What To Expect From The TV Show Heels
Since the invention of television, wrestling has always had a home in our homes. Whether it was on UHF or VHF (ask your grand or great-grandparents), and of course nowadays on Peacock, TNT, and various streaming services. But it was always the sport being showcased. But there has yet to be a weekly television series showcasing a dramatic take on the lives of those in and out of the ring, until now.
Thanks to the Starz network, Heels will attempt to do for the wrestling industry what shows like The Sopranos, Mad Men, and Sons Of Anarchy had done. Take a rag-tag bunch of outlaws and craft a tremendous narrative around the business. The show, debuting August 15th, will tell the story of two brothers and their independent promotion.
What Is Heels About?
The show will highlight the Duffy Wrestling League in Georgia. Stephen Amell (Arrow) and Alexander Ludwig (The Hunger Games, Vikings) as brothers Jack and Ace Spade. The brothers portray a heel (Jack) and face (Ace) in the ring. Outside of the ring, they are battling it out for control of their late father’s (David Jame Elliot; JAG) DWL and to honor him as well.
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If you watched the trailer got a Friday Night Lights vibe, you’re not alone; stars Amell and Ludwig said as much during a behind-the-scenes vignette during ComicCon At Home. On Saturday’s it’s what everyone in the town of Duffy does, head to the “cathedral” their dad built. It will be interesting to see how much of the wrestling world fans all know and love is actually part of the show. From the trailers, it looks like the cast have been doing their homework getting ready for the big match scenes. Not a lot has been revealed about the show, but it was announced that CM Punk is indeed making a guest shot on the series.
The Cast And Crew
The series is created by Michael Waldron. Waldron has worked on several high-profile projects since his journey in Hollywood began. He had a hand in writing shows like Rick And Morty and most recently, Loki. He’s also written Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, as well as has been tapped to write Marvel maven Kevin Feige’s Star Wars film. Helping Waldron is showrunner Mike O’Malley, who is also no slouch, having starred in the series Yes, Dear and most recently acting in the series, Snowpiercer and the creator of the Lebron James produced Survivor’s Remorse.
As for the cast and wrestlers of The Duffy Wrestling League, it’s a deep roster of character actors. Chris Bauer (True Blood) plays former wrestler now scout, Wild Bill Hancock. Versatile actress Mary McCormack tackles the role of Willie Day, Jack’s business partner. There are several others rounding out the cast, but most wrestling fans will be looking for The Green Arrow himself to lead them. Stephen Amell helped supercharge the entire DC Universe thanks to his turn on Arrow. It was during this time that he also landed on wrestling fans’ radar.
Amell to date is the only celebrity to have wrestled a match for three separate promotions. He teamed up with Neville against Wade Barrett and Stardust at WWE SummerSlam 2015. He teamed with Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks against the Addiction, Scorpio Sky, and Flip Gordon. When the Elite went All In in 2018, he was right there too, battling Christopher Daniels. The dude’s an official member of The Bullet Club, complete with his own Vigilante Club shirt.
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Amell’s charisma is exactly what this kind of show needs. He has the ability to command a room and respect from everyone in it without saying a word. That’s the kind of charisma some real-life wrestlers would kill for. If the show is anywhere near as good as a wrestling card can be, fans will be in for a treat come late summer.
When Does Heels Come Out?
What should hopefully become a hit series, Heels will debut on the Starz cable channel as well as its streaming services on August 15, 2021.
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