Apple has chosen not to order a third season of its Kevin Durant-inspired show Swagger, according to the show’s creator.
As reported by Variety, Reggie Rock Bythewood shared a post on Instagram thanking fans for the journey the show had been on. “Apple, while you are not ordering a season three, I made the show I wanted to make,” he said.
Swagger is a drama series on Apple TV Plus “inspired by NBA superstar Kevin Durant’s experiences,” and “explores the world of youth basketball, and the players, their families and coaches who walk the fine line between dreams and ambition, and opportunism and corruption” while revealing “what it’s like to grow up in America” off the court.
Why would Apple cancel Swagger?
The news was met with an outpouring of support on Bythewood’s post, with many show viewers and fans extremely disappointed at the news. Created by the team that brought us Friday Night Lights, Swagger has an excellent Rotten Tomatoes score of 93% from critics and a whopping 96% ‘Fresh’ from its audience.
As Bythewood notes the show even “revolutionized the way to shoot basketball”, a note to John Lyke’s epic “blade cam” performance in which he filmed on the court while wearing rollerblades.
Fans can at least take heart that they weren’t left on a cliffhanger, but plenty of Bythewood’s Instagram comments include calls for a big streaming name to pick up the show where Apple left off. This isn’t the first time Apple hasn’t continued producing a show. It recently pulled its show with Jon Stewart following reports Apple wouldn’t agree to give him full creative control, especially on controversial topics such as China.
You’d be forgiven for not knowing that Apple also has a TV Plus show from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mr. Corman, which didn’t make it past the first season. Neither Bythewood’s announcement nor any reports on the news reveal why Apple has chosen not to continue the show. Although, with Apple flush with cash and having recently raised Apple TV Plus subscription prices, cost seems to be an unlikely factor.
The news today follows reports Apple may be in talks with Paramount about bundling its streaming service with Paramount Plus at a discounted rate to entice more viewers. That report claims Apple may have lost 7% of its TV Plus subscriber base in October.
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