BET has picked up rights to the first season of the LeBron James-produced basketball comedy Survivor’s Remorse.

BET and BET Her will air the first season of the series -- which ran on Starz from 2014 to 2017 -- beginning April 21, according to the network. The series follows the life of basketball star Cam Calloway and his family after he signs a pro-basketball contract and moves his family to Atlanta.

Survivor’s Remorse stars Jessie T. Usher, RonReaco Lee, Erica Ash, Teyonah Parris, Tichina Arnold, and Mike Epps.

Read Also: Starz Shows Power of Diversity

National Basketball Association superstar LeBron James may not have been able to repeat as league champion on the basketball court last spring, but that didn’t stop him from having a championship-caliber year in the entertainment arena.

“The King,” through his SpringHill Entertainment production company founded by James and childhood friend Maverick Carter, took several major steps in helping to secure his legacy off the court in the entertainment business with a number of content projects that cut across both the traditional television business and emerging digital platforms.

While the clock officially ran out this year on SpringHill’s first scripted series — Starz’s basketball-themed Survivor’s Remorse— the company is poised to take several more shots in the genre. SpringHill is reportedly working with HBO on a half-hour comedy about a Los Angeles sneaker store; with ABC on a comedy dubbed White Dave, starring actress Gabrielle Union; and with CBS on a comedy revolving around a sports agency.

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James has also played on the unscripted court with his CNBC series Cleveland Hustles, which provided local entrepreneurs a chance to realize their dreams while revitalizing a Cleveland neighborhood. James also flexed his game show muscles earlier this year, partnering with NBC for The Wall, which has earned a second season after averaging more than 6 million viewers during its freshman run.

On the digital front, James and Carter have created a platform for athletes to express themselves creatively through the Uninterrupted online network, which in 2015 received a re-ported $15.8 million investment from Warner Bros. and Turner Sports.

Network executives said the entertainment future is bright for the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, now and when he finally hangs up his sneakers.

“LeBron James’s desire to excel in the entertainment industry is no surprise to those who have watched him work tirelessly to become a transcendent basketball player and NBA champion,” said Mark Tatum, NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer. “Television and movie executives view him not just as an athlete but as a creative force who has the ability to help shape popular culture.”

Related: Reality TV’s Got Game

Indeed, Carter was quoted in a February ESPN the Magazine article as saying he and James have their eyes on the prize of creating an entertainment empire.

“LeBron and I have always been interested in the long game,” Carter said in the story. "And the long game here is to build a media company. To really, truly build a media company."

James and Carter have begun to realize their entertainment aspirations by being aggressive and involved in all aspects of their projects. “From the first time I met LeBron and Maverick, it was clear that they saw media as a way to have an impact in society, and that a media company could help them to have that impact,” Starz president of programming Carmi Zlotnik said.

An All-Position Player
Arguably James and SpringHill’s highest-profile project to date is Survivor’s Remorse, which ended its fourth and final season last month. Zlotnik said he was initially impressed with the attention to detail James paid to the series, which follows the exploits of a pro basketball star and his family from humble beginnings as he transitions to a big pro-hoops star.

Zlotnik recalled that James was very hands-on with regard to the pilot script for the series. “The producers went to LeBron’s house and LeBron recruited friends and family to pick parts to read together from the pilot script,” he said. “I wish I could have been a fly on the wall because it sounds like one of those very interesting situations that happens in the development of a show that no one knows about.”

It also didn’t hurt the show’s marketing and promotion efforts to have the LeBron James brand associated with the series. “LeBron as a personality helped sell the show because it’s so hard to cut through the cacophony that’s happening out in the media space,” said Zlotnik. “The fact that he has this huge fan base in social media is an attractive part about being in business with LeBron, Maverick and SpringHill.”

NBC Entertainment president of alternative and reality group Paul Telegdy also said James’s star power helped build momentum for NBC’s game show The Wall, in which contestants build cash prizes by correctly answering questions. James’s popularity has also helped the network extend The Wall internationally.

