‘The Best of Us’: Retitled ‘9/12’ Show Begins Production

The date 9/11/2001 will live in infamy for Americans, but Paramount+’s new series aims to tell the story of what happened after the World Trade Center was attacked by terrorists 25 years ago.

The limited series, The Best of Us, formerly known as 9/12, chronicles the legal battle that ensued as first responders fought to receive compensation for the many dire illnesses they suffered after tending to the scene and victims on that fateful day.

Now, the series is officially in production, and here’s everything we know about 9/12 so far.

Who will star in The Best of Us?

The series’ cast is led by Jeremy Strong as Jason Smith, a class-action attorney who took on the case of the century to help secure $1 billion for the 9/11 heroes in need. Also starring in the series, per Deadline, is Barry Pepper. He stars as Coach, a former NYPD officer who is diagnosed with leukemia and reluctantly agrees to serve as the face of the lawsuit to help others like him. Plus, Andrea Riseborough will star as Molly, the wife of an affected officer who turns to Smith, per Variety.

Also joining the cast of the series are Neal Huff, Gaby Hoffman, and Sky Yang, per Deadline. Huff plays Peter Allen, a colleague of Jason’s who questions the case; Hoffman is an FDNY firefighter and activist named Kathleen McCormick; and Yang’s character is called “The Lost Son,” a young homeless man who’s been through hardships.

Lastly, Paramount+ announced the addition of guest stars LaChanze, Richard Schiff, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Joe Morton, Jen Tullock, William Baldwin, and Keith W. Richards.

The series is cowritten and directed by Tobias Lindholm, with Frank Pugliest also writing.

When will The Best of Us premiere?

A premiere date has not yet been revealed, but Paramount+ did announce the start of production on September 18. All six episodes will be available to stream on Paramount+.

 

 

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Is The Best of Us based on a true story?

Yes, in part. Though the characters in the story are said to be an amalgamation of real-life individuals involved, the battle for compensation for the first responders of 9/11 was, indeed, intense. Though a September 11th Victim Compensation Fund was established in the immediate aftermath of the attack, it concluded in 2004. It wasn’t until 2011 that the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 was signed into law to reactivate the fund, but that was also set to expire in 2017. Then, in 2015, the act was reauthorized through 2020, and in 2019, a new law was enacted — The Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund — that authorized claims that are filed through 2090.

9/12, Premiere, TBA, Paramount+