Starz Cancels Three Shows, Including Heels and Run the World
Starz is cleaning house: The pay-cable network has cancelled three series, dropping the axe on sophomore shows Heels, Run the World and Blindspotting, our sister site Variety reports. In addition, the network has scrapped plans for The Venery of Samantha Bird, which was in development.
Heels starred Arrow alum Stephen Amell as Jack Spade, a pro wrestler competing alongside his younger brother Ace (Alexander Ludwig). Season 2 saw Jack and Ace “continue to fight over their late father’s legacy and their individual versions of success, while also working to find their own identity as a ‘face’ or a ‘heel,’” per the official synopsis. The season ended on a shocking cliffhanger, with Jack — spoiler alert — seemingly paralyzed after landing a dangerous Shooting Star Press from the top rope. (Read our full recap here.)
Run the World was an ensemble comedy starring Amber Stevens West about a close-knit group of Black women living in Harlem who navigate life and relationships together. Season 2 debuted in May; the cancellation caps the series at a total of 16 episodes. Blindspotting was a spinoff of the acclaimed 2018 film and starred Jasmine Cephas Jones, reprising her role from the movie. Season 2 debuted in April.
The Venery of Samantha Bird was to star 13 Reasons Why alum Katherine Langford in a psychological thriller about a young woman who reconnects with her childhood sweetheart and embarks on a new romance that might not be what it seems. It received an eight-episode order from Starz in October; six of the eight episodes were reportedly filmed before production shut down due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
TVLine’s Cable Scorecard has been updated. Which Starz show will you miss the most? Hit the comments to share your thoughts.
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Bummer… Heels was a good show.. shouldn’t be ending on that cliffhanger.
It would seemingly fit on Peacock or on USA post-WWE shows. Not sure they’d be interested in picking it up though.
They’ve used indy guys and CM Punk has recurred as Ricky Rabies. Could be doubtful. But, I believe Amell is buddies with Cody Rhodes, who is back in WWE, so anything is possible.
I really enjoyed Run the World. Wish we got more seasons
Saw heels coming it had lower viewership then worst CW show and I personally loved it but they didn’t advertise it and left it in limbo for 2 years
And being released at a time when Amell wasn’t able to promote it. That’s the reason of his unfortunate words during the strike, he was worried about the future of his show, but unable to promote it, he also knew that the channel wasn’t going to do any promotion for it
Losing HEELS hurts, such a solid show. Hopefully, another network/platform picks it up and helps it grow. Tons of potential with this show.
What a loss. Season 2 of Heels was amazing!
I really liked the first season of run the world but season 2 was a big disappointment, not surprised it got cancelled
I knew that this was going to happen to Heels. I feel like the actor strike is partly to blame. I remember with Season 1, they did this huge premiere for the finale down in Atlanta. While we were there they told us to continue to tweet at the president of Starz so that they can get a season 2 and it worked
Stephen wanted to do something similar for the season 2 premiere in NC, but the strike happened and obviously since then couldn’t really promote the show at all
I’m sure Stephen is blaming the strike (probably will in this comments section, lol) but it sounds like even with that big premiere for season one it wasn’t exactly a huge hit.
A lot of streamers were canceling stuff left and right even before the strike, so ehhh. IDK. Could just as easily blame Amell’s unprofessional behavior.
unprofessional?
Somebody expressing a different opinion than you doesn’t make them “unprofessional.” Maybe you’ll figure that out when you grow up.
I will always support Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig due to my love of Arrow and Vikings…that being said Heels was one of the most absurd shows I’ve seen in years on TV, and I love prowrestling…I would of been shocked if it was renewed. Though credit to them for the ridiculous yet daring cliffhanger. If Winning Time can’t survive, there’s no way this should have.
I’m the opposite. I can’t stand pro wrestling but I loved Heels. It’s one of the few shows I felt compelled to watch the day each episode premiered. Bummed it was cancelled.
Same. I can’t stand pro wrestling either but the show was so good about the characters and how they got trapped in their own mistakes while trying to do right.
Good to know Stephen has people that still support his privileged double-standard self.
