As a key creative force behind Gossip Girl, Josh Safran spent years exploring the scandalous, privileged lives of Manhattan’s most elite teenagers, whose secrets were frequently exposed by an anonymous blogger. He served as a writer and executive producer on the original CW series and as the creator and showrunner of the HBO Max reboot, but now he is trading the Upper East Side for Cape Cod to develop an all-new character-driven drama, titled Glory Days, for Netflix about the secrets and sex lives of a summer baseball league. According to Deadline, the scripted sports series is being developed for Netflix in partnership with Skydance Sports, with Safran attached as the show’s writer, executive producer, and showrunner, with Nancy Cotton also on board as an executive producer. The story is set to unfold in Cape Cod, where the best college baseball players gather every summer to showcase their skills and compete for the attention of international talent scouts for a shot at the major league. The episodes will reportedly chronicle one pivotal season, exploring the intense pressure and interpersonal drama of the young athletes as they strive for success.
Ben McKenzie as Ryan Atwood in The O.C.Fox
Not much is known about Glory Days right now as the project is only in the early stages of development, but the biggest clue comes from its description that it is like “The O.C. meets Bull Durham.” The O.C. being the popular teen drama about the rich kids of Orange County and Bull Durham being the critically acclaimed ’80s rom-com about minor league baseball. The show’s comparison to these two titles suggests that the story will blend high-stakes sports with soapy personal drama, as it delves into the intersecting lives of “the coaches, players, and local townspeople as their futures, families, secrets, and sex lives collide” one summer. Glory Days will seemingly play to Safran’s strengths as he has a proven track record of crafting character-driven, high-drama television centered around elite social circles, identity, and scandal. In addition to Gossip Girl, he created and served as a showrunner for the ABC thriller Quantico and also worked as a showrunner and executive producer on Season 2 of the NBC musical drama Smash. He is also currently shooting the pilot for a U.S. Marshall thriller Protection for NBC, starring Peter Krause in his first role since leaving 9-1-1.
Drawing from his extensive experience of managing large ensemble casts and unpicking intertwined storylines, Safran is expected to deliver a character-driven narrative that looks beyond the game itself – and he will be hoping for a home run after his attempt to revitalize the Gossip Girl franchise missed the mark. The reboot was a success initially, breaking streaming records, but ultimately failed to sustain critical or audience approval, with many feeling that it didn’t hold up to the original, leading to its cancellation after two seasons.
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