Starz Cancels ‘Heels’, ‘Blindspotting’ & ‘Run The World’
US network Starz brought out its cancellation axe last night as it was revealed that three series would not be returning, with a fourth getting scrapped before it had even finished filming.
Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig-led drama ‘Heels‘ was a story about the men and women who chase their dreams in the world of small-town pro wrestling. Set in a close-knit Georgia community, it followed a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers, played by Amell and Ludwig, and rivals war over their late father’s legacy. In the ring, somebody must play the good guy and somebody must play their nemesis, the heel.
The drama had won acclaim from both critics and fans and was something of a passion project for Amell, who is a big pro-wrestling fan. However, like the other shows Starz cancelled, whilst they liked them creatively, they weren’t finding a large enough audience to justify their continuation. I rather suspect this was the driving force behind Amell’s vocal frustration at the strike rules (which ban actors from promoting past, present, and future projects) during a comic-con panel a few weeks ago, which got him in trouble with SAG-AFTRA. He knew this cancellation was a possibility, and was frustrated that he was being prevented from doing anything he could to promote the show he loved.
‘Heels’ season one did air on Starzplay (now called Lionsgate+) in the UK, but the streaming service did not air the second season.
‘Blindspotting‘ also only aired the first season in the UK (on Starzplay), but not the second. Created and executive produced by Rafael Casal (‘The Good Lord Bird’, ‘Bad Education’) and Daveed Diggs (‘Snowpiercer’, ‘Hamilton’), who both also starred in the original film on which the series is a continuation, the comedy-drama picks up six months after the movie. It centres on Ashley, played by Jasmine Cephas Jones (‘#FreeRayshawn’, ‘Hamilton’), who is nipping at the heels of a middle-class life in Oakland until Miles (Casal), her partner of 12 years and father of their son, is suddenly incarcerated, leaving her to navigate a chaotic and humorous existential crisis when she is forced to move in with Miles’ mother (Helen Hunt – ‘Mad About You’, ‘Twister’) and half-sister (Jaylen Barron – ‘Shameless’, ‘Free Reign’).
‘Run the World’ was the story of a group of Black, vibrant, fiercely loyal best friends who work, live and play in Harlem as they strive for world domination. At its core, was described as “an unapologetically female show about enviable friendship and not only surviving – but thriving together.” The series, which starred Amber Stevens West, Bresha Webb, and Corbin Reid never aired in the UK.
The fourth show, which got cut down before it had finished filming, was called ‘The Venery of Samantha Bird’. Starring Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why) as the title role, was to see Samantha Bird reconnect with her childhood sweetheart and fall headlong into a seemingly perfect storybook romance. But underneath their fever dream lurked a more unsettling interpretation of the affair, and a haunting portrayal of addictive love and the repercussions that a relationship has on the families in a small New England town.
Production on the series was paused in May due to the strikes, with two episodes left to shoot. It now appears that Starz has opted to just scrap the entire thing instead…
With the WGA strike (hopefully!) coming to a close this week after the writers came to a deal with the Hollywood bosses, which should (again, hopefully!) mean the actor’s guild soon follows suit, the cynical amongst us may look at these cancellations with raised eyebrows… The timing does rather feel like Starz opted to drop these cancellations before the strikes officially ended as an excuse to blame them for the shows being cancelled. We have seen some shows in the past be saved from cancellation by other networks or services, but whether that will happen here, only time will tell.
