The Players Tableis an upcoming TV series from Sydney Sweeney and Halsey and there’s finally been some positive updates after long delays. Set to premiere on HBO,The Players Tableis based on the novelThey Wish They Were Usby Jessica Goodman. The story is set on the Gold Coast of Long Island, in a preppy high school where Jill Newman and her friends run the social scene. Jill is part of a “secret” society at school and is referred to as a “player”, which means she gets the best high school has to offer.
However, the murder of a classmate the previous year casts a dark shadow over the school and when Jill realizes the wrong person was convicted, she throws away her popularity and puts herself in danger to find the real killer.Teen mystery shows continueto be popular fare, andThe Players Tableis looking to be a dark and exciting tale about high school social hierarchy tied with a mysterious murder.Sydney Sweeney may be best known for acting, butnow she’s in the producing chair too for a show that’s been a long time coming.
The Players Table Latest News
Sydney Sweeney Is Still Hopeful About The Project
The latest news forThe Players Tablecomes from an update Syndey Sweeney gave in March 2024 (viaCollider). When asked if there was hope for the project despite the long delays, Sweeney answered in the affirmative.
The Players Table Is Not Confirmed
HBO Has Not Officially Announced The Series
While Sweeney is hopeful the series will continue,The Players Tablehas not yet been confirmed to be in production or scheduled to premiere on HBO. The series was first announced in February 2021 with Syndey Sweeney and the singer Halsey attached to star and co-develop (viaDeadline). However, the show was delayed due to the 2023 WGA strike (viaTeenVogue). Beyond Sweeney’s comments, there’s been no official news about the show.
The Players Table Cast
Halsey And Sydney Sweeney Are Set To Star
At the moment,the only actors cast inThe Players Tableare Sydney Sweeney and Halsey. This will be the first live-action drama series for Halsey whileSweeney is coming off a string of horrorand romantic comedy roles. It hasn’t been announced yet who each actor is playing.
The Players Table Story Details
The Story Is An Adaptation Of They Wish They Were Us
Though the plot ofThe Players Tablehas yet to be revealed, Sweeney has said about the show,
“I think there’s a lot of different themes and characters that will play into our generation and I think that there’s going to be the mystery, the thrills. I also love a good, like soapy drama. So I think people will want to eat it up.”
Sweeney’s description, along with the murder mystery, high school drama aspects ofThey Wish They Were Usshould combine for something approachinga show likePretty Little Liarsor possibly evenYellowjackets, depending on how darkly the series will delve into the murder aspects of the book.
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The story stars Jill Newman, a popular high school student in a wealthy part of Long Island. Jill is part of a “secret” society at school and is referred to as a “player”, which means she gets the best high school has to offer. However, a classmate’s murder the previous year casts a dark shadow over the school and when Jill realizes the wrong person was convicted, she forgoes popularity and safety to find the real killer.
The Death Of Jean-Marc Vallée Slowed Down Production
Vallée Was A Co-Developer Who Passed Away In 2021
Production forThe Players Tablewas also slowed by the death of Jean-Marc Vallée, who was co-developing the series with Halsey and Sweeney. In an interview with the podcastSprout, Halsey said,
“We took a little bit of time. The project was a collaboration between myself, Sydney, and a company that was headed by Jean-Marc Vallée, who is an absolutely iconic and legendary auteur. And he passed really unexpectedly. We’re taking our time with it because I think we have a lot of—there’s a lot of incentive to make it as best as it can possibly be for him and in honor of him.”
Vallée, who directedDallas Buyers ClubandWild, passed away on June 27, 2025, at the age of 58 from a cardiac arrhythmia secondary to severe atherosclerosis (viaCNN). Sweeney and Halsey appear to be pushing on though withThe Players Tableand more news should be slowly rolling out.
