Parents' Guide to Fellow Travelers

The weighty series mixes the fictional story of an illicit and taboo love affair with U.S. political history to paint a dark and rather sad picture of what life was like for the LGBTQ+ community during the latter part of the 20th century. With the help of flashbacks, it contextualizes the evolution of Hawk and Tim's relationship within major political and social shifts in the U.S. to bring their relationship full circle. Woven throughout are the stories of other people within this universe, like Hawk's secretary Mary Johnson (Erin Neufer) and journalist Marcus Hooks (Jelani Alladin), who are looking for ways to live full lives while simultaneously protecting themselves from the systemic sexism, racism, and homophobia in which they are forced to exist.

Meanwhile, the choices made by folks like top McCarthy staffer Roy Cohn (Will Brill) and Hawk's wife Lucy (Allison Williams) underscore the hypocrisy behind heteronormative conventions. These are complicated narratives, which, in addition to some sexually explicit scenes, makes Fellow Travelers an option best left for older viewers. But those with the maturity to handle it may find themselves reflecting on what the LGBTQ+ community has collectively been subjected to throughout U.S. history, and how its members still face challenges in order to be fully accepted by American society.