Premiering on August 15th, 2021, on the Starz network, Heels is a drama that follows a small town wrestling promotion and the characters that make it the legend it is. The series has been met with a highly positive response from critics.
Heels series poster
In April 2024 Netflix announced it acquired the show from Starz. Netflix started showing reruns of both seasons on its streaming service September 15.
The Premise of Heels
Pro Wrestling is the great American storytelling art form. It combines emotions and physicality to bring to life the eternal battle between good and evil, or, in pro wrestling terms, babyfaces and heels.
The name of the newest Starz drama “Heels” sounds like it could be set in an over-the-top New York City fashion house starring Kim Cattrall and Kate Hudson. But the title is a wrestling term for the villain, the antagonist that plays off the hero. And the series is actually about a small-town Georgia wrestling league led by Jack Spade, played by former “Arrow” star Stephen Amell.
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The center of the story, as one character notes, is a "tale as old as time: brothers sparring. Cain and Abel. Esau and Jacob." Brother one is Jack Spade (Stephen Amell), a heel. That's wrestling jargon for villain. He's inherited the Duffy Wrestling League - a broken-down arena in small-town Duffy, Georgia - and hopes to restore it to glory. Brother two is Ace Spade (Alexander Ludwig), a "face" or good guy.
This 27-acre property used to be a large workshop to repair railroad sleeper cars. The DXL headquarters wasn’t just done with digital effects. They actually built the large facade on the front of the old factory.
Key Characters in the DWL
Jack Spade (Amell) is the owner, booker, and top heel in the Duffy Wrestling League (DWL), a wrestling promotion started by his father and left to him after his dad committed suicide. His brother, Ace Spade (Ludwig), is an arrogant up-and-coming wrestler and top face in the league.
The league has a colorful cast of wrestlers filling out its ranks. This includes Crystal (Berglund), a young and ambitious valet who dreams of being a wrestler herself. She’s been a wrestling fanatic since she was a young girl but isn’t given a shot by Jack because the DWL doesn’t have women wrestlers. She wears different chucks throughout the show, as she has a very real and down-to-earth personality outside the ring. There’s also Rooster (Maldonado), a flamboyant high-flying wrestler who believes he should be champ, and Apocalypse (Harrison) an experienced, disillusioned wrestler.
Jack has help running the league from his manager Willie (McCormack), a tough-as-nails former valet. When Jack isn’t at the DWL, he’s home being a husband and father to his wife Staci (Luff) and son Thomas (Garcia).
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The first season of Heels features a bunch of dreamers finding success in the Georgia community’s professional wrestling scene.
Season 1: A Crossroads
The series starts with Jack and Ace at a crossroads. Ace believes he should win the championship belt from Jack, especially when he gets word that he’s being considered by a major promoter to be signed to a developmental deal. Jack doesn’t think Ace is ready to be champ, especially considering that Ace is very much not a face in real life.
This culminates with Jack “shooting” (when a wrestler goes off script and fights for real) on Ace in the main event, pinning him and making him cry in the ring. The rest of the season focuses on repairing their relationship and repairing the reputation of the DWL.
The plot takes a while to really get going because the first few episodes have to introduce us to the rules, logic, and world of professional wrestling, which can be a lot to take in for those who aren’t familiar with it. However, once the story starts unfolding, the show is captivating and engaging. Stephen Amell is very solid as the emotional center of this show, and while he’s mostly a soft-spoken and gruff character, he has some moments of intensity where he really shines. Kelli Berglund also shines and makes it clear why Crystal is the real star of the DWL. The side characters and guest stars including Chris Bauer, Mike O’Malley, and CM Punk also add such rich history to this fictional promotion, and show how crazy the world of pro wrestling can be.
Season 2: Uncertain Future
Over a year after the first season of Heels, the sibling rivalry between Jack and Ace continues on July 28. A newly released sneak peek for Season 2 teases the uncertain future of the Duffy Wrestling League. Following the release of the Heels Season 2 trailer last month, the second season of the drama is shaping up to be as engaging and intense as the first.
