HBO has officially greenlit the limited series DTF St. Louis, a seven-episode dark comedy starring Jason Bateman, David Harbour, and newly announced cast member Richard Jenkins. Linda Cardellini also joins the ensemble. Both Harbour and Bateman will serve as executive producers on the project.
Georgia will play a significant role in the production, with filming set to begin in February 2025 and run through May. Production will take place across metro Atlanta, including Union City. Both Harbour and Bateman are no strangers to filming in the state—Harbour worked extensively in Georgia during Netflix’s Stranger Things, while Bateman filmed the acclaimed Netflix series Ozark in the region.
A Dark Comedy with a Talented Creative Team
The series centers on a love triangle involving three middle-aged adults grappling with unease, ultimately leading to one of them ending up dead. Described as a “darkly comedic” limited series, DTF St. Louis is helmed by Steven Conrad (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Patriot), who serves as showrunner, writer, director, and executive producer.
Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President of HBO Programming, highlighted the strength of the creative team and cast:
“We are tremendously excited to work with the brilliant auteur Steve Conrad, whose singularity of vision lies central to all his work as a storyteller. With David Harbour and Jason Bateman at series center, two masterful titans in their own right, we couldn’t be more emboldened by the journey ahead and look forward to sharing this special, emotionally provocative piece with the world come time.”
Evolution from True Crime to Original Story
Initially inspired by James Lasdun’s New Yorker article, My Dentist’s Murder Trial , the project originally had that same title as its working title. The original concept was a true-crime drama focused on Dr. Gilberto Nunez, a Kingston, New York dentist accused of murdering his friend Tom Kolman. Over time, the series evolved into a wholly original narrative, retaining its dark, provocative tone.
Production Details
The series is produced by Escape Artists (Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch), Molly Allen, Bruce Terris, Michael Costigan of Bateman’s Aggregate Films, Kristina Wenson of Bravo Axolotl, James Lasdun, and MGM Television.
The Cast's Recent Work
David Harbour, best known for his role as Jim Hopper in Netflix’s Stranger Things, will wrap the series with its final episodes in 2025. Jason Bateman, who concluded his run as Marty Byrde on Netflix’s Ozark in 2022. Bateman’s Marty Byrde was famously searched for a weapon by yours-truly in an episode of Ozark (season 4, episode 3). Bateman also recently appeared in the Netflix feature Carry-On, which was released on December 13. Richard Jenkins, an acclaimed actor known for The Shape of Water and HBO’s Six Feet Under, joins the cast, adding further prestige to the project.
Linda Cardellini is a versatile actress recognized for her leading roles in several television series and films. She starred in Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000), ER (2003–2009), Bloodline (2015–2017), and Dead to Me (2019–2022), with her performance in the latter earning a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Most memorably, she portrayed Velma in the 2002 live-action Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated. Most recently she has appeared in the Netflix series, No Good Deed.
This new series not only adds to HBO’s impressive slate of original programming but also highlights Georgia’s ongoing role as a premier filming location for high-profile projects.
