Apple TV Plus Debuts ‘Swagger’ Trailer (TV News Roundup)

Selome Hailu and Katie Song
·6 min read
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Apple TV Plus debuted a trailer for “Swagger,” the upcoming drama series inspired by the life and childhood of NBA player Kevin Durant premiering with three episodes on Oct. 29. The following seven episodes will debut weekly on Fridays.

O’Shea Jackson Jr. stars as Ike, a former star player who’s become a youth basketball coach. In the series, his focus is dedicated to Jace Carson (Isaiah Hill), a 14-year-old who is one of the top ranked youth players in the nation. The cast also includes Shinelle Azoroh as Jace’s mother Jenna, Quvenzhané Wallis as another top player named Crystal, Caleel Harris as team point guard Musa, James Bingham as a player from a more affluent neighborhood, Solomon Irama as rival team enforcer Phil Marskby, Ozie Nzeribe as a less talented but more wealthy player named Royale, Tessa Ferrer as a rival coach, Tristan Mack Wilds as a shoe company’s division leader named Alonzo Powers and Jason Rivera as Nick, a player from Puerto Rico.

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“No way I’m not gonna make it. Right, Coach?” Jace says in the trailer, which you can watch below. In it, Ike trains Jace and his teammates intensely, with shots depicting the boys practicing in an empty pool or while being chased with a broom.

Reggie Rock Bythewood serves as creator, showrunner and director. Durant, Brian Grazer, Rich Kleiman, Samie Kim Falvey, Francie Calfo and Samantha Corbin-Miller also executive produce. The series is produced for Apple by Thirty Five Ventures, Imagine Television Studios, CBS Studios and Undisputed Cinema.

Also in today’s TV roundup:

FIRST LOOKS

Variety exclusively obtained a clip from Season 13, Episode 2 of ABC’s “Shark Tank,” which airs on Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. ​​The series sees a panel of investors including deciding whether to support the entrepreneurial pursuits presented by each contestant. The new clip features “sharks” Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Daymond John and Kevin O’Leary and guest investor Peter Jones from “Dragon’s Den,” the international format on which “Shark Tank” is based. They are visited by two business partners from a food company dressed in old English costumes. See the clip below.

Starz debuted a new trailer for Season 2 of “Power Book II: Ghost,” premiering on Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. The season will follow Tariq St. Patrick (Michael Rainey Jr.) as he struggles to protect his family after being forced to take the life of his professor. The “Power” Universe series are executive produced by “Power” Kemp through her production company End of Episode, 50 Cent through G-Unit Film and Television and Mark Canton through Atmosphere Entertainment MM. End of Episode’s Chris Selak, Shana Stein and Bart Wenrich also executive produce alongside Brett Mahoney and Danielle De Jesus. Lionsgate Television produces. See the trailer below.

Hulu released a trailer for “Taste the Nation: Holiday Edition,” premiering on Nov. 4. In this four-part special, cookbook author Padma Lakshmi will explore the holiday traditions of different immigrant communities, such as Korean New Year in Los Angeles as Cuban Christmas in Miami. Lakshmi and Pictures’ David Shadrack Smith executive produce. See the trailer below.

Paramount Plus released a trailer for “Mayor of Kingstown,” premiering on Nov. 14. Starring Jeremy Renner, the series follows the McLusky family — power brokers in Kingstown, Mich., where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry. Dianne Wiest, Kyle Chandler, Hugh Dillon, Taylor Handley, Emma Laird and Tobi Bamtefa also star. “Mayor of Kingstown” is executive produced by co-creators Taylor Sheridan and Dillon, along with Renner, Antoine Fuqua, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari and Michael Friedman. The series is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios. Watch the trailer below.

DEALS

Fox News Books has inked a new six book deal with HarperCollins in expansion of its platform with its third title, “All American Christmas,” debuting in November. Written by Fox and Friends’ weekend co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy and her husband Sean Duffy, the book takes an inside look at how a family of 11 celebrates the holidays. The Duffys will also spotlight Fox news personalities including Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, Brian Kilmeade and Bill Hemmer, among others.

DATES

The two-part documentary series “Carole Baskin’s Cage Fight” will stream Nov. 13 on Discovery Plus. The series documents Baskin and her team as they investigate the property of Joe Exotic, which was awarded to Baskin and her Big Cat Rescue by a federal judge in 2020. With the help of homicide detective Griff Garrison, Baskin will search for lingering evidence of animal trafficking and abuse treatment, enlisting the help of Exotic’s niece, Chealsi, as well. “Carole Baskin’s Cage Fight” is produced by Thinkfactory Media, for which Adam Reed, Adam Freeman, Tim Cohen-Laurie and Pat McGee serve as executive producers alongside Carole and Howard Baskin, and Keith Hoffman and Joseph Schneier from Discovery.

Variety senior correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister will be a guest co-host on Monday’s episode of “The Wendy Williams Show.” Wagmeister, who formally co-hosted the syndicated news magazine series “Page Six TV,” will be part of a panel that includes Devyn Simone (MTV’s “The Challenge: Aftermath”), Bevy Smith and actor/comedian Michael Yo. Wagmeister has made previous appearances on the syndicated talk show distributed by Liongate’s Debmar-Mercury.

PROGRAMMING

USA Network has renewed the unscripted series “Miz & Mrs” for a third season. The 10-episode season is expected to air in 2022. The show left off at the end of Season 2 with WWE Superstars Michael Mizanin and Maryse Mizanin celebrating their anniversary, having a pregnancy scare and taking a step to ensure they wouldn’t have any more false alarms. The series is produced by WWE and Bunim/Murray Productions. Farnaz Farjam-Chazan serves as executive producer for Bunim/Marry. Additional executive producers are Trish Gold, who also runs the show, Kevin Dunn, Chris Kaiser and the Mizanins.

EXECUTIVES

NBCUniversal Television and Streaming elevated Margaret Walker to senior vice president of audience acquisition and growth. In her new role, Walker will oversee digital platform programming and priority management while driving digital revenue, acquisition and engagement across NBCU’s entertainment and sports divisions. She will report to Jennifer Storms, chief marketing officer of entertainment and sports. She previous served as as senior vice president of digital product and distribution marketing for NBCUniversal. Before joining NBCU in 2016, she served as senior director of marketing at DirecTV.

LATE NIGHT

Jamie Foxx, Phoebe Robinson, William Shatner and Tom Thakkar will appear on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” while Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani and Bleachers will be on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” James Spader, Tate McRae will be on “Late Night With Seth Meyers.”

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