DTF St. Louis
Promotional poster
Genre
Created by Steven Conrad
Directed by Steven Conrad
Starring
Music by Alex Wurman
Country of origin United States
Original language English
No. of episodes 1
Production
Executive producers
Cinematography James Whitaker
Editor Kevin D. Ross
Running time 49 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network HBO
Release March 1, 2026 (2026-03-01) –
present

DTF St. Louis is an American dark comedy television miniseries created by Steven Conrad for HBO. The series stars Jason Bateman, David Harbour, Linda Cardellini, Richard Jenkins, Joy Sunday, and Arlan Ruf and premiered on March 1, 2026.

Premise

The seven-part series is about a love triangle between three adults experiencing middle-age malaise, which leads to one of them ending up dead.[1]

Cast and characters

Episodes

No. Title [5] Directed by [6] Written by [6] Original release date [5]
1 "Cornhole" Steven Conrad Steven Conrad March 1, 2026 (2026-03-01)
Floyd Smernitch is a sign language interpreter who lives with his wife Carol, and her troubled teenage son Richard. During a televised storm report, he protects meteorologist Clark Forrest from being injured, and the two quickly become close friends. At a family get-together, Clark tells Floyd about an app named "DTF St. Louis" that connects married couples who are interested in "spicing up" their lives. Both men confess that their marital sex lives are not going well. Eventually, Floyd agrees to meet Clark to set up their profiles on the app. Several weeks later, Floyd's dead body is found inside a closed community pool house. County Detective Donoghue Homer and Jodie Plumb, a special crimes officer for the city, disagree over the evidence and their theories about his death. Jodie obtains surveillance footage which captures a recumbent bicycle leaving the scene and tracks down Clark as the likely owner. Detective Homer questions Clark, who denies being at the scene, and seizes his phone as potential evidence. Homer discovers through Clark's text messages that he had been having an affair with Carol for several months but became obsessed when she broke things off. In addition, the toxicology report revealed that Floyd had been poisoned. Homer and his deputies arrive at the news station and arrest Clark during a live weather report.
2 "Snag It" Steven Conrad Steven Conrad March 8, 2026 (2026-03-08)
3 "The Go Getter" Steven Conrad Steven Conrad March 15, 2026 (2026-03-15)
4 "Missouri Mutual Life & Health Insurance Company[7]" Steven Conrad Steven Conrad March 22, 2026 (2026-03-22)
5 TBA Steven Conrad Steven Conrad March 29, 2026 (2026-03-29)
6 TBA Steven Conrad Steven Conrad April 5, 2026 (2026-04-05)
7 TBA Steven Conrad Steven Conrad April 12, 2026 (2026-04-12)

Production

The seven-part series has Steven Conrad as the series writer, showrunner, executive producer, and director. It started development in 2022 with David Harbour and Pedro Pascal attached to star and executive produce and was originally inspired by the James Lasdun article in The New Yorker entitled "My Dentist's Murder Trial: Adultery, False Identities, and a Lethal Sedation". However, in October 2024, it was announced that Pascal was no longer involved and the creative direction of the series had evolved into a wholly original idea with no connection to the original article, with Jason Bateman joining the series to star alongside Harbour and serve as an executive producer for Aggregate Films. Additional executive producers include James Lasdun, as well as Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch for Escape Artists, Molly Allen, Bruce Terris, and Michael Costigan for Aggregate Films, Kristina Wenson for Bravo Axolotl, and MGM Television.[1]

Linda Cardellini joined the cast in December 2024.[8][9] Richard Jenkins and Arlan Ruf joined the cast in January 2025.[10][11] Chris Perfetti and Joy Sunday were added to the cast in February.[12]

Filming took place in Atlanta, Georgia, in May 2025.[13][14]

The first trailer showed locations in Cumming and Johns Creek, Georgia.[15]

Release

The series premiered on HBO on March 1, 2026.[16]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 83% approval rating based on 30 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Steve Conrad zeroes in on the crossroads between the suburbanite mundane and insane with this sly yet telling crime thriller that boasts strong performances by David Harbour and Jason Bateman."[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 70 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable".[18]

References

  1. ^ a b Otterson, Joe (November 1, 2024). "HBO Orders Limited Series DTF St. Louis Starring David Harbour & Jason Bateman". Variety. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "HBO Original Limited Series DTF ST. LOUIS Starring Jason Bateman, David Harbour, and Linda Cardellini Debuts March 1" (Press release). Warner Bros. Discovery. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  3. ^ Cordero, Rosy (January 22, 2025). "Richard Jenkins Joins HBO Limited Series 'DTF St. Louis'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  4. ^ Otterson, Joe (February 18, 2025). "'DTF St. Louis' at HBO Casts Chris Perfetti, Joy Sunday". Variety. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  5. ^ a b "Shows A–Z – DTF St. Louis on HBO". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  6. ^ a b https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/dtf-st-louis-review-jason-bateman-david-harbour-hbo-1236516647/
  7. ^ https://comicbookclublive.com/2026/03/01/dtf-st-louis-is-not-based-on-a-true-story-but-it-was-at-one-point/
  8. ^ Murphy, Chris (January 22, 2026). "Jason Bateman, David Harbour, and Linda Cardellini Enter a Deadly Love Triangle in DTF St. Louis". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  9. ^ Petski, Denise (December 9, 2024). "Linda Cardellini Joins Jason Bateman & David Harbour In Steve Conrad's HBO Limited Series DTF St. Louis". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  10. ^ Otterson, Joe (January 15, 2025). "Richard Jenkins Joins HBO Limited Series DTF St. Louis". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  11. ^ Lang, Brent (January 27, 2025). "Arlan Ruf Starring Opposite Jason Bateman, David Harbour in HBO Limited Series DTF St. Louis (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  12. ^ Porter, Rick (February 18, 2025). "Abbott Elementary, Wednesday Breakouts Board HBO's DTF St. Louis". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 18, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  13. ^ "David Harbour wears fake belly on set of HBO's DTF St. Louis". The Express Tribune. May 27, 2025. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  14. ^ Cobbs, Cathy (May 29, 2025). "HBO series featuring Jason Bateman and David Harbour films in Dunwoody". Rough Draft Atlanta. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  15. ^ "First Look at HBO's 'DTF St. Louis' – Trailer Reveals Familiar North Metro Locations". Filming in Georgia. February 1, 2026. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  16. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (January 28, 2026). "DTF St. Louis Trailer: Jason Bateman and David Harbour Are Suburban Dads Plagued by Sex App in Kinky HBO Comedy". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  17. ^ "DTF St. Louis: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  18. ^ "DTF St. Louis: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved March 3, 2026.