The Bold Type is an American comedy-drama television series created by Sarah Watson and produced by Universal Television for Freeform. It is inspired by the life and career of former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine Joanna Coles, who is executive producer of the series. Filmed in Toronto, Montreal, and New York City, the series chronicles the lives of three millennial women, portrayed by Katie Stevens, Aisha Dee, and Meghann Fahy, all of whom are employed at a fictional global publication called Scarlet in New York City.
While the pilot episode was aired in a special preview on June 20, 2017, the series officially premiered on Freeform on July 11, commencing a first season consisting of 10 episodes. After receiving a two-season renewal, the series premiered its second and third seasons in June 2018 and April 2019, respectively. The fourth season premiered on January 23, 2020, cut from 18 to 16 episodes on shutdown of production due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2021, the series was renewed for a fifth and final season which premiered on May 26, 2021. The final season culminates with an order of six episodes. It is broadcast internationally on various networks and streaming platforms including Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. To date, every season of the series has continued to receive positive reviews from television critics, including those writing for Vanity Fair, Vox, Variety, and The Atlantic.
Series synopsis The series centers on a trio of millennial women—Jane Sloan (Katie Stevens), Kat Edison (Aisha Dee), and Sutton Brady (Meghann Fahy)—living in New York City. The three best friends work for Scarlet, a fictional global women's magazine, spearheaded by its editor-in-chief, Jacqueline Carlyle (Melora Hardin). The young women navigate their lives in the big city, including their career trajectories and romantic relationships.
Jane begins the series as a new writer for the magazine after working as an assistant, struggling to find her writing voice. Sutton is in a secret romantic relationship with Richard Hunter (Sam Page), a Scarlet board member and attorney for the magazine's publishing firm; she also realizes that she is ready for a change in her career and attains a fashion assistant position for the magazine under department head Oliver Grayson (Stephen Conrad Moore). Secure in her position as Scarlets social media director, Kat meets photographer Adena El-Amin (Nikohl Boosheri) and starts to explore her sexuality, including the tribulations that said exploration brings.
Season two of The Bold Type follows Jane as she continues to find her journalistic voice in a new media-driven landscape, during a brief hiatus from Scarlet, Kat and her struggle with her racial and sexual identity in addition to her relationship with Adena, and Sutton in the aftermath of her decision to end her relationship with Richard due to the realization that it could hinder her from advancing in her career.
The third season sees Jane entering a new relationship with a fellow writer named Ryan (Dan Jeannotte) and collaborating with Jacqueline on a story regarding the abuse of models at the hands of a prominent photographer. Kat, in a career shift, becomes inspired to run for city council, supported by her campaign manager Tia (Alexis Floyd), with whom she also becomes romantically involved. Surprised by Adena's return during her campaign, Kat ponders whether her past relationship with Adena is unfinished. Sutton, while content in her role as a fashion assistant, considers pursuing a career as a fashion designer while navigating her rekindled—and newly public—relationship with Richard.
The fourth season sees Jane achieving great professional success: she is listed as a Forbes 30 under 30 writers to watch, gets her own vertical and writes some of her best work. However, she struggles in her personal life in this season: she has to cope with Ryan's infidelity and she goes through her preventive double mastectomy. Kat, after deciding to focus on herself for a while, has to navigate being friends with Adena while working together. However, not long after, she is forced out from Scarlet for exposing a board member's support for conversion therapy and becomes a bartender at Belle. Sutton, appears to be living her dream: she is promoted to stylist and, after spending most of the season in a long-distance relationship with Richard, she gets married and is expecting her first baby. Notwithstanding, after going through an unexpected miscarriage, she realizes that kids are not in her future and the couple reaches a major crossroads.
The fifth and final season showcases Jane attempting to navigate being a manager for the first time and all the challenges that it entails, including her feelings for her coworker Scott. Kat is working on a new project with Adena, to help former prisoners to reintegrate into society. They reconnect and Kat also realizes that she should quit the Belle and pursue bigger things. Sutton is trying to navigate the pain of her divorce, her possible problem with alcohol and how to succeed in her career in the midst of all this. This is the last season of the show.