“The Wall is on in France, Italy, Poland and is being made in Brazil,” Telegdy said. “The success of the show is more than just the business in the U.S.; it’s about the rollout of a global brand.”

James was also heavily involved with The Wall, making sure the presentation on the screen worked to the benefit of both NBC and the James brand, according to Telegdy.

“The great thing about the partnership is that if at any point he had seen something that he had hated or that was against his brand, we would have found out about it immediately — he’s not a shy, silent partner,” Telegdy said. “He is incredibly down to earth and easy to talk to, and was able to communicate passion and the reasons why he was involved in a game show in a way we could communicate to our audience.”

With The Wall and several other potential projects lined up — Zlotnik said Starz is working with SpringHill on an unscripted series, Warriors of Liberty City, which chronicles the town of Liberty City, Fla. and its ability to turn out a high percentage of NFL football players — Telegdy said it won’t be long before content distributors are knocking on James’s door for a chance to play on the entertainment court with one of the NBA’s best and most exciting players ever.

“Get in line now,” Telegdy added. “We weren’t the first people to spot his talents, but we feel like champions for being in business with LeBron.”

Starz’s basketball-themed comedy series Survivor’s Remorse will end its four-season run this Sunday (Oct. 15.)

The series, executive produced by LeBron James, will conclude with back-to-back episodes this Sunday, according to the network. 

The series, which follows the exploits of a young basketball star trying to balance fame and family life, stars Jessie T. Usher, RonReaco Lee and Tichina Arnold. 

RELATED: Actress Tichina Arnold talks about her starring role in 'Survivor's Remorse' (VIDEO)

“We have been fortunate to work with incredible talents like Mike O’Malley, the executive producers and our cast on this very special show for four seasons,” said Starz CEO Chris Albrecht in a statement. “While this may be the end of The Calloway’s story, we do believe that the themes Survivor’s Remorse confronted over the seasons, through a unique mix of humor and sober observation, will be appreciated for the insightful, heartfelt way they were addressed. We are proud of the show.”

Veteran actress Tichina Arnold is doing double duty on the small screen, playing the co-host of a fictional women’s talk show on VH1’s new series Daytime Divas as well as a feisty mom to a pro basketball superstar in Starz’s comedy series Survivor’s Remorse.

Arnold, also known for her now-familiar roles in such classic comedy series as Martin and Everybody Hates Chris, recently spoke to Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead about her current TV projects and the issue of diversity on television. An edited transcript follows.

Related > MCN Review: VH1's 'Daytime Divas'

MCN:As a veteran of the television industry, do you believe we are in a golden age with regard to multicultural images and themed stories on the small screen?
Tichina Arnold: I think we are. There’s an amazing movement for people of color right now — there’s an amazing platform, because what it’s done is open doors for people to really tell their stories and to call people to task for not telling the truth. This world involves so many cultures and so many types of people in all walks of life, and social media has forced us to be inclusive and to be aware of different people and different walks of live. The television networks are now being forced to do it because there is demand for people to see what they don’t know and what they don’t look like.

MCN:Is this golden age more of a trend or one that will become a permanent fixture on the television scene?
TA: I’m hoping that we’re not in a trend. I’ve been part of trends quite a few times — they’d put all the black shows on back to back on the same night to build up the brand, and then once they built the network, they’d get rid of the shows. I don’t want to see that again.

MCN:Having starred in several hit TV shows, what drew you toDaytime Divas?
TA: I received the script from my agency, and it was the first time I read a script and laughed hysterically. My character is one that could be played by anybody. I like being able to go after a role where people can see me in a different light than my previous roles and it doesn’t pigeonhole me. I can play a superhero and save the world. Roles written specifically for black women are rare, but the upside of it is if we get the opportunity to play other roles that are not written for black women. It opens up more doors for us because it shows we can do anything, which we can.

