City On Fire bosses explain why the Apple TV+ series departs from the novel’s 1970s setting

With Apple TV+ city ​​on fireFrom executive producers and showrunners Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, a suburban teenager must solve the mystery of his girlfriend’s murder after she is gunned down in Central Park on July 4, 2003.

The series, which starts on May 12, is based on the novel of the same name and is set in 1970s New York, a time of severe financial crisis and widespread panic over the city after a series of shootings (known as the Son of Sam – murders). The show jumps forward in time to a new era of uncertainty in post-9/11 New York.

“We felt that while it was a fascinating time, [that era is] trodden terrain. We were very interested in Occupy Wall Street after 9/11 [era] in NYC. Of course, the book culminates in the ’77 blackout. In 2003 there was a massive power outage. That’s how creatively this storyline came together. But also thematically, 1977 was a time when people were not sure if our city would survive. After 9/11 in New York, people had the same concerns, the same fears,” Schwartz said Wednesday at AppleTV+’s Television Critics Association panel.

Despite the time difference, the story remains largely the same. Samantha (played by Chase Sui Wonders) is alone when she dies, with no witnesses and very little physical evidence. Her friends’ band is playing at her favorite club downtown, but she leaves to meet someone and promises to come back. She never does. As the crime against Samantha is investigated, she is revealed to be the critical link between a series of mysterious city fires, the downtown music scene, and a wealthy inner-city real estate family crumbling under the pressure of the many secrets they keep.

Wyatt Oleff plays Charlie, a friend of Samantha’s who had to deal with the death of his father on September 11 two years earlier. After she is shot, he does whatever it takes to unravel the mystery of what happened.

The downtown New York punk scene plays a major role in the novel, and fortunately, as Schwartz explained, the early years were once again a tangible time for music in the city. “Then rock ‘n’ roll was rediscovered, or saved, whatever you want to say, in the downtown New York music scene. A lot of these artists are featured on the show, and we have a fictional band on the show…which was an attempt to create the best band from the early years that you’ve never heard before.

city ​​on fire is produced by Apple Studios for Apple TV+. Schwartz and Savage wrote all eight episodes and serve as showrunners and executive producers on Fake Empire. Jesse Peretz will direct four episodes and serve as executive producer. Fake Empire’s Lis Rowinski serves as co-executive producer.

The series also stars Jemima Kirke, Nico Tortorella, Ashley Zukerman, Xavier Clyde, Max Milner, Alexandra Doke, Omid Abtahi, Kathleen Munroe and John Cameron Mitchell. It will debut on AppleTV+ on May 12.