Cast and characters
Main Katie Stevens as Jane Sloan, an editor at Scarlet magazine Aisha Dee as Kat Edison, former social media director at Scarlet magazine Meghann Fahy as Sutton Brady-Hunter, a fashion stylist at Scarlet magazine Sam Page as Richard Hunter (seasons 1–4; guest season 5), a Scarlet magazine board member, and general counsel for Safford Publishing which owns the magazine Matt Ward as Alex Crawford (seasons 1–4; guest season 5), a writer at Scarlet magazine Melora Hardin as Jacqueline Carlyle, editor-in-chief of Scarlet magazine Stephen Conrad Moore as Oliver Grayson (season 2–5; recurring, season 1), head of Scarlet magazine's fashion department Nikohl Boosheri as Adena El-Amin (season 2; recurring seasons 1, 3–5), a photographer, and Kat's love interest
Recurring Adam Capriolo as Andrew, Jacqueline's assistant Stephanie Costa as Sage Aiello, a writer at Scarlet magazine Dan Jeannotte as Ryan Decker (season 1–4; guest season 5), a freelance writer, whom Jane becomes romantically involved with Emily C. Chang as Lauren Park (season 1; guest season 3), an executive editor at Scarlet Luca James Lee as Ben Chau (season 2), an OB/GYN, whom Jane becomes romantically involved with Siobhan Murphy as Cleo Williams (season 2), a newly hired Scarlet magazine board member Kiara Groulx as Carly Grayson (seasons 3–4; guest season 5), Oliver's daughter Shyrley Rodriguez as Angie Flores (season 3; guest season 2), a former receptionist and Scarlet new social media director Peter Vack as Patrick Duchand (season 3; guest season 4), the new head of Scarlet magazine's digital department Alexis Floyd as Tia Clayton (season 3), Kat's campaign manager whom Kat begins a relationship with Gildart Jackson as Ian Carlyle (season 4–5; guest seasons 1 and 3), Jacqueline's husband Rachel Mutombo as Darby Gruss (season 4–5), a manager at The Belle Mat Vairo as Scott Coleman (season 4–5), a columnist who Jane becomes romantically involved with Aidan Devine as RJ Safford (season 4; guest season 3), the president of the company that owns Scarlet Alex Paxton-Beesley as Eva Rhodes (season 4; guest season 5), a conservative lawyer and Kat's secret lover Yasha Jackson as Dr. Alicia Golden (season 4; guest season 5) Tom Austen as Cody (season 4), bartender and Kat's love interest Raven-Symoné as Alice Knight (season 4), a beauty influencer Christine Nguyen as Addison Harper (season 5; guest season 4), a writer who works for Jane's vertical at Scarlet
Episodes Series overview
Season 1 (2017)
Season 2 (2018)
Season 3 (2019)
Season 4 (2020)
Season 5 (2021)
Production Development An untitled series inspired by the life of former Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Joanna Coles was under development by NBC, Universal Television, The District, and Hearst Magazines in September 2015. The project was created by writer Sarah Watson, with Coles joining as executive producer along with Ruben Fleischer and David Bernad. On April 7, 2016, Freeform announced they had given a pilot order to the project, then-titled Issues. The project was ordered to series by Freeform in January 2017 and later renamed The Bold Type. Coles also provides a voice-over in the beginning of every episode that recaps previous events in the series. Two months after giving The Bold Type a full series order, Freeform announced that the series would debut on Tuesday, July 11, 2017. The pilot was aired as a special preview on June 20, three weeks before the series' premiere date. The July 11 premiere was a back-to-back airing of the series' first two episodes.
After the completion of its first season, The Bold Type received a two-season renewal, consisting of 10 episodes each, on October 4, 2017. At the same time, it was announced that Amanda Lasher would assume the role of showrunner after series creator Watson had "creative differences" with the network. The second season premiered on Freeform on June 12, 2018, while the third season premiered on April 9, 2019. In May 2019, the series was renewed for a fourth season at the 2019 Freeform upfront presentation; it was subsequently announced that Wendy Straker Hauser would be replacing Lasher as showrunner. On August 11, it was announced that the fourth season would consist of 18 episodes, the largest episode order for a season of the show. The fourth season premiered on January 23, 2020. On April 21, 2020, it was reported that production on the fourth season would not resume, and that the episode order had been cut to sixteen episodes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On January 27, 2021, Freeform renewed the series for a fifth and final season which premiered on May 26, 2021. The final season had six episodes.
Casting
Sam Page, who portrays Richard Hunter, was the first cast member announced to be attached to the series. His casting was announced on August 16, 2016, which was followed by that of Melora Hardin on August 18. Hardin was cast as Jacqueline, the "quietly tough and confident editor-in-chief of Scarlet", who was later revealed to be based on Coles. The following week, Katie Stevens, Aisha Dee, and Meghann Fahy were announced as the series' leads. Stevens plays Jane, who lands her dream job as a writer for Scarlet, Dee portrays Kat, Scarlets social media director, while Fahy plays Sutton, the last of the three friends to still be in an assistant's job. Matt Ward was also announced to be joining the main cast as Alex, a fellow writer at Scarlet.
On March 30, 2017, it was announced that Nikohl Boosheri was cast to recur on the series as Adena El-Amin, a photographer who develops a complicated romantic relationship with Kat. Emily C. Chang also joined the cast in a recurring capacity as a "blunt, overworked executive editor" named Lauren Park on May 2.
On March 8, 2018, it was reported that newcomers Luca James Lee and Siobhan Murphy were tapped for recurring roles for season two. Lee plays Ben, a potential love interest for Jane, while Murphy portrays Cleo, a new board member at Safford Publishing. Boosheri and Stephen Conrad Moore, who portrays Scarlet fashion department head, Oliver Grayson, were promoted to the main cast for season two after making recurring appearances in the previous season.
On September 7, 2018, it was reported that Peter Vack and Alexis Floyd would recur during the third season. Vack was announced to be portraying a new Scarlet staffer named Patrick Duchand, while Floyd portrays Tia, a campaign manager for a city council candidate.
In October 2019, Raven-Symoné was announced to have been cast in a recurring role as a beauty influencer named Alice for season four.
Filming