HBO Max announced that it is bringing a new drama to their platform by ordering Greg Berlanti’s How to Survive Without Me as a full series. In a press release Wednesday, the streamer shared details about the upcoming pilot-to-series.
Berlanti and Bash Doran wrote the one-hour pilot episode. The series will similarly consist of 15 one-hour episodes.
HBO Max shared the series logline, which reads: “In the wake of matriarch Beverly’s passing, the De Angelis family have begun to drift, unsure how to manage their complicated, evolving lives without her guidance, but in true Beverly fashion, she found a way to keep running the show from beyond. Should they wish to experience Beverly’s final work, the family must find the time — and make the effort — to remain connected and be there for each other through all of life’s challenges yet to come.”
The cast regulars include Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond, Ice Age), who plays the family’s patriarch, and Rita Wilson (Sleepless in Seattle, A Man-Called Otto), who plays the deceased matriarch. Additionally, Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory, The Flight Attendant), Joshua Jackson (Dawson’s Creek, Fridge) Julia Schlaepfer (1923, The Politician), Jack Ball (Room Six, Kill the Monsters), Kylar Miranda (On Swift Horses, Minx), Julian Grey (The Craft: Legacy, Downhill), Scarlett Abinante (Another Saturday, The Blind), Tommy Dewey (Running Point, Law & Order), Matthew Kellison, Colette Porch (Hal & Harper, My Black Vagina), and Ella Rubin (Sterling Point, Adult Children) will be series regulars.
Guest stars include Dar Zuzovsky (Peppa the Great, Vanished), Genevieve Angelson (The Chicken Sisters, Which Brings Me to You), Joe Romano (Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Somewhere in Queens), Katie Aselton (The Freebie, Old Dad’s), Katie Monds (The Wraith, Elephant Department), Kevin Changaris (Flavor of the Month, California King), Pressley Hosbach (Break My Rules, Step Aside), Richard Blackmon (The Dresden Sun, Wonder Man), Sofía Rodríguez-Toymil, and Will Yun Lee (The Odyssey, California Scenario).
HBO Max heads share the news with much excitement. HBO Original Programming Head Sarah Aubrey called the story “emotional, extraordinary.”
Chairman and Warner Bros. Television Group CEO Channing Dungey said, we can’t wait to bring this beautiful story to fruition.”
Berlanti talked about his show, saying, “the whole show is the most personal thing I’ve worked on in years.”
Berlanti and Doran wrote How to Survive Without Me. Berlanti, Doran, and Robbie Rogers (Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders, All American) wrote the story. Sarah Schechter (Brilliant Minds, Found), Leigh London Redman (Gotham Knights, Dead Boy Detectives, and Rogers (via Berlanti Productions and its overall deal with Warner Bros. Television), Doran, Ryan O’Connell (Special, Awkward), and Daniel Minahan (Fellow Travelers, American Crime Story) executive produce the series. Minahan directs the series. Warner Bros. Television is the series’ studio.
