EXCLUSIVE: Jack Ball (Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party), Kylar Miranda (Baywatch) and Julian Grey (Fear the Walking Dead) are set as series regulars in How To Survive Without Me, HBO Max‘s family drama pilot. They join previously announced leads Ray Romano, Joshua Jackson, Kaley Cuoco and Julia Schlaepfer in the project from Greg Berlanti, Bash Doran and Warner Bros TV.
Written by Berlanti and Doran from a story the duo co-wrote with Robbie Rogers, How To Survive Without Me is set in the wake of matriarch Beverly’s passing. The De Angelis family has begun to drift, unsure how to manage their complicated, evolving lives without her guidance, but in true Beverly fashion, she found a way to keep running the show from the beyond. Should they wish to experience Beverly’s final work, the family must find the time — and make the effort — to remain connected, and be there for each other through all of life’s challenges yet to come.
Ball will play the middle son, Cary, who inherited his mom’s razor-sharp wit and intellect. He turned down a lucrative job after graduation to work at his father’s financial planning firm, juggling temperamental clients and his father’s all-consuming grief. His husband Luis (Miranda) and their two kids provide a welcome sanctuary when Cary feels overwhelmed by his siblings.
Miranda’s Luis is a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team’s and MLB’s first out gay player, and Cary’s husband. Luis is the easygoing counter to Cary’s perpetually overwhelmed nature.
Grey is PJ. The youngest of the siblings, PJ still lives at home with Leo (Romano). He spends his days lounging by the pool, playing video games, and ordering food with Leo’s credit cards. His siblings think he’s a freeloader but the real reason he stays home would surprise them all.
Romano plays the patriarch of the family, Leo, newly a widower and suddenly performing the lead role of parent that he never auditioned for. Jackson plays Cooper, the sibling of Liz (Schlaepfer) and Cuoco’s character Kate, the eldest daughter who inherited her mother’s perfectionism, elegance, and organizational prowess.
Berlanti and Doran executive produce with Sarah Schechter and Leigh London Redman. Rogers also executive produces via Berlanti Productions and its overall deal with WBTV. Warner Bros Television is the studio. Daniel Minahan will direct the pilot.
Ball, known for his work in Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, Kill The Monsters and Sirens, is repped by Stewart Talent and Darlene Kaplan Entertainment.
Miranda, most recently seen in romantic drama On Swift Horses, will next take on a recurring role in Fox’s new Baywatch series. He’s repped by LA Talent and MRK MGMT.
Grey portrayed Klaus in Fear the Walking Dead and appeared in The Matrix Resurrections, Netflix miniseries Godless and The Craft: Legacy, among many others. He’s repped by Innovative Artists Entertainment, Amplified Entertainment Inc, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller et al.