Swagger (TV series)
Swagger | |
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Genre | Sports drama |
Created by | Reggie Rock Bythewood |
Starring |
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Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 10 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Production companies |
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Distributor | Apple Inc. |
Release | |
Original network | Apple TV+ |
Original release | October 29, 2021 present | –
Swagger is an American sports drama television series created by Reggie Rock Bythewood. Loosely inspired by the experiences of current NBA player Kevin Durant,[1] the series premiered on October 29, 2021 on Apple TV+.[2]
Swagger has garnered critical acclaim from critics for its writing, acting (primarily Jackson's and Hill's), production values and social commentary.
Premise[]
Swagger explores the world of youth basketball, and the players, their families and coaches who walk the fine line between dreams and ambition, and opportunism and corruption.[3]
Cast[]
Main[]
- O'Shea Jackson Jr. as Ike Edwards
- Isaiah Hill as Jace Carson
- Shinelle Azoroh as Jenna Carson
- Tessa Ferrer as Meg Bailey
- Quvenzhané Wallis as Crystal Jarrett
- Caleel Harris as Musa Rahim
- James Bingham as Drew Murphy
- Solomon Irama as Phil Marksby
- Ozie Nzeribe as Royale Hughes
- Jason Rivera as Nick Mendez
- Tristan Wilds as Alonzo Powers
Recurring[]
- Christina Jackson as Tonya Edwards, Ike's wife.
- Marc Blucas as Coach Bobby, a rival team coach.
- Sean Baker as Naim Rahim, Swagger's deputy coach and Musa's father.
- Jordan Rice as Jackie Carson, Jenna's daughter and Jace's older sister.
- Al Mitchell as Coach Warrick, Crystal's basketball coach who abuses his players.
- Javen Lewis as Vince Charles, a Swagger player.
- Tracey Bonner as Angie Jarrett, Crystal's mother.
- Marti O. Pruitt as Jeremiah Jarrett, Crystal's father.
- Miles Mussenden as Brett Hughes, Royale's father and a financial backer of Swagger.
- Misha Gonz-Cirkl as Teresa Mendez, Nick's mother
- Avery Serell Wills Jr. as Ricky, a Swagger player.
- Nadej K. Bailey as Tamika, Musa's love interest
- Kurt Lamarr as Coach Charlie Edwards, Ike's father
- Arischa Conner as Apocalypse Anne
- Katie Killacky as Eva Murphy, Drew's mother.
Guest[]
- Andrew C. Williams as Kai
- Robert Crayton as Barber Marvin
- Jared Wofford as Harold Phillips
- Gwen L. Johnson as Cynthia
- Brian K. Landis as Warren Murphy
Episodes[]
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [4] |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "NBA" | Reggie Rock Bythewood | Reggie Rock Bythewood | October 29, 2021 |
2 | "Haterade" | Alex Hall | Samantha Corbin-Miller | October 29, 2021 |
3 | "Mano a Mano" | Alex Hall | Eric Simonson & Héctor Oliveras García | October 29, 2021 |
4 | "We Good?" | Rachel Leiterman | Norman Vance, Jr. | November 5, 2021 |
5 | "24 Hour Person" | Rachel Leiterman | Katrina O'Gilvie & Steve DiUbaldo | November 12, 2021 |
6 | "All on the Line" | Nijla Mu'min | Teleplay by : Nijla Mu'min Story by : Nijla Mu'min & Danielle Iman | November 19, 2021 |
7 | "#RADICALS" | Reggie Rock Bythewood | Reggie Rock Bythewood & George Dohrmann | November 25, 2021 |
8 | "Still I Rise" | Janice Cooke | Reggie Rock Bythewood | December 3, 2021 |
9 | "Follow-Through" | Janice Cooke | Reggie Rock Bythewood | December 10, 2021 |
10 | "Florida" | Alex Hall | Reggie Rock Bythewood | December 17, 2021 |
Production[]
Development[]
Apple began developing the project in February 2018, and it was ordered in December 2018 as a sports drama television series titled Swagger from Kevin Durant and Reggie Rock Bythewood.[5][6] Bythewood will be the showrunner, writer, director, and executive producer with Durant, Brian Grazer, Francie Calfo, Rich Kleiman, and Samantha Corbin Miller executive producing.[7]
Casting[]
In October 2019, Deadline Hollywood reported that Winston Duke was cast as the lead, but in February 2020, Duke suffered an injury on set and was replaced with O’Shea Jackson Jr.[8][9] On July 9, 2020, Quvenzhané Wallis joined the series in the role of Crystal,[10] and on January 15, 2021, Isaiah Hill, Shinelle Azoroh, Tristan Mack Wilds, Caleel Harris, Tessa Ferrer, Jason Rivera, Solomon Irama, Ozie Nzeribe, and James Bingham were all revealed to have been cast.[1]
Filming[]
Alongside the casting of Winston Duke, Deadline Hollywood reported that filming would occur in October 2019.[8] After Duke’s injury in February 2020, filming was delayed due to recasting, and was then delayed even further due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By December 2020, filming restarted in Richmond, Virginia, with filming also taking place in Hopewell, Virginia in March 2021.[11][12][13] In April 2021, filming wrapped for the series.[14]
References[]
- ^ a b Denise Petski (January 15, 2021). "'Swagger': Apple's Kevin Durant Basketball Drama Adds Nine To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ "Apple's "Swagger," from NBA superstar Kevin Durant, to make global debut on Friday, October 29". Apple TV+ Press. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
- ^ Denise Petski (February 5, 2020). "O'Shea Jackson Jr. To Star In Apple's Kevin Durant Basketball Drama 'Swagger' In Recasting". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ "Shows A-Z – Swaqgger on Apple TV+". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (February 13, 2018). "Apple Developing Series Based on NBA Star Kevin Durant From Imagine Television". Variety. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Otterson, Joe (December 4, 2018). "Apple Orders Kevin Durant Drama 'Swagger' to Series". Variety. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ "Kevin Durant Basketball Drama Picked Up to Series at Apple". The Hollywood Reporter. December 4, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (October 1, 2019). "Winston Duke To Headline Apple's Kevin Durant Drama Series 'Swagger' From Imagine & CBS TV Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (February 5, 2020). "O'Shea Jackson Jr. Takes Over Lead Role in Apple Basketball Drama 'Swagger' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ Denise Petski (July 9, 2020). "Quvenzhané Wallis To Star In Apple's Kevin Durant Basketball Drama 'Swagger'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ "Film and TV industry bringing $120 million to Central Virginia". WTVR. December 11, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ "Michael Keaton, Rosario Dawson series to film in Hopewell this week". WTVR. March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ Curran, Colleen. "Kevin Durant's 'Swagger' filming in downtown Richmond". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (2021-04-14). "Christina Jackson Joins FX Pilot 'Spook Who Sat by the Door'". Variety. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
External links[]
- 2020s American drama television series
- 2021 American television series debuts
- English-language television shows
- Apple TV+ original programming
- American sports television series
- Basketball television series
- Television series by CBS Studios
- Television series by Imagine Entertainment
- Television shows filmed in Virginia