Video > Watch the 'Daytime Divas' Trailer

MCN:Are you surprised by the success ofSurvivor’s Remorse— now headed into its fourth season — and the popularity of your character Cassie Calloway?
TA: I am not surprised by the success of Survivor’s Remorse. I always knew that it was an amazing show — [series executive producer] Michael O’Malley put his heart and all into the show and it’s a passion for him to make it right, and he allows us as actors to give our opinions and our input which is important because we have to convey these characters. To be able to be such a part of such an iconic show is great. I love playing Cassie — I’ve formed Cassie into being a woman that I think a lot of women will be able to understand and live vicariously through.

Two new scripted cable comedies are showcasing African-American actresses in leading roles as the TV industry looks to continue to celebrate on-screen diversity.

Actresses such as Tracee Ellis Ross — nominated for a 2016 Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her role in ABC’s Black-ish — have begun to mirror the success of their counterparts on the drama front, including Gabrielle Union (BET’s Being Mary Jane), ViolaDavis (How to Get Away With Murder) and KerriWashington( Scandal).

HBO in October premieres comedy series Insecure, created and starring comedian-actress Issa Rae. The show, about a young African-American woman (Rae) navigating her professional and personal life, follows the Sept. 5 premiere of MTV’s Loosely Exactly Nicole, starring Girl Code actress Nicole Byer.

Actress Tischina Arnold, co-star of Starz’s comedy series Survivor’s Remorse, told Multichannel News that comedic roles for actresses of color are beginning to open up as both traditional networks and over-the-top services look to reach a more diverse audience with content that features their images and stories.

“I think it’s a great time for African-American women actors, producers and showrunners to be in the business,” Arnold said. “There are more opportunities opening up, although we still need a lot more opportunities.”

Arnold also said that women of color are getting a chance to play a wider variety of roles that go beyond the urban female stereotype often depicted in mainstream culture.

Indeed, Rae — at this summer’s Television Critics Association press tour — said her character in Insecure has the same goals and insecurities as everyone else.

“You watch this and you realize … that black people are human,” she said. “I think there’s a tendency vibe in certain cases like news and media portrayal of almost like we are bringing it on ourselves because we tend to be violent by nature. It’s been more just trying to convince people that … people of color are relatable.”

Byer also said during the TCA gathering she has auditioned for roles where writers that have asked her to “be as black as possible,” but said that her new show allows her to be herself without any preconceived notions of who she should be on-screen.

While opportunities are improving for women of color-on-screen, Arnold warned that more progress is needed both in front of and behind the screen.

“It’s almost like a never-ending story … it seems like there will never be enough opportunities for me,” Arnold said. “Once I see more characters like me portrayed in so many diverse ways and in diverse situations, then I’ll feel more comfortable in saying that there’s real substantial change taking place.”

Starz has ordered a fourth season of its basketball-themed comedy series Survivor’s Remorse, the network said Wednesday.

The LeBron James-produced series, which follows the exploits of a star basketball player and his family as they deal with the challenges of their new lives while not forgetting where they came from, is averaging 2.9 million viewers across all reportable platforms since its third season debut this past July, an increase of more than 20% about season two and 60% above season one, said network officials.

The series, executively produced by Mike O’Malley, Tom Werner, LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Paul Wachter, Victor Levin and Hilton Smith, stars Jessie T. Usher, RonReaco Lee, Tichina Arnold, Teyonah Parris and Erica Ash.

“We are thrilled to renew ’Survivor’s Remorse for a fourth season,” said Carmi Zlotnik, managing director of Starz in a statement. “Critics have consistently called it one of the smartest and funniest comedies on television and we are delighted to see audiences embracing the characters and the storyline with that same enthusiasm.”

Get complete coverage of the 2016 TCA Summer Tour.

Beverly Hills, Calif.—Eight panelists affiliated with shows on El Rey, Starz, TV One and WGN America tore into the multifaceted issues of TV diversity during a vibrant, insight-packed panel at the TCA summer press tour.

El Rey founder and chairman Robert Rodriguez delivered a brief introduction to the session. “Cable has made great strides,” he said. “There’s never been a more important time to build cultural understanding of people and working together.”

