Heels (TV series)

Heels is an American drama television series about professional wrestling created by Michael Waldron that premiered on August 15, 2021, on Starz. In November 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on July 28, 2023. In September 2023, the series was cancelled after two seasons.

Premise
Two brothers and rivals, one a villain, or "heel" 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.

Main

 * Stephen Amell as Jack Spade, a "heel" in the Duffy Wrestling League (DWL), Ace's older brother, and the proprietor of the DWL.
 * Jaxon McHan as Young Jack Spade
 * Alexander Ludwig as Ace Spade, a "face" in the DWL and Jack's younger brother.
 * Mason Gillette as Young Ace Spade
 * Alison Luff as Staci Spade, Jack's wife.
 * Mary McCormack as Willie Day, Jack's business partner.
 * Kelli Berglund as Crystal Tyler, Ace's valet who aspires to become a wrestler.
 * Allen Maldonado as Deandre "Rooster Robbins" Milton, a star DWL wrestler.
 * James Harrison as Apocalypse (season 1), an experienced, disillusioned journeyman wrestler.
 * Roxton Garcia as Thomas Spade, Jack and Staci Spade's son.
 * Chris Bauer as Wild Bill Hancock, a former wrestling star turned pro wrestling scout.
 * Robby Ramos as Diego Cottonmouth (season 2; recurring season 1), an experienced wrestler who acts as a "heel" in the ring and wears a luchador mask.
 * Trey Tucker as Bobby Pin (season 2; recurring season 1), a rookie wrestler who acts as a "face" in the ring, but in the locker room he is an intelligent and encouraging colleague.

Recurring

 * 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.
 * David James Elliott as Tom "King" 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.
 * Alice Barrett Mitchell as Carol Spade, Jack and Ace's mother.
 * Duke Davis Roberts as "Big" Jim Kitchen, a seasoned wrestler and Ace's best friend.
 * Erica Pappas as Melanie Kitchen (season 1; guest season 2), Jim's wife.
 * Marcia DeBonis as Debbie
 * CM Punk as Ricky Rabies, a journeyman pro wrestler.
 * Danielle Gross as Courtney, Staci's best friend.
 * Larry Clarke as Ted Day, Willie's husband.
 * Joel Murray as Eddie Earl
 * Eliza Coyle as Annie Earl
 * Scott Hunter as The Dad
 * Brian Scannell as Paul Gully, Charlie's brother.
 * Fiona O'Malley as Lucy Gully (season 2; guest season 1), Charlie's daughter.
 * AJ Lee as Elle Dorado (season 2)
 * Josh Segarra as Brooks Rizzo (season 2)
 * Emmy Raver-Lampman as Jennifer Lussier (season 2)

Guest

 * Jef Holbrook as Todd (season 1), the host of a YouTube show critical of DWL.
 * Christian Adam as Gabe (season 1)
 * Bonnie Somerville as Vicky Rabies (season 1), Ricky's valet.

Development
On February 17, 2017, it was announced that Starz had given straight-to-series order to Michael Waldron's series. Production companies involved with the series are Paramount Television 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. On an episode of Michael Rosenbaum's "Inside of You" podcast released on January 3, 2023, Stephen Amell mentioned that filming of the second season wrapped in July 2022, but no further information was available regarding a trailer or release date. In May 2023, Starz announced the second season would premiere on July 28, 2023.

Casting
On August 19, 2019, Stephen Amell was cast as Jack Spade. On September 15, 2019, Alexander Ludwig was cast as Ace Spade. On January 7, 2020, Alison Luff was cast as Staci Spade. On March 11, 2020, Chris Bauer, Allen Maldonado, James Harrison, and Kelli Berglund joined the cast. On August 25, 2020, Mary McCormack was cast as Willie, Jack's business partner.

Release
Heels debuted on Starz on August 15, 2021, and the season 1 finale aired on October 10, 2021. Heels season 2 debuted on Starz on July 28, 2023, and the season 2 finale aired on September 15, 2023. In April 2024 Netflix announced it acquired the show from Starz and plans to show reruns of both seasons on its streaming service beginning July 29,2024. Netflix also announced the possibility of a third season being produced if the reruns are widely viewed.

Reception
Heels has been met with a highly positive response from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 96% based on reviews from 26 critics, with an average rating of 8/10. The critics consensus reads, "Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig sell hard in Heels, an impressive new drama that has compelling angles on both sides of the rope." On Metacritic, the first season has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 based on reviews from 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an approval rating of 90% based on reviews from 10 critics, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The critics consensus reads, "There are no jobbers in Heels' second season, which utilizes the full breadth of its ensemble to show-stopping effect." On Metacritic, the second season has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on reviews from 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".