''Heels'' is an American drama television series created by Michael Waldron that premiered on August 15, 2021, on

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consist ...

. In November 2021, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise

Two brothers and rivals, one a villain, or "

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...

" in professional wrestling, the other a hero, or " face", play out scripted matches as they war over their late father's wrestling promotion and vie for national attention in small town Georgia.

Cast

Main

* Stephen Amell as Jack Spade, a "heel" in the Duffy Wrestling League (DWL) who is Ace's older brother, and the proprietor of the DWL. **Jaxon McHan as Young Jack Spade *

Alexander Ludwig Alexander Ludwig (born May 7, 1992) is a Canadian actor and country musician. He first began his career as a child, and then received recognition as a teenager for starring in the films '' The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising'' (2007) and ''Race to Wi ...

as Ace Spade, a "face" in the DWL who is Jack's younger brother. **Mason Gillette as Young Ace Spade *

Alison Luff Alison Nicole Luff (born December 20, 1988) is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her extensive work in musical theatre, notably for her roles as Elphaba in the First National Tour of ''Wicked'' and Jenna in the Broadw ...

as Staci Spade, Jack's wife. * Mary McCormack as Willie Day, Jack's business partner. * Kelli Berglund as Crystal Tyler, a valet and love interest for Ace. * Allen Maldonado as Rooster Robbins, a star DWL wrestler. * James Harrison as Apocalypse, an experienced, disillusioned journeyman wrestler. * Roxton Garcia as Thomas Spade, son of Jack and Staci Spade *

Chris Bauer Mark Christopher Bauer (born October 28, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for his television work in ''The Wire'', ''Third Watch'', ''True Blood'', ''Survivor's Remorse,'' '' The Deuce and'' the Apple TV+ original science fiction spac ...

as Wild Bill Hancock, a former wrestling star turned pro wrestling scout.

Recurring

* David James Elliott as Tom Spade, Jack and Ace's father, a former wrestler who was the proprietor of the DWL. The character appears in flashbacks, having committed suicide about a year before the events of the series. *Duke Davis Roberts as Big Jim Kitchen, a seasoned wrestler and Ace's best friend. *Trey Tucker as Bobby Pin, wrestles as a face in the ring, but in the locker room he is an intelligent, funny, encouraging colleague and friend. *Robby Ramos as Diego Cottonmouth *

CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...

as Ricky Rabies, heel pro wrestler. * Bonnie Somerville as Vicky Rabies, Ricky's valet. *Christian Adam as Gabe *Alice Barrett Mitchell as Carol Spade *Erica Pappas as Melanie Kitchen * Mike O'Malley as Charlie Gully, the owner and impresario of Florida Wrestling Dystopia (FWD), a new wrestling promotion more interested in violent spectacle than telling a compelling story. *Jef Holbrook as Todd, host of a YouTube show critical of DWL

Production

Development

On February 17, 2017, it was announced that

had given straight-to-series order to Michael Waldron's series. Production companies involved with the series are

Paramount Television The original incarnation of Paramount Television was the name of the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, that was responsible for the production of Viacom television programs, until it changed its name ...

and LBI Entertainment. On January 7, 2020, Peter Segal replaced Kyle Patrick Alvarez to direct the series. On May 2, 2021, Starz announced the series would premiere on August 15, 2021. On November 3, 2021, Starz renewed the series for a second season.

Casting

On August 19, 2019, Stephen Amell was cast as Jack Spade. On September 15, 2019,

was cast as Ace Spade. On January 7, 2020,

was cast as Staci Spade. On March 11, 2020,

, Allen Maldonado, James Harrison, and Kelli Berglund joined the cast. On August 25, 2020, Mary McCormack was cast as Willie, Jack's business partner.

Episodes

Release

''Heels'' debuted on

on August 15, 2021, and the season 1 finale aired on October 10, 2021.

Reception

''Heels'' was met with a highly positive response from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 96% based on reviews from 25 critics, with an average rating of 8/10. The critics consensus reads, " Stephen Amell and

sell hard in ''Heels'', an impressive new drama that has compelling angles on both sides of the rope." On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 based on reviews from 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

References

External links

* * {{Starz Shows 2020s American drama television series 2021 American television series debuts Television productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic American professional wrestling television series English-language television shows Starz original programming Television series by Lionsgate Television Television series by Paramount Television Television shows set in Georgia (U.S. state)