Starz extends fully-owned drama push with Black rodeo series

US pay-TV and streamer Starz is expanding its fully-owned scripted slate with a family drama set in the world of Black rodeo.

The 8 x 60-minute untitled series is set in Southeast Texas and is “infused with hip hop swagger and country soul”, according to producers.

The story follows three siblings bound by the legacy their mother built and the unfinished business their father left behind, but who are driven by their own ambitions.

All rights to the series, which is from Gran Via Productions and Counterpart Studios, will be retained by Starz as part of its push to own much of its programming following its long-awaited split from Lionsgate last year.

The company wants to retain all rights to at least half of its slate of premium originals by 2027, with a focus on shows aimed at underrepresented audiences.

The first series to emerge was British boxing drama Fightland starring Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson, which was greenlit last year and has since been shot in London. UK-based Sky subsequently boarded the show as a co-commissioner alongside Starz. 

Starz said the upcoming rodeo drama played into its strategy to “create efficiencies to enable the network to deliver even more programming to serve women and underrepresented audiences.”

Kirk A. Moore (American Crime) is showrunner and executive producer, alongside Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad) and Myki Bajaj (Demascus) for Gran Via.

Tony Hernandez, Elise Henderson and Lilly Burns of Counterpart Studios are attached, with Giovanna Desselle, vice president of original programming, and Christina Jokanovich, senior vice president of original programming, overseeing for Starz.

“Messy family dynamics, jaw-dropping spectacle and an undeniable swagger - this is the kind of bold, original storytelling we’re proud to own from the ground up,” said Kathryn Busby, president of originals at Starz.

“With a touch of urban grit and a huge dose of country soul, it’s Texas through and through.”