Starz has pulled the plug on three sophomore scripted series, Run The World, Heels and Blindspotting, the network confirmed.

Run The World, executive produced by Leigh Davenport, follows the lives of a group of Black women who work, live and play in Harlem as they strive for world domination, according to network officials. The series stars Amber Stevens West, Bresha Webb, Corbin Reid, Stephen Bishop, Tosin Morohunfola and Erika Alexander. It ended its second season in July.

Pro-wrestling drama Heels follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals war over their late father’s legacy. The series, which concluded its eight-episode final season on September 15, stars Stephen Amell, Alexander Ludwig, Alison Luff, Mary McCormack and James Harrison. Fans upset about its cancellation made the hashtag #CancelStarz trend on X (formerly Twitter) today.

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Blindspotting, based on the 2018 movie, follows a young woman whose life gets turned around after her partner of 12 years and father of her son is suddenly incarcerated. The series stars Jasmine Cephas Jones, Jaylen Barron, Atticus Woodward and Helen Hunt.

The series, created by Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs, ended its second season on Starz in May.

The pay TV service has also confirmed that it will not go ahead with plans to launch drama series The Venery of Samantha Bird, which follows a young woman's whose seemingly storybook love affair isn't what it seems. 

Starz will continue to follow the lives of three female friends from Harlem in the second season of its comedy series Run the World, debuting May 26.

The series’ eight-episode sophomore campaign stars Amber Stevens West, Bresha Webb and Corbin Reid as 30-something Black women trying to balance careers and relationships as they pursue their dreams of world domination, according to the network. The series also stars Stephen Bishop, Tosin Moronfunhola and Erika Alexander. 

Alexander, who starred in the 1990s Fox sitcom Living Single, said her character Barb — a successful editor and confidante to the younger women in the series — helps bridge the gap between generations on the show.

“I’m hanging out with [the girls] and having a generational conversation that I think is now evolving,” she said. “Barb has a lot to offer because she’s already arrived. [The show writers] are writing for people who want to have a longer conversation about not only relationships, but who you see yourself as.” 

In Run the World's second season, series executive producers Leigh Davenport, Yvette Lee Bowser and Rachelle Williams-BenAry continue to showcase the nuances of how women relate to one another on the road to success, according to Alexander. 

“They had a really wonderful intention to create a conversation between women about healthy relationships and what it means to have ambition and go for your career dreams — and also what it means when you don’t meet them,” she said. 

Starz Wednesday announced it will bring back its wrestling-themed drama series Heels for a sophomore campaign.

The series follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals war over their late father’s legacy. Heels stars Stephen Amell, Alexander Ludwig, Alison Luff, Mary McCormack and James Harrison.

The Lionsgate TV-produced Heels is executive produced by Michael Waldron, Mike O’Malley, Julie Yorn, Christopher Donnelly and Patrick Walmsley.

"It is clear from the critical and fan acclaim that the stories and characters from the Duffy Wrestling League have made a connection with audiences bringing a community that is not often found to premium Tv," Starz President and CEO Jeffrey Hirsch said in a statement. "I'm excited for our amazing cast and executive producers to get back into the ring together for a second season." 

Heels joins comedy series Run The World as freshmen shows recently renewed by Starz. 

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Starz has greenlit a second season of its dramedy series Run The World, the premium service announced Friday.

The series, which follows a group of thirty-something Black women who live, work and play in Harlem, will return with Rachelle Williams (Mix-ish) as its showrunner. Williams, Yvette Lee Bowser and Leigh Davenport will serve as executive producers.

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The series stars Amber Stevens West, Andrea Bordeaux, Bresha Webb and Corbin Reid.

"Run the World has been so passionately embraced by our audience and we are thrilled to bring fans another season,” said Starz President of Domestic Networks Alison Hoffman in a statement. “Our incredibly talented cast and executive producers Yvette and Leigh are set to return, and we’re excited to welcome Rachelle back into the Starz family leading as showrunner and executive producer.”

Read Also: Starz Renews 'Hightown' for Second Season 

Black women may not run the world yet, but they are certainly making their mark in several scripted series that explore the complexities of female friendships. 

In Starz’s new series Run The World, BET’s veteran show Sistas and BET Plus’s First Wives Club, with ABC’s series reboot of Waiting to Exhale in the offing, the camaraderie between girlfriends seems to be appealing to all viewers. 

“Black women continue to occupy an important and seminal space in culture, and our point of view is unique but also universal in terms of our struggles and our stories,” BET scripted programming head Traci Blackwell said. “Your sistagirl group is usually one of the most important relationships in your life, and I think those stories continue to be relevant to audiences.”

While the genre is not new — 1990s broadcast TV shows Girlfriends and Living Single were successful in exploring the dynamics of Black female friendships — Starz president of original programming Christina Davis said this new wave of shows goes more in-depth into not only the relationships themselves, but the culture which influences the character storylines. Davis said Starz’s Run the World, which launched last month and follows four 30-something, professional Black female friends as they deal with career and relationship challenges, incorporates the rich culture, sights and sounds of Harlem as an important backdrop for the storyline.

“You can point to a couple of shows that have scratched the surface, but I think we go deeper than anything that we’ve seen before,” she said. “I also think the appetite for such shows is overwhelming in a great way.” 

