Apple TV+‘s Dear Edward, a new drama from Friday Night Lights and Parenthood creator Jason Katims, tells a story that seems almost too bizarre to be true. But is it?
The 10-episode series, which dropped its first three episodes on February 3, is an adaptation of Ann Napolitano’s 2020 novel of the same name. The series follows a 12-year-old boy named Edward (Colin O’Brien), who became the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed nearly 200 people, including his parents and brother. As the series progresses, we watch a group of people who lost loved ones in the crash come together, form friendships, and help each other pick up the pieces.
Dear Edward tells a story that’s both deeply terrifying and eerily familiar. It emphasizes the power that tragedy and grief can hold over us, and reminds us how healing human connection can be. So was the Apple TV+ series or Napolitano’s book based on real events?
Curious if Dear Edward is based on a true story? Or if the plane crash in the series is modeled after a real-life plane crash? We’ve got the answers below.
Is Dear Edward Based On A True Story? The Real Plane Crash Behind The Book And Apple TV+ Series
While reading or watching Dear Edward, you may find yourself wondering if the story (particularly the plane crash) is based on real events. While it may seem hard to believe, Dear Edward was partially inspired by the true story of Ruben van Assouw, the sole survivor of a 2010 Afriqiyah Airways jet crash that killed 103 people. Unlike 12-year-old Edward in the series, Ruben was a nine at the time of the crash. But like Edward, Ruben lost his parents and his brother, and he went home with his aunt and uncle after the tragedy.
In a 2019 interview, Dear Edward author Ann Napolitano shared why the true story hit her so hard. “I think I couldn’t let go because I was both deeply worried about Ruben and deeply curious about how he could go on after such a terrible tragedy,” she said.
“His aunt and uncle did an amazing job of protecting Ruben’s privacy once he was released from the hospital, but that meant I couldn’t know that he became okay,” Napolitano explained. “I had to create a set of circumstances under which a little boy in that situation could believably become a whole person, in spite of — or even because of — what he’d lost. I needed him to be okay, so I had to write my way into believing that was possible.”
The first three episodes of Dear Edward are currently streaming on Apple TV+. New episodes premiere weekly on Fridays.