Panelists spent ample time talking about the positives — more shows with diverse casts on air, multiplying outlets, more people of color involved behind the scenes — but also brought to light the ongoing struggle to reflect America in full.

“The way the system is set up, in order to get a job or be able to vote on awards, it’s all just old practices that don’t suit us at all,” said Victoria Mahoney, a director with credits on feature films as well as TV series like Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse and OWN’s Queen Sugar.

“The old guard’s got to let go of their grip a little bit because that’s not the way the world looks,” said Jurnee Smollett-Bell, who stars on WGN America’s Underground. “Storytellers have a right to express what’s inside of them … and consumers and viewers have a right to see themselves.”

Mahoney noted that she is among the 4% of overall directors who are women of color, according to recent guild surveys. “I’ve never been in the bottom 4% of anything in my life,” she quipped.

D’Angela Proctor, senior vice president of original programming and production for TV One, said the executive suite is another area with a lot of room for improvement.

“We have to be at the table at every single level” for truly inclusive programming to permeate the TV business, she said.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Starz has greenlit a third season of its basketball-themed series Survivor’s Remorse, the network said Wednesday.

The series, about a young basketball star and his family adjusting to the life of the rich and famous, will return in 2016, according to network officials.

Currently in the midst of its second season run, the series posted an 18% week over week audience gain in its second episode with a series-high 1.34 million viewers, said network officials.

Survivor's Remorse, which stars Jessie T. Usher, Mike Epps, Tichina Arnold, Teyonah Parris and Erica Ash, is executively produced by Tom Werner, Maverick Carter, LeBron James, Mike O’Malley, Paul Wachter and Vic Levin.

“We are thrilled to renew Survivor’s Remorse for a third season,” said Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director of Starz, in a statement. “Since it began, the critics instantly embraced the show, and now we’ve seen its fans grow season over season. This all-star creative team, led expertly by Mike O’Malley, boldly tackles the most topical of issues with heart and humor as the Calloway family deals with ‘pro-money and pro-problems’ off the basketball court. We are very happy and proud to have them return to Starz for another season.”

Starz is giving viewers an early look at the new seasons of Survivor’s Remorse and Blunt Talk

The network said Monday (Aug. 17) it has made the first two episodes of its freshman series Blunt Talk, as well as all six episodes from the first season of its sophmore comedy series Survivor's Remorse, available via Starz.com, Starz On Demand and Starz Play app before its Aug. 22 premiere.

The first episodes of both shows are also being streamed via Facebook. Survivor’s Remorse executive producer LeBron James posted the show’s sophomore season premiere episode on his Facebook page this past Friday, while Blunt Talk star Patrick Stewart dropped the first episode of his series for his Facebook followers to watch over the weekend.

The moves follows Starz’s announcement late last month that it would offer all episodes of the final season of Da Vinci's Demons nd the freshman season of Flesh and Bone online prior to their Starz debuts this fall.

“Starz has sampled many new original series on multiple platforms – including Facebook – over the past few years and we continue to witness first-hand the importance of engaging fans in the social media community who have migrated the ‘water cooler talk’ to a much bigger and virtual break room, ” said Starz CEO Chris Albrecht in a statement. “The network and our shows, including ‘Power’ and “Outlander,’ are definitely benefitting from the tremendous online community engagement.”

Starz will net a second season of LeBron James-produced comedy, Survivor's Remore.

The 10-installment, second-season order comes after just one linear airing for the series, which bowed on Oct. 4.

The show's rookie run is for just episodes.

Starz said the first episode has garnered 1.3 million multiplatform viewers. Survivor’s Remorse was previewed online in the week ahead of its linear launch, with the first two episodes becoming accessible on Sept. 27.

The series also counts Tom Werner, Maverick Carter, Mike O’Malley, Paul Wachter and Victor Levin as executive producers.

Starz is giving its latest original series a preseason of sorts.

