HBO Sets Date for Paul Rudnick's Coastal Elites, With Bette Midler, Dan Levy, and More

HBO has set the date for the new Paul Rudnick comedy Coastal Elites. Directed by Jay Roach, the special presentation will air Saturday, September 12 at 8pm ET.

Originally conceived for the Public Theater, Coastal Elites leapt from stage to screen at the beginning of the pandemic and evolved in real time as the unprecedented events of 2020 unfolded. The film spotlights five distinct and impassioned points-of-view across the United States. When the shutdown forces these characters to cope in isolation, they react with frustration, hilarity and introspection.

The five-member company includes Bette Midler as Miriam Nessler, a theater-loving New York City public school teacher; Kaitlyn Dever as Sharynn Tarrows, a nurse from Wyoming who flies to New York to volunteer; Dan Levy as Mark Hesterman, a young actor videoconferencing with his therapist; Sarah Paulson as YouTube personality Clarissa Montgomery; and Issa Rae as philanthropist Callie Josephson.

Executive producers are Paul Rudnick, Jay Roach, Jeffrey Seller, Flody Suarez, Scott Chaloff, and Michelle Graham.