Is it possible this will not be awful?

Let me preface this by saying I’m no fan of prime time dramas. They do nothing for me. That is my bias.

Having said that, call me cynical, but I fully expect this show – if it ever makes it to the airwaves – to be chock full ‘o drama queens, morons, ho-bags, gold diggers, anorexics, backstabbers, and every other negative stereotype that plagues the pro sports entertainment industry. Not to mention dancer/player fraternization out the wazoo. Add to that the fact that none of the writers, none of the producers, and only one of the stars of the show has any dance training that I’m aware of, and I’m not getting a positive feeling about this.

On the other hand, the one actor that does have dance training? She was a Laker Girl. (During the 2010-11 NBA season). Interesting that they never mention that fact in any of the releases. (I suspect the NBA/Lakers are responsible for that.) But at least we know one of these people can dance. That gives them a little cred. And hey, this will mean more jobs for dancers, and that’s a plus. (Whether they show more than 5 seconds of dancing at a time remains to be seen.)

Will I watch it? Yes. Just like all of you. For research purposes, of course.

(This better not be another Tina Yothers situation. That movie was awesomely bad. This show has the potential to be just regular bad. Models Inc. bad. In other words, the kind of bad that is not good.)

Your thoughts?

VH1 Greenlights Its Second Hour-Long Scripted Series, Bounce
by Elizabeth Black
VH1.com
July 24, 2012

VH1 is expanding its horizons and will once again be delving into the world of scripted television. We’re excited to announce that we’ve given the greenlight to Bounce, a brand new series set in the competitive and occasionally ruthless world of a professional basketball dance team. The hour-long series will star Dean Cain (Lois And Clark), Kimberly Elise (Set It Off, Grey’s Anatomy) and Charlotte Ross (NYPD Blue), as well as newcomers Taylour Paige and Logan Browning. For more information about the upcoming new series, check out the fresh-off-the-presses release below.

VH1 CONTINUES WINNING MOMENTUM IN SCRIPTED ARENA BY SETTING SCRIPTED SERIES “BOUNCE” IN MOTION WITH GREENLIGHT
Dean Cain, Kimberly Elise and Charlotte Ross To Star

NEW YORK, NY- July 24, 2012 – With one scripted dramatic series hit already under their belt in the highly rated series “Single Ladies,” VH1 has greenlit another scripted series, “Bounce” starring Dean Cain, Kimberly Elise and Charlotte Ross. The series will also feature newcomer Taylour Paige and Logan Browning in starring roles. “Bounce” was created and written by James LaRosa and executive produced by Maggie Malina and LaRosa. Sanaa Hamri directed the pilot and the series is set to begin production in 2013.

“Bounce” is a series that follows the alluring lives and loves of the Los Angeles Devil Girls, the premiere dance team in all of professional basketball. The Los Angeles Devils are the number one team in the league. When the stadium lights go up at night all of Hollywood comes out to support the million dollar players; but in this city these men share the fame, adrenalin, money, sex and power with their dancers, the Devil Girls. At the heart of “Bounce” is Ahsha (Taylour Paige), a sheltered young woman who joins the team against the wishes of her mother Sloane (Kimberly Elise), who knows this treacherous, tempting world all too well having been an original Devil’s Girl herself. Olivia (Charlotte Ross) is the shrewd squad manager, Jelena (Logan Browning) is the ruthless star captain of the dance team who won’t let anyone outshine her and Pete Davenport (Dean Cain) is the former All-Star who’s come back to coach his old team only to have to contend with the girls both stealing the spotlight and distracting his players.
The cast includes: Dean Cain, Kimberly Elise, Charlotte Ross, Taylour Paige, Logan Browning, Valery Ortiz, Katherine Bailess, Jonathan McDaniel and McKinley Freeman.

“On the heels of our great success with “Single Ladies,” we are thrilled to have “Bounce” be our second hour-long scripted series. It has all the elements we know VH1 viewers love; a world very much on the pop culture radar, an incredible cast and compelling, addictive storytelling,” said Jeff Olde, EVP Original Programming and Production. “These are all set against a glamorous backdrop where amazing dance numbers organically break out as part of the story. We wanted to create a scripted series at VH1 in which music is a strong narrative force, and we have found that with “Bounce.”

VH1 has already established success in the scripted one-hour format with “Single Ladies,” the comedic drama produced by Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit Productions and also Executive Produced by Maggie Malina. Throughout its second season currently airing, “Single Ladies” is the #1 ad supported regularly scheduled scripted show among women 18-49 over the course of the summer. The series is currently averaging 3.1 million total viewers during premiere plus first encores on Monday nights.

“Bounce” was created, written and executive produced by James LaRosa and executive produced by Maggie Malina. Bryan Johnson and The Film Syndicate and In Cahoots Media are producing. Executive producing for VH1 are Jill Holmes and Jeff Olde.