City on Fire is the new book-to-TV adaptation that will leave your head spinning

City on Fire is the latest book-to-television series adaptation that will take over the entertainment world when it releases on Apple TV+.

Created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (both best known for executive producing the teen drama The O.C), the eight-part series is based on the 2015 book written by Garth Risk Hallberg, which was instantly declared as one of the Best Books of the Year by the likes of The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, prompting Hollywood to get all hot under the collar regarding the inspiration for the new project.

The series sees NYU student Samantha Ciccario’s life instantly cut short when she is shot in Central Park. When the crime against her is investigated, she is found to be the crucial connection between a wealthy real estate family, the downtown music scene and the mysterious fires plaguing the city. Ooo, our interest is at an all-time high!

So if your expectations for City on Fire are at an all-time high, just like ours, read ahead to learn more about the upcoming crime drama.

What is the plot of City on Fire?

The official synopsis from Apple TV+ reads: “In City on Fire, an NYU student is shot in Central Park on the Fourth of July, 2003. Samantha is alone; there are no witnesses and very little physical evidence. Her friends’ band is playing at her favorite downtown club but she leaves to meet someone, promising to return. She never does. As the crime against Samantha is investigated, she’s revealed to be the crucial connection between a series of mysterious citywide fires, the downtown music scene, and a wealthy uptown real estate family fraying under the strain of the many secrets they keep.”

The show basically sees a suburban teenager getting to the bottom of his friend’s murder after she’s shot in Central Park on the Fourth of July in 2003. 

The novel of the same name takes place in the seventies (when New York was home to a severe financial crisis and widespread panic due to a string of shootings). In contrast, the show takes place in the early noughties. Explaining the decision to change the time period, Schwartz said at the AppleTV+ Television Critics Association Panel: “We were really interested in that post-9/11, Occupy Wall Street [era] in New York. Obviously, the book culminates in the blackout of ’77. There was a massive blackout in 2003. So creatively, that storyline lined up. But also thematically, 1977 was a time when people weren’t sure that our city was going to survive. Post-9/11 New York, people had the same concerns, the same fears.”

Is there a trailer for City on Fire?

As of yet, there isn’t one. But we’re sure that will change soon, so watch this space. 

Who stars in City on Fire?

Case Sui Wonders takes on the role of Samantha while Wyatt Oleff plays Samantha’s friend Charlie who stops at nothing to uncover the mystery behind her death. The show also stars Jemima Kirke, Nico Tortorella, Xavier Clyde, Omid Abtahi, Max Milner, Kathleen Munroe and John Cameron Mitchell.

When will City on Fire be released?

12 May on Apple TV+.