BET’s Sistas, produced by Tyler Perry, returned for its third season June 9 having averaged a network-high 1.4 million total viewers on a Nielsen Live-Plus-3 basis during its second season. The series follows a group of single Black women as they navigate their career, friendships and relationship goals. 

Shows like Sistas and First Wives Club, a takeoff on the 1996 movie that’s now in its second season, serve as a window into lives of diverse female relationships that aren’t often represented on television, according to Blackwell.

Other scripted series, like HBO’s Insecure and OWN’s Delilah, explore the bonds between Black female friends as part of broader storylines within the show. But executives say the overarching theme of maintaining that close and often unbreakable bond — even as it’s tested in a variety of ways — resonates with viewers. 

“I think television owes it to the viewers to give back to them moments of their own lives,” said Craig Wright, creator of Delilah, which examines the strength of a long friendship between two lawyers even as they face off in court. “It’s the lived moments that make viewers say that’s just like what happened to me or she’s just like my sister or friend.” 

The genre doesn’t show signs of slowing down: ABC has given a script commitment to Waiting to Exhale, a reboot of the 1995 Lee Daniels film that starred Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Lela Rochon and Loretta Devine. BET’s Blackwell says shows examining the complexities of friendships between women will always find an audience on television. 

“For women, and particularly Black women, relationships, family, raising kids, dating challenges, religion and spirituality are all things that touch the group in really interesting ways in terms of how we relate,” she said. “The story of that female bond continues to be really important and feels relatable to all of us.” 

Starz delves into the complexities of female friendships in its new original dramedy, Run the World. 

Set in present day Harlem, Run The World centers on the lives and relationships of four Black female friends who navigate their way through their thirties faced with the everyday challenges of career, relationships, marriage and children. 

Whether it’s Sondi (Corbin Reid) dealing with her relationship with a single father (Stephen Bishop); Whitney (Amber Stevens West) worrying over her upcoming nuptials; Ella (Andrea Bordeaux) taking a humbling job as a website writer and potentially getting back with a former boyfriend; or Renee (Bresha Webb), dealing with uncertainty over her marriage and future, Run The World tells each woman's story in an unapologetic, bold, straightforward and grounded manner that’s feels genuine.

While comparisons will inevitably be made between Run The World and genre predecessors such as Girlfriends and Living Single (the latter of which Run the World executive producer Yvette Lee Bowser created) -- along with Sex In The City (there’s a humorous Mr. Big reference in the pilot episode) -- Starz has created a series that stands on its own two feet in terms of its feel and flow. The characters feel more like sisters than friends who talk freely and openly about virtually every dynamic of their lives, including their sexual escapades.

Run The World creator Leigh Davenport successfully channels the charm and strength of the camaraderie between the four ladies into an entertaining eight-episode journey. Viewers will embrace how their friendship remains steadfast and loyal through the challenges that they face --  both societal and self-created -- as together they shoot for “world domination” with control over both their professional and personal lives.

A mix of theatrical movies, scripted series and limited series documentaries highlight this week's show premieres. 

HBO Max on May 13 will roll out its new comedy series Hacks, starring Jean Smart as a veteran comedian who partners with young, down-and-out comic writer played by Hannah Einbinder in an effort to help resurrect both their careers. 

The streaming service on May 14 premieres Warner Bros. theatrical movie Those Who Wish Me Dead starring Angelina Jolie on the same day the film hits movie theaters. Also on the 14th, Prime Video debuts its Barry Jenkins-produced drama series The Underground Railroad, based on Colson Whitehead’s novel of the same name.

On the non-fiction front, FX on May 14 will premiere Pride, a six-part documentary series that follows the LGBTQ rights movement over nearly a half a century.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of May 10 to May 16 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

May 10 -- The Crime of the Century (documentary) -- HBO

May 12 -- The Hills: New Beginnings (reality) -- MTV

May 12 -- The Upshaws (comedy) -- Netflix

May 13 -- 144 (documentary) -- ESPN

May 13 -- Intergalactic (drama) -- Peacock

May 14 -- Halston (drama) -- Netflix

May 14 -- The Woman in the Window (movie) -- Netflix

May 16 -- Run The World (drama) -- Starz

May 16 -- Death and Nightingales (drama) -- Starz

Starz has released the official trailer for its original comedy series Run the World, which will debut May 16 on the premium channel. 

The series, created by Leigh Davenport and executive produced by Davenport and Yvette Lee Bowser, follows a group of smart, funny and vibrant 30-something Black women who live, work and play in Harlem, according to the network. 

Run the World stars Amber Stevens West, Andrea Bordeaux, Bresha Webb and Corbin Reid. 

Read also: Starz Shows the Power of Diversity

Starz has given an eight-episode series order for comedy pilot Run the World, the network said Thursday.

The series follows a group of Black best friends who work, live and play in Harlem as they strive for world domination, according to network executives. Yvette Lee Bowser (Dear White People, Living Single) will serve as showrunner for the half-hour series, which was created by Leigh Davenport (The Perfect Find.)

“Run the World is exactly the kind of bold, authentic, inclusive storytelling that Starz is committed to delivering to our global audience,” said Jeffrey Hirsch, president and CEO of Starz in a statement. “We feel as though we have captured lightning in a bottle with the energy and chemistry of this cast and their portrayal of these distinct characters in this modern-day view of four female friends in New York City and we look forward to bringing the series to the platform.”