The Girls on the Bus was filmed in New York City and Chicago to recreate a campaign trail followed by four female reporters documenting flawed Democratic candidates heading to a national convention. The Max show, which stars Supergirl and Glee performer Melissa Benoist, is based on the nonfiction book Chasing Hillary, written by former New York Times reporter Amy Chozick, who is also on board with the show.
Filming Locations Breakdown
New York City, New York
The show follows four reporters on the campaign trail from New York to Chicago, covering the candidates but also learning some things about themselves along the way. With much of the filming having taken place in New York, it is easy to spot some iconic landscapes and locations used in the filming. The nature of the series would also allow the crew to use various studios for certain scenes before the campaign bus would shift the narrative elsewhere.
A shot of the New York City skyline via Wikipedia
Chicago, Illinois
It’s easy to see some more recognizable landmarks in the aerial shots and establishing shots of the scenes in Illinois. Again there would have been plenty of room for studio work to help complete the filming of the show, and details about exact locales are vague, but those familiar with the area will be able to spot some of the more obvious views.
Production Team and Timeline
The Girls on the Bus is produced by Berlanti Television, My So Called Company, and Warner Bros. Television Studios. One of the main cast is also a producer on the show. Melissa Benoist is a named producer on the series, but there are also some notable execs named too.
The list comprises Amy Chozick, Julie Plec, Rina Momoun, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Leigh London Redman, and Marcos Siega. You might recall Greg Berlanti from such iconic shows as Dawson’s Creek, Riverdale, Titans, Doom Patrol, and You.
Timeline:
The Girls on the Bus has had a long gestation period, so here’s a brief timeline of how it came to be.
- The idea for the show was first being discussed in August 2019.
- Netflix was interested in adapting the book, but after sitting on the project until September 2021, they decided not to move forward with it.
- Oddly, the CW would become interested, which may be where Greg Berlanti and Melissa Benoist came on board, but by February 2022 it would fall into the hands of HBO Max with Benoist on board as producer, and to star.
- In June of the same year, more casting was confirmed and Rina Mimoun would be on board as showrunner.
- By August 2022, filming was in full swing.
- By October 1st, 2022, filming on the pilot was completed.
- The Girls on the Bus released on Max on March 14, 2024.
The Girls on the Bus was created by Amy Chozick and Julie Plec, and the show was inspired by Chozick’s 2018 memoir Chasing Hillary. Season 1 comprises ten episodes. The first two debuted on March 14th, 2024, and the subsequent episodes aired weekly, ending with the finale on May 9th, 2024.