The premium network will tip off a multiplatform nationwide sampling of the first two episodes of Survivor’s Remorse, the comedy executive-produced by basketball legend LeBron James, beginning Sept. 27. The exposure comes a full week before the series makes it national, linear debut on Starz on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 9 p.m.

In the latest expansive sampling effort behind its original shows, Starz will make Survivor’s Remorse, the story of baller Cam Calloway (Jessie Usher) and his family who are suddenly thrust into the limelight after he signs a multimillion dollar contract with a professional team in Atlanta, available to multichannel video households through on-demand, online and linear runs on select cable, satellite and telco affiliates in the United States (see list below).

Additionally, the first two installments are accessible online through select websites including Starz.com, and the show’s Twitter, YouTube and Facebook pages. They will also be available via Starz on Demand and the free Starz Play app for all users in the United States, and through Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, Sony Entertainment Network and Xbox Video.

All told, Starz's sampling assist for Survivor's Remorse will reach some 78 million U.S. households.

Starz has supported the launch of current hit, Outlanderand key original series like Black Sailsand Power, as well as the sophomore run of Da Vinci's Demonsand reality series The Chair with various on-demand, digital and experential marketing initiatives

Mike O’Malley, consulting producer and Emmy-nominated actor for his role on Glee, serves as executive producer and showrunner for Survivor’s Remorse. In addition to James, Tom Werner, chairman of the Boston Red Sox and whose production credits include The Cosby Show, Roseanne and That '70s Show; Maverick Carter, sports marketing executive and James's business partner; Paul Wachter, founder and CEO of Main Street Advisors; and Victor Levin (Mad Men, Mad About You); are also serving as executive producers.

Starz retains all domestic and international multiplatform rights including television, home entertainment, and digital.

The following is a list of some of the providers offering on demand and/or linear sampling:

• Comcast (FOD)
• DirecTV (FOD)
• Dish(FOD + Linear)
• Time Warner Cable  (FOD)
• Cox Communications (FOD)
• Verizon FiOS (FOD)
• Bright House Networks (FOD)
• Mediacom (FOD)
• Other select NCTC members

Starz is making inroads on its efforts to reach out to underserved audiences on premium TV through its original series.

The network’ freshman series Power, which follows the life of an African-American club owner who doubles as a New York City drug kingpin, is generating the largest concentration of black viewers for a scripted premium series over the past several years, according to the network. Only HBO’s Game Of Thrones and True Blood draws a larger number of African-American viewers of any premium series currently running.

With 68% of Power’s audience African-American, the network is targeting what it believes is an underserved audience on premium TV, according to David Baldwin, executive vice president of program planning for Starz. Overall, the series, which has already been renewed for the second season, is averaging about 4 million viewers across all platforms, which shows that Power is also drawing in more than black viewers.

The network is also hoping to expose the series to a wider audience when it launches Power on its Encore Black channel beginning Aug. 12, according to Baldwin. “With Starz at 22 million homes and Encore [Black] at 35 million homes, we have a whole other universe that we can expose the series to,” he said.

The network will continue to mine the African-American audience this fall with the debut of the LeBron James-created, basketball-themed comedy series Survivor’s Remorse, said the network. “There’s every reason to believe that we’ll get a lot of African-American households to tune in, check it out and stay with it,” Baldwin said. “Also with the number of NBA fans around the country and people who know about professional sports it wouldn't be surprising if we get a broader audience to check it out.”

Along with African-Americans, Starz is also looking to draw in more female viewers. Its White Queen series drew a 60% female viewership in route to generating more than 4.8 million viewers across all platforms. While the network has yet to greenlight a second season of its White Queen mini-series – network officials has said Starz may pursue a White Queen sequel dubbed White Princess – the network has high hopes that its new fantasy-based series Outlander will attract a huge female audience. The series, based on the popular Diana Gabaldon series of best-selling novels, debuts Aug. 9 on the network.

“I think it’s fair to say that Outlander is in the same wheel house as the White Queen in terms of having a large female following,” he said. “Premium television has been something of a male-skewing sector, on recently has there been recognition of the female audience on premium networks.”