Survivor’s Remorse

Through a combination of God-given talent and north Philly grit, Cam Calloway and Reggie Vaughn have achieved fame and fortune that neither could have imagined growing up in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Philadelphia.  But success comes with its own challenges, and the cousins and confidantes wrestle with the rewards of money, stardom, love, and occasionally, the guilt of having “made it.” ~ Futon Critic

Honestly I stumbled across this T.V. show by accident; I was stuck in a house full of people I didn’t know who had cable television.  After looking at the third episode, I tracked down the last two and watched them.  Needless to say, I’m hooked.

Survivor’s Remorse is about a young basketball star who after being picked up by Atlanta (Hawks?) he subsequently moves from his east coast hood to, well, um, Atlanta.  Cam Calloway, played by Jessie Usher, is a young just-signed athlete who has to navigate through not only the challenges of establishing his entrepreneur team selected from friends and family, but also the possibility of blowback from his young, street-running past.  The executive producer of this show is LeBron James, which means perhaps the plot of the show along with the various storylines that will follow might have enough credibility to not jump the shark anytime soon.  Survivor’s Remorse is featured on Starz as a Starz exclusive.

I never seen Jessie Usher before, but his Cam Calloway gives off precisely what is intended; a young talent who is immature, but is ultimately in charge.  The conflict comes from who he must appoint as what — and how much he actually listens to his advisers and constituents.  While family is found eager to assist, sometimes it’s fam that’s part of the blowback. His mom played by Tichina Arnold frequently serves as the wildcard who says whatever she wants, past present and future which seems like the biggest challenge with his fam.  On that note, it’s good to see Tichina Arnold play motherbear again; she’s getting better and better these days.  It’s even better to see another favorite currently employed, Mike Epps.  Mike Epps stars as his uncle, the de facto patriarch of the family who is while far more grounded, serves as another wildcard.  Forgive me if I never watched Real Husbands of Hollywood, but this is the first time I’ve seen Erica Ash, and she’s breath taking. Erica Ash stars as M-Chuck, the tough sister of Cam who seeks to protect him, even from his own flaws.  RonReaco Lee plays Reggie Vaughn his brother-like cousin who is his righthand man.

Overall, Survivor’s Remorse serves as a fresh air as it shows various hilarious and shocking situations a young basketball star may have to deal with.  It features a primarily black cast, and for Starz to have Black Sails which doesn’t feature the amount of people of color as Spartacus did, this show is a welcome addition to their line up.