Apple TV+ Cancels Swagger After 2 Seasons

The shot clock has run out on Swagger. Apple TV+ has cancelled the basketball drama inspired by NBA superstar Kevin Durant’s experiences after two seasons, series creator Reggie Rock Bythewood announced on Thursday. Swagger centered on #1 ranked 14-year-old basketball prodigy Jace (Isaiah Hill) in the DMV — D.C., Maryland, Virginia — the newest recruit to a team coached by former rising star Ike Edwards (O’Shea Jackson Jr.). The series aired 18 episodes since debuting in 2021 and was critically acclaimed: the first season scored a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and Swagger season 2 was a 2023 Tribeca Film Festival selection.

“What an amazing adventure. In our two seasons, we have launchedcareers, disrupted genre, brought forth humanity through our characters,told stories we care deeply about, revolutionized the way to shootbasketball and had fun,” Bythewood wrote in a message posted to Instagram. “Apple, while you are not ordering a season three, I made the show Iwanted to make. Thank you for that. Cast, writers and crew, you have mygratitude. Walk off the set with Swagger.”

He added: “For our FAMbase, you lifted usin ways we could have never imagined. To the industry, don’t take yourfoot off the gas. Keep telling our stories.”

Swagger is the latest series to be cancelled at Apple TV: the streamer recently axed The Afterparty after two seasons and cancelled both City on Fire and Suspicion after single seasons in August.

The sports drama series explores the world of youth basketball, and the players,their families and coaches who walk the fine line between dreams andambition, and opportunism and corruption. Off the court, the showreveals what it’s like to grow up in America. The cast includes Shinelle Azoroh, Academy Award nominee Quvenzhané Wallis, Tristan MackWilds, Caleel Harris, Tessa Ferrer, James Bingham, Solomon Irama, OzieNzeribe, Jason Rivera, Christina Jackson, Sean Baker, with season 2 additions Orlando Jones and Shannon Brown.

The eight-episode second season sees teammates Jace, Phil, Nick, Musa, and Drew enter their senior year of high school at Cedar Cove Prep, a predominantly whiteinstitution where wealthy board members control the entire operationfrom the hiring of faculty to the enrollment of students. It is a schoolof power and influence. For all of their academic success, theirbasketball program has not been competitive until Emory Lawson, theathletic director, managed to acquire the Swagger players. Almostovernight, Cedar Cove’s basketball program becomes elite, attracting theattention of Alonzo Powers from Gladiator Sneakers. Games are attendedby top college scouts from the nation and are live-streamed forthousands of fans. With winning comes scrutiny and the players findthemselves under a microscope as they vie for a national high schoolchampionship.

Everything is going right in the life of Jace Carson andhis family. Jenna is renting a house in a residential neighborhood andher cosmetic sales business is booming. Then, a video surfaces thatthreatens to destroy it all. It is surveillance footage of CoachWarwick, Crystal’s former coach, being beat down in an alley. Theattackers are masked but Coach Warwick believes he has found evidenceproving the Swagger players were involved. As this speculation reachesthe public eye and social media, the bond of brotherhood the playershave built is tested. Their once promising futures are in jeopardy.

Bythewood served as executive producer with Durant, BrianGrazer and Rich Kleiman. The series is produced for Apple TV+ by ImagineTelevision Studios, Boardroom, CBS Studios and Undisputed Cinema. All episodes of Swagger are available to stream now on Apple TV+.