LeBron James is going multimedia. The two-time champ is teaming with premium cable channel Starz to produce a sitcom that isn't quite autobiographical, but it's easy to see where the inspiration comes from.
The show, currently titled Survivors' Remorse, follows the lives of two kids from the streets of Philadelphia who make it big time, one as a basketball player. James is co-producing the show with his childhood friend and business partner Maverick Carter.
"I think the main thing for me is, first of all, making it out of a place where you're not supposed to. You're supposed to be a statistic and end up like the rest of the people in the inner city -- (and) being one of the few to make it out and everyone looking at you to be the savior," LeBron told the Associated Press. "When you make it out, everyone expects for -- they automatically think that they made it out and it's very tough for a young, African-American 18-year-old kid to now hold the responsibility of a whole city, of a whole community."
Sitcom vet Tom Werner and actor Mike O'Malley (of Guts hosting fame) will also serve as co-producers.
While the show's Survivors' Remorse title doesn't exactly promise big laughs, producers say it will mine humor from darker situations. Roseanne is used as a touching point.
Starz isn't new to the original comedy game. They've put out lowly rated but critically beloved shows like Party Down and Head Cases, but it appears their partnership with the biggest athlete in the world is a definite attempt to widen their audience.
This isn't LeBron's first attempt at producing a show. He's also offered The LeBrons, an animated web series based on his popular ads for Nike.
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