EXCLUSIVE: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Dexter: Original Sin, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) has come on board to star in and executive produce Bad Summer People, a TV series adaptation of the bestselling novel by Emma Rosenblum. Cara DiPaolo (No Good Deed) will write and executive produce the project, produced by Linden Productions (Family Switch) and A+E Studios (The Lincoln Lawyer) which will develop it internally before taking it out to buyers. Also executive producing are Riva Marker and Deanna Barillari with Linden Productions, and JoAnne Colonna.
Bad Summer People, which has drawn comparisons to The White Lotus, is set in the idyllic fictional town of Salcombe, Fire Island, and follows a sequence of life shattering events when a body is discovered off the side of the boardwalk. The series will be centered on frenemies and master manipulators, Jen Weinstein and Lauren Parker. They, alongside their husbands, childhood friends Sam and Jason, have summered together on the island for years, but this summer everything will come to a head as lifelong grudges and secrets are unearthed.
“Bad Summer People is a deliciously sharp and addictive series. Emma’s novel practically leapt off the page, and in Cara’s hands—alongside a dream team of producers at Linden and the iconic Sarah Michelle Gellar—it becomes something even more unforgettable,” said Tana Jamieson, Co-Head/EVP Creative Affairs, A+E Studios. “This is the kind of bold, premium storytelling we’re proud to champion at A+E Studios.”
Gellar is recurring on the Showtime series Dexter: Original Sin and is set to continue on the upcoming second season. Known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she will reprise her titular role in the Buffyverse Hulu pilot from 20th Television and Searchlight TV, directed by Chloé Zhao. She is repped by CAA, Linden Entertainment and Yorn Levine Barnes.
DiPaolo was most recently a co-executive producer on the Netflix series No Good Deed. Her credits also include Netflix’s Dead To Me, AppleTV+’s Physical, Hulu’s Casual, Amazon’s One Mississippi, HBO’s Togetherness and Showtime’s The Big C. DiPaolo is repped by UTA and Gang Tyre.
Bad Summer People was published in 2023 by Macmillan. Rosenblum is also the bestselling author of Very Bad Company. Her next book, Mean Moms, will be releaed by Macmillan on July 29, 2025. Rosenblum, who previously served as Chief Content Officer at Bustle Digital Group, is repped by CAA.
