Entertainment Weekly
HBO sets release date for pandemic comedy Coastal Elites starring Bette Midler, Issa Rae
By Rachel Yang
August 05, 2020
Things are about to get real meta on TV.
Audiences will have the chance to watch a comedy about the pandemic they’re currently living through because HBO’s Coastal Elites is coming out Sept. 12, the network announced during the CTAM Press Tour on Tuesday.
The satire, which features a stacked cast including Bette Midler and Issa Rae, will spotlight five distinct points-of-view across the United States. When coronavirus hits and a shutdown ensues, the characters react with frustration, hilarity, and introspection.
Miriam Nessler (Midler) is a long-time teacher in the New York City public school system who finds herself in police custody. Sharynn Tarrows (Kaitlyn Dever) is a young nurse from Wyoming who flies to New York to volunteer at a hospital at the height of the area’s COVID-19 crisis. Mark Hesterman (Dan Levy) is a young actor in West Hollywood videoconferencing with his therapist at a moment of career and personal stress. Clarissa Montgomery (Sarah Paulson) is a YouTuber filming episode 28 of her Mindful Meditations, hoping to soothe and inspire her followers. Callie Josephson (Issa Rae) is a well-connected philanthropist whose prep school network leads her to the highest levels of government.
Coastal Elites comes from playwright and screenwriter Paul Rudnick and is directed by Jay Roach.