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Season 1 saw Tom Spade (David James Elliott) take his own life, leaving his wrestling business in the care of his eldest son, Jack Spade (Stephen Amell). However, in order to keep the business running, Jack and Ace Spade (Alexander Ludwig) must play in the ring with a scripted fight, where one must act as the “heel,” the villain, and one as the “face,” the hero.
But as Jack and Ace continue to fight for their late father’s legacy, their ongoing rivalry continues to endanger their late father’s business. Making matters worse, the promotion’s ticket sales are flagging fast.
The rivalry between the two arises when Jack hinders Ace from taking the league’s championship from him. It elevates their kayfabe feud into a real one. When Season 1 came to a close, Jack attempted to make amends with Ace, but the latter rejected him. With Season 2 closer on the horizon, the siblings’ complicated relationship appears to be no different.
The logline for Heels Season 2 reads: “Jack and his cohorts prepare for a possible business deal with a new streaming service that may propel them onto a national stage. When the South Georgia State Fair shows interest in featuring the DWL at this year's fair, it's on Jack to close the deal with an electric night of matches. It's the day of Big Jim's baby's baptism and a new beginning for everyone in Duffy. The South Georgia State Fair is only a couple of weeks away and Jack's doing all he can to keep his professional and personal lives intact.
Heels Season 2
After the DWL's successful South Georgia State Fair showing, Ace is left reeling from Jack's revelation to him in the ring. Ace begins what he hopes will be his journey of spiritual awakening. Back in Duffy, The collective elation from the South Georgia State Fair is fading fast. Jack goes on the road to find Ace. The DWL has been left in the hands of Willie, who uses the opportunity to start developing a Women's Division with Crystal. Ace returns to Duffy determined to leave the DWL and wrestling behind.
Back at the DWL, Crystal worries about her first Women's Division bout. A mysterious new wrestler surges in popularity in Duffy, igniting Gully's ire. He demands the DWL make an appearance at Florida Wrestling Dystopia to make amends. In the wake of The Condamned's growing popularity, Ace begins to lose himself in the myth of his character. The Dome prepares to further woo Continuum.
Behind the Scenes: Making the Wrestling Authentic
The storyline only works if the fight scenes are authentic. That's the job of wrestling coordinator Luke Hawx, who also appears in two episodes as a competitor called The Hole. Hawx began his career in arenas like Duffy's, where wrestlers need second jobs to make ends meet as they follow their passion.
He found his passion early. He attended his first live match at age 10 and about midway through, he recalls, one of his favorites, Terry Funk, "got jumped by a bunch of heels. So I ran back to the dressing room. I busted the doors open and I yelled, 'Help! You gotta help Terry Funk. He's being jumped.'"
When he came of age, Hawx aspired to the kind of career that legends Funk and Orndorff had. Dubbed "The Southern Stomper," he rose through the ranks (appearing also as Altar Boy Luke), winning titles and, starting in 2007, roles in films such as Logan, The Fate of the Furious and Project Power.
When Heels stunt coordinator Artie Malesci (Burn Notice) reached out, it wasn't a hard sell. Hawx brought a team from Wildkat Sports, the wrestling school he runs in New Orleans, and they started training the actors, "making them trust they can do what needed to be done."
Most were, if not ring-ready, at least ring-willing. Kelli Berglund (Fosse/Verdon), who plays Crystal, Ace's valet (wrestling-speak for sexy sidekick), "struggled with weights and wasn't very confident working out," Hawx recalls. "But after we spoke to her - told her she could do this and all she needed was confidence in her coaches - this girl went night and day. She came in and started crushing everything. She wasn't afraid to try anything."
Neither was Amell, who suffered a back injury when a coast-to-coast (a move wherein a wrestler climbs a post and jumps across the ring onto an opponent) went awry.
"Steve had practiced it multiple times. Wrestling has a stigma for being fake. It's not fake. It's entertainment," Hawx says. "People get hurt. But the actors didn't want stunt doubles. They said, 'I want to see myself on TV.'"
Training for the show
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. 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.