HBO Greenlights New Series 'God Save Texas' About Lone Star Politics
The HBO network has greenlighted a new fictional series, "God Save Texas," that seeks to cast a light on the internal workings of Texas politics.
The fictional series will follow an earnest, well-to-do cowboy who becomes a Texas lawmaker in an attempt to save his ranch. He is then barraged with lobbying from the state's big energy companies, as well as dozens of other politically-themed issues that include corruption and bullying from fellow politicians.
Ultimately, after suffering many trials and tribulations, the main character of the series learns "how to survive in the crazy, brutal world of Texas politics."
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The series is reportedly based on the 2005 play Sonny's Last Shot, written by author Lawrence Wright. Wright then joined forces with producer Lauren Shuler Donner, who will executive produce the series.
Shuler Donner said in a recent statement that she realized she wanted to produce "God Save Texas" after reading Sonny's Last Shot.
"It was incredibly entertaining, very contemporary," Shuler Donner said of the play. "Every hot button issue that concerns our country: gun control, pro-choice vs. pro-life, our environment, voter fraud, immigration, gay marriage, is being played out in the gubernatorial race between Wendy Davis and Greg Abbott, but in a larger than life, overly heightened drama. Texas is like America […] only more so."
The first season of the series is reportedly centered on the Texas drought. According to the Houston Chronicle, there is little information about where filming for the series will take place, although it suggests that Austin would be a reasonable choice. There is also little information on who will be cast in the new HBO Series.
According to NPR, the show's writers will likely draw their characters from the real life influential names of Texas politics, including Governor Rick Perry, gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis, D-Forth Worth, and Greg Abbott, the state's current attorney general who is also running for governor in the upcoming November election.
"Indeed, the show's creators have a deep bench of Texas [politicians] from which to draw dramatic inspiration. It includes veterans of public scrutiny and caricature, including Perry, the long-serving governor and former presidential candidate, and comparatively fresh, yet polarizing personalities such as gubernatorial hopefuls Greg Abbott and Wendy Davis — whose rivalry has caught fire on the national stage," reports NPR.
