City on Fire: Apple TV+ Drops Trailer for New Mystery Series From Gossip Girl Creators

Are you a fan of mystery shows where a crime, mainly murder, is involved?

You should then check out City on Fire, a new TV show premiering this May on Apple TV+.

Apple TV+ released the trailer for City on Fire, based on the novel of the same name by Garth Risk Hallberg.

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.

City on Fire promises a grand narrative, connecting different worlds in New York City. Effectively, it boasts a large cast ensemble.

Chase Sui Wonders stars as Samantha. She is a charismatic girl whose larger-than-life persona sweeps over and covers Charlie.

Wyatt Oleff plays Charlie, a friend of Samantha's who is struggling to cope with his father's death on 9/11 two years earlier. After Samantha is shot, he stops at nothing to unravel the mystery of what happened.

Jemima Kirke plays Regan, the daughter of a Manhattan real estate mogul who strives to succeed independently.

Nico Tortorella plays William, a troubled artist who helps solve the case of Samantha's shooting and how it is all connected.

Ashley Zukerman plays Keith, Regan's husband. He has a connection to Samantha, making him one of the primary suspects in the shooting.

Xavier Clyde plays Mercer, William's boyfriend, who is a teacher.

Max Milner plays Nicky Chaos, a charismatic activist and revolutionary with a group of followers dedicated to stopping gentrification, which is happening around the city.

Alexandra Doke plays Sewer Girl, the bleeding heart of Nicky Chaos' crew.

Omid Abtahi plays Detective Ali Parsa. He is tasked with solving Samantha's case but uncovers an even bigger threat looming over the city.

Kathleen Munroe plays Detective PJ McFadden, a no-nonsense cop assigned to work on Samantha's case alongside Detective Parsa.

John Cameron Mitchell plays Amory, an influential and powerful executive in Manhattan who is as ruthless as he is charming.

City on Fire is written and executive produced by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the duo behind shows like Gossip Girl and The O.C. They wrote all eight episodes and serve as showrunners and executive producers.

The eight-episode series will air globally on May 12, 2023, with the first two episodes followed by one episode every Friday through June 16, 2023, on Apple TV+.

Check out the trailer below.

The highly dramatic trailer introduces the conflict, which is the shooting of Samantha.

Despite there being no witness to the shooting, there is no shortage of suspects, with each character having the motive to kill Samantha.

The relationship between wealth, family, and love is explored in this saga. It is all punctuated by sweeping music from composers Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor.

What did you think? Will you be checking it out?

Let us know in the comments section.

Denis Kimathi was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on X.