Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Anti-Semitism Sweeps Through The USA In Trailer For HBO's 'The Plot Against America'
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 30, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Michele K. Short/HBO
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 30, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Philip Roth's 2004 novel The Plot Against America is an alternate history of America in which xenophobic populist Charles Lindbergh defeats Franklin D. Roosevelt to become president in 1940, and enters into an alliance with Hitler. It's about the creeping rise of fascism and anti-Semitism through the eyes of the Roth family in Newark. Now, this timely story is being adapted into a six-episode HBO limited series by none other than The Wire & The Deuce showrunner David Simon (along with frequent collaborator Ed Burns). Check out the first trailer below.
John Turturro stars as Rabbi Lionel Bengelsdorf, a key ally of Lindbergh despite his antisemitic statements; Winona Ryder plays his love interest, and Zoe Kazan plays her sister and the matriarch of the Roth family. The show also stars Homeland’s Morgan Spector, David Krumholtz and Michael Kostroff. It premieres on March 16th.
While speaking at the New Yorker Festival last fall about the show, Simon talked about meeting Philip Roth to start the project, and discussing Trump's rise with him.
"They're the same in terms of the demagogic underpinnings of their power, what they promise in the most simplistic terms possible, and how susceptible people are to those kinds of promises…and also in the demonization of the other," Simon said. "He said, 'Never confuse Trump for Lindbergh.' He was trying to help me. [Lindbergh] was an astounding hero and an astonishing American icon after the flight … He had the power that Trump as a reality show host and failed casino owner did not have. And yet Trump was able to market what he did have. He wanted me to be wary of making him Trumpist."
"Imagine if Trump were not as flawed a creature as he is," Simon said. "Imagine the damage that could be done if this guy had the charisma and capacity of even a Lindbergh. It's scary."
This isn't the only major Turturro project to get a trailer today—Turturro's long-in-the-works The Big Lebowski spinoff Jesus Rolls got its first teaser as well. There's not much new footage, but it looks incredibly weird—especially because it's both a spinoff of the Coen Brothers classic AND a remake of the 1974 French movie Going Places (that happens to star the Jesus character).
Here's the logline for the film, which will be released on March 6th: "The Jesus rolls on. Hours after being released from prison, Jesus Quintana (John Turturro) pairs up with fellow misfits Petey (Bobby Cannavale) and Marie (Audrey Tautou), and embark on a freewheeling joyride of petty crime and romance."
Turturro told The Independent last year that The Jesus Rolls is “a bit of a racy movie. It shows how stupid men are. That’s what the movie is kinda about — the women are the stronger, more together characters. I had to tweak it a little bit but now I feel really good about it. It’s basically an exploration of Jesus getting out of jail. It’s a comedy but a very human comedy.”
Tagged
HBO
david simon
the plot against america
tv
john turturro
television
winona ryder
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
What do you see when you record the whole of the boroughs?
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 5, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
It's a busy month at the branches.
By
Alec Hamilton
Arts & Entertainment
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
It's a busy month at the branches.
By
Alec Hamilton
NYC music in October: The Strokes, a Blink-182 cover band, and Polish experimentalism
By
Hank Shteamer
Are you a New Yorker? The Department of New Yorker Verification will now decide.
By
Hannah Frishberg
In the mood for a pastoral autumn experience? Try Queens.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .