The Shop
| The Shop | |
|---|---|
 GovernorGavin NewsomonThe Shopwith LeBron James and Maverick Carter in 2019 | |
| Genre | Talk show |
| Created by | Paul Rivera |
| Starring | LeBron James Maverick Carter |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No.of seasons | 6 |
| No.of episodes | 30 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Frehand |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | August 28, 2018– present |
The Shop: Uninterrupted,or simplyThe Shop,is an American televisiontalk showcreated by Paul Rivera. It stars professional basketball starLeBron Jamesand businessmanMaverick Carter,who alongside guests have conversations and debates in a barbershop. The series premiered onHBOin the United States on August 28, 2018.[1]On February 28, 2022, the series was renewed for a fifth season and moved toYouTube.[2]In 2021, the series won a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Edited Sports Series.
Production[edit