shared Carla Gugino, who stars in the series, to Instagram. “Not to mention the whole band of fantastic misfits who make up this travelling road show.”

Image: Binge

Who Is Cast In ‘The Girls On The Bus’?

The series stars Melissa Benoist as Sadie, who also took to Instagram to pen: “This was an absolute joy to make and I got to make it with people I adore and I got to discover how much I love reading about political journalism.”

Joining her on the bus for the series are Carla Gugino as Grace, Natasha Behnam as Lola, and Christina Elmore as Kimberlyn, starring alongside Brandon Scott, Griffin Dunne, Mark Consuelos, and Scott Foley.

Where To Watch HBO’s ‘The Girls On The Bus’ In Australia

The Girls on the Bus premieres with two episodes on March 14 on Binge, followed by one new episode weekly through May 9.

You can subscribe here to Binge with a 7-day free trial to start streaming.

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