Tag: starz

‘Heels’ canceled by Starz after two seasons

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Heels is not moving forward with a third season.

Variety reported on Monday that Starz has canceled Heels after two seasons. The show’s series finale aired on September 15.

The show had centered around Jack Spade (Stephen Amell) inheriting a local independent wrestling league from his father as he attempts to keep the company afloat. The cast also featured Alexander Ludwig as Ace Spade, Jack’s younger brother, and Aliison Luff as Staci Spade, Jack’s wife.

Ratings for the show had fallen in its second season, opening with a 0.046 on July 28 and ending with a 0.040.

CM Punk also had a part on the show as recurring character Ricky Rabies. Former pro wrestler AJ Lee, Punk’s wife, also made an appearance during the second season.

According to Variety’s report, other shows canceled by the network include ‘Run the World’, ‘Blindspotting’, and ‘The Venery of Samantha Bird’. Another pro wrestling-themed show, Young Rock, was canceled after three seasons earlier this year by NBC. That show focused on different time periods of The Rock’s life, interacting with various pro wrestling stars and celebrities.

VIDEO: Starz reveals trailer for pro wrestling drama ‘Heels’

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A new trailer has been revealed for Starz’s upcoming pro wrestling drama Heels.

The show, which stars Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig, will premiere on August 15 at 9 pm ET across all Starz platforms. The story focuses on a family-owned Georgia wrestling promotion that is run by feuding brothers, played by Amell and Ludwig. In the trailer, they are seen feuding both in the ring as a babyface (Ludwig) and a heel (Amell) as well as outside the ring. The trailer can be seen below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKFfSSXavYc

The series also stars Alison Luff, Mary McCormack, Kelli Berglund, Chris Bauer, Allen Maldanado, and James Harrison. The show is written by Michael Waldron, with Mike O’Malley serving as showrunner.

Amell, most recognized as playing the Green Arrow for eight seasons on the CW show of the same name, has taken part in pro wrestling matches in the past. At SummerSlam 2015, he teamed with Neville (PAC) to defeat Stardust (Cody Rhodes) and Wade Barrett. In Ring of Honor, he teamed with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks to defeat Frankie Kazarian, Scorpio Sky, and Flip Gordon at Survival of the Fittest 2017. At All In a year later, he lost to Christopher Daniels in a singles match.

Starz announces premiere date for pro wrestling drama ‘Heels’

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Starz has announced the premiere date for their upcoming wrestling drama series Heels.

The television network announced that the series will premiere on August 15 at 9 pm ET. A trailer has been released, which can be seen below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l05pR_4wUKw

The show stars Stephen Amell (Green Arrow) and Alexander Ludwig (The Hunger Games, Vikings) as brothers who battle over their late father’s wrestling promotion in a small town in Georgia. CM Punk is also part of the cast as Ricky Rabies, a wrestler. 

Amell has taken part in matches for WWE, ROH, and for what would eventually become AEW. At SummerSlam 2015, he teamed with Neville (PAC) to defeat Stardust (Cody Rhodes) and Wade Barrett. In Ring of Honor, he teamed with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks to defeat Frankie Kazarian, Scorpio Sky, and Flip Gordon at Survival of the Fittest 2017. At All In a year later, he lost to Christopher Daniels in a singles match.

Heels will be produced under Paramount Television, Lionsgate Television, and LBI Entertainment.

CM Punk to appear in Starz pro wrestling drama series ‘Heels’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Image: Stephen Amell

CM Punk will be playing a part in Starz’s scripted pro wrestling drama series “Heels.”

On social media today, “Heels” star Stephen Amell posted a picture of him and Punk in a wrestling ring and wrote: “Please welcome @CMPunk to @HeelsSTARZ — He was a little rusty in the ring yesterday, but I assured him it was just like riding a bike.”

Punk had noted earlier this month that he was quarantining as a mandatory safety procedure for a job.

PWInsider reported that they were told that Punk “will return to the ring as an adversary of” Amell on “Heels” and that the word is Punk’s character could be a recurring one.

“Heels” is “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 follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals, Jack (Amell) and Ace (Alexander Ludwig) Spade, war over their late father’s legacy. In the ring, somebody must play the good guy (Ludwig) and somebody must play their nemesis, the heel (Amell). But in the real world, those characters can be hard to live up to — or hard to leave behind.”

Amell formerly starred in The CW’s “Arrow.” He’s also had three pro wrestling matches, facing Christopher Daniels at All In in 2018, teaming with Bullet Club for ROH in 2017, and teaming with Neville against Stardust & Wade Barrett at WWE SummerSlam 2015. Amell was part of Cody Rhodes’ entourage accompanying him to the ring at AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view in February 2020.

When “Heels” will be premiering hasn’t been announced. The show was given an eight-episode order by Starz.

Stephen Amell to star in pro wrestling drama series ‘Heels’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Stephen Amell’s next acting role will be professional wrestling themed.

Deadline first reported today that Amell will star in the pro wrestling drama series “Heels.” The show will air on Starz and has been given an eight-episode order. Each episode will be an hour long.

Deadline notes that the show “is 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 follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals — one of them played by Amell — war over their late father’s legacy. In the ring, somebody must play the good guy and somebody must play their nemesis, the heel (Amell). But in the real world, those characters can be hard to live up to — or hard to leave behind.”

Amell plays Jack Spade on the show. The character is described as “the charismatic villain, or heel, of the Duffy Wrestling Association (DWA). In the real world, he’s its hard-working owner, a husband and father trying to make ends meet while fighting to realize his impossible dreams. He has the mind of an artist in the body of a warrior, and a Steve Jobs-ian need for perfection — and for control. He says he’ll do whatever it takes to build the DWA into an empire. Will he go so far as to risk his marriage, or his relationship with his brother?”

Mike O’Malley is the showrunner of “Heels.” It’s being written by Michael Waldron.

Amell tweeted to Cody Rhodes about the series: “Hey @CodyRhodes — wanna come and help me make a tv show?”

Cody then responded: “Congratulations!..and yea, of course”

Amell currently stars in “Arrow.” Its final season will premiere on October 15.

Amell made his in-ring debut by teaming with Neville against Cody (as Stardust) & Wade Barrett at SummerSlam 2015. Amell, Cody, The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega faced Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Scorpio Sky & Flip Gordon at an ROH show in 2017.

At All In last September, Amell had his first singles match. He faced Daniels at the event.