TV PREVIEW
“Survivor’s Remorse,” 9 p.m. Saturdays, Starz
Cam Calloway and Reggie Vaughn on the new Starz show “Survivor’s Remorse” are relishing the view of the Atlanta skyline from the roof of the Terminus building in Buckhead. But Cam, who had just signed a huge contract with the Atlanta pro basketball team, is feeling guilty about his newfound fortunes.
Reggie, his manager and cousin, is nothing if not pragmatic: “There are so many people ready to suckle at your teat, so many flunkies. … People you know. People you forgot you knew ready to spend your money. We have to be careful. We have to be smart.”
“We have to help till we can’t,” Cam responds. “We’re lucky!”
That’s the crux of the show and its title, “Survivor’s Remorse.”
With pro basketball star LeBron James as an executive producer, this drama evokes in broad strokes the life James has led balancing family, friends, career and money — lots of money.
James read through the early scripts and provided feedback, but actor and writer Mike O’Malley, who starred in the CBS sitcom “Yes, Dear” from 2000 to 2006, is the key writer and showrunner.
“I wanted to show what this world might be like behind the scenes,” O’Malley said. “It’s a really rich area of exploration.”
Although Georgia has generous tax credits that have drawn plenty of TV productions, O’Malley said he chose Atlanta as the home base for the show because of its rich African-American culture. (Unfortunately, producers couldn’t get clearance from the NBA, so Cam’s team is never referenced by name.)
“Survivor’s Remorse,” shot this past spring locally for six freshman-year episodes, is the pay cable network’s first scripted comedy and evokes HBO’s “Entourage” — except Cam’s crew is his loving yet colorful family.
“I’d say it’s more like ‘Entourage’ meets ‘The Cosby Show,’ ” said Erica Ash, a former Decatur resident who plays Cam’s potty-mouthed lesbian sister and works public relations to protect her brother’s brand.
The cast is a mix of relative unknowns — including Jessie Usher as the kindhearted but conflicted Cam — and bigger names, such as Tichina Arnold (“Everybody Hates Chris”) as his fierce mom, comic Mike Epps (“Next Friday”) as his smooth Uncle Julius, and former Stone Mountain resident RonReaco Lee (“Let’s Stay Together”) as Reggie.
In the first few episodes, Cam faces the pressures of newfound fame. An old neighborhood friend who procures some of Cam’s incriminating childhood treasures extorts him to get them back. His mother at a red-carpet event on behalf of an abused child talks about how she used a Mattel racetrack to whip Cam as a child. Cam struggles to pick a church that reflects his values while also lifting his image.
“We want people to become emotionally invested in these characters,” O’Malley said. “It’s the first chapter of hopefully a very long novel.”
Specific stories, O’Malley said, are not really from James’ life. He didn’t want to be so creatively restricted. But the concept of the show came from James’ confidant and manager Maverick Carter. “If they see something that isn’t authentic,” O’Malley said, “they’ll call me on it.”
And at a recent screening of the show, James was all praises on the red carpet, quoting lines from the pilot. “It’s gratifying to make something that he’s proud of,” O’Malley said.
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