Oh yeah because being annoyed that all the people working on his show were increasingly likely to be out of work because they couldn’t promote a show all to ensure that the likes of Ellen Pompeo can get some extra money to buy some more mansions, because as much as SAG’s spin about them doing it for the ‘small guys’ as residuals are worked out on what the actor was paid for their work initially then actors who are working for around scale aren’t going to benefit no matter what they get agreed, its those in season regular roles or atleast recorruing guest stars who are getting tens or even hundreds of thousands per episode OR single episode guest stars who are big enough names to demand massive amounts for that single appearance who benefit as 1% extra on someone earning scale is an extra is about an extra $13 for their single episode while someone making 10k its an extra $100 for every episode and someone making 100k its an extra $1000 for every episode.
It’s much better for the majority of lower profile actors (and people in other fields that are part of making TV) to actually be making money making episodes than waiting for the residual cheques which will never be high enough for 99% of actors to live on
What?? I don’t have an issue with everyone on the show. Stephen’s behavior shows his true character. You can look up online things he has said in the past that he needs to be held accountable for. Like that time he got kicked off a flight and downplayed the situation. And the fact he had to do damage control and picket in NY days after his comments about the strike. So yeah I have an issue with certain people having a platform and not being held accountable for their words and actions.
Please don’t cancel Run the world. Great show.
Hmm should I take this as a positive sign for a potential 3rd season of Minx..?
The Starz and Lionsgate dispute hurt those shows a lot.
Heels to Netflix? Screw Starz.
Maybe they can get their act together and do the last season of GLOW they had planned. Both would pair well with their Wrestlers docuseries.
Starz…you have failed this city.
Ughhhhhhh. I guess Jack is paralyzed, Gully takes over the DWL and shuts it down, Bill dies of a heart attack, Ace gets blind drunk and crashes his truck into a tree and dies, Crystal gets knocked up and never gets out of Duffy and works at that convenience store until middle age chainsmoking all day to forget her failed dreams, and the rest just . . . drift away. Thanks Starz
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I mean, we could all see the writing on the wall. It’s the showrunners’ fault for letting it go down this way more than the network. That second season renewal was a gift in the first place and they should have treated it as such.
I feel like Heels would pair well with season 2 of American Rust on Tubi.
I’m so hurt that Run The World was cancelled… I really enjoyed S2 and I was eager for more. A damn shame…
Sorry to their fans.
Smell’s 15 minutes is likely over. I expect he’ll be a soap cast member soon or an ensemble member of a drama but not the lead or a #2.
I meant Amell and didn’t catch the typo. No offense intended.
He’s been the lead of a tv show for the last 12 years. That’s a hell of a lot longer than 15 minutes. If you’re gonna hate, that’s your right but try to hate accurately
To be fair, Amell was the lead on two low rated shows that ran on low rated networks for that period. His big movie tanked as did his indie. His range is limited and he’s used his fanbase rather than nurtured it. His social media presence only occurs when he’s got a project.
I think it’s just your knowledge of Amell that has ended its 15 minutes, seeing as how he’d been in a massive role for a decade before this lol
Massive? It was a CW show… He tried to leverage that “fame” and it clearly didn`t get him very far. After all, entertainment landscape is full of people who used to be in this or that show, but very few can use that past to make a future. Maybe he should just try Lifetime, or some of those cheapo-straight-to-streaming films.
LOL Wrong. Nice try, though.
Really sorry and disappointed Heels was cancelled. One of the few shows we looked forward to. Awful decision.
My Son will be disappointed about Heels, he’s in primary school but loves Crystal on that show after he seen some of her scenes.
I loved Run The World and I am so sorry to see it go. It should be a reconsideration. There are worst shows on Starz they can get rid of. I personally think the networks cancel shows entirely too soon!!
I saw this coming from Heels but not Run the World. I hope that both shows continue somehow. This was a big mistake for sure. If Heels does continue I hope that it’s without Amell. After what he said during the strike it shows who he is as a person, plus his past behavior, & he needs to stop getting a platform.
Somebody needs to save Heels asap…this has been a really great show and the sheer volume of wrestling fans out there means it’s Starz that is the problem with it…no way it gets less viewers at another place…Netflix has had wrestling shows that thrived, like Glow and documentaries…this one is as good or better than those…I’d really hate to see it end with that season 2 cliffhanger and so much more story to tell
I should also add that my sister and cousin are both HUGE wrestling fans and had no idea the show Heels even existed, let alone it has awesome wrestling cameos like Punk and AJ…that alone proves to me Starz did next to nothing to make the show succeed and they have no one to blame but themselves…no doubt it would thrive elsewhere…outside Outlander, I have absolutely no reason for Starz ever again now
Starz needs to explain to me why I should keep paying for it.
All the Power spinoffs are a great reason why, ya dig?