A pacy, New York thriller from the team behind The OC and Gossip Girl? Apple TV+’s new mini-series City On Fire couldn’t be more up our proverbial street.

Based on the novel by Garth Risk Hallberg, City On Fire charts the fallout after a young woman, Samantha, is shot in Central Park on 4 July.

There appear to be no witnesses to the murder, but as detectives delve deeper into the case, it turns out that Samantha provides a link between a spate of mysterious fires across the city and a wealthy family of property scions who have plenty of secrets of their own. 

With a talented cast and Gossip Girl’s Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage at the helm, this sprawling mystery has just shot to the top of our to-watch list for the summer months.

Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming drama.  

What is City On Fire about?

According to the Apple synopsis, the drama follows the events that unfold after an NYU student is shot in Central Park on 4 July 2003. 

“Samantha is alone; there are no witnesses and very little physical evidence. Her friends’ band is playing her favourite 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 city-wide fires, the downtown music scene, and a wealthy uptown real estate family fraying under the strain of the many secrets they keep.” Intrigued? Same. 

Who’s in the cast of City On Fire?

The eight-episode series stars Chase Sui Wonders as Samantha and Wyatt Oleff as her friend Charlie, who “will stop at nothing to find out what happened”.

Jemima Kirke (Sex Education) is signed on to play Regan, the daughter of a Manhattan real estate scion who wants to succeed on her own, while Ashley Zukerman (The Lost Symbol) plays her husband, Keith, whose charm helps him fail upward.

There’s also Nico Tortorella (Younger) as William, a brilliant but self-destructive artist, and Xavier Clyde (Hard), who will play his boyfriend, Mercer, who moved to New York from Georgia to be a writer and express his true self.

Elsewhere, musician Max Milner (The Dirt) plays Nicky Chaos, a charismatic activist who leads a group dedicated to fighting the one percent, while Alexandra Doke (Grey’s Anatomy) plays Sewer Girl, a member of Nicky’s crew. 

Omid Abtahi (American Gods, The Mandalorian) plays detective Ali Parsa, while Kathleen Munroe (FBI) plays detective PJ McFadden – both are assigned to Samantha’s case. John Cameron Mitchell (Joe Vs. Carole, Shrill) rounds out the cast as Amory, a powerful and charming Manhattan executive.

Is there a trailer? 

The teaser for City On Fire has just landed and gives us a closer look at Samantha’s story and the fallout from her death (and yes, the city looks just as good as it did in Gossip Girl – Schwartz and Savage certainly know how to make Manhattan shine on camera). 

You can watch the trailer below.

When is City On Fire released?

We don’t have too long to wait, as the first three episodes of City On Fire are set to debut on Apple TV+ on 12 May. From then, new episodes will drop weekly on Fridays. 

Images: Apple Studios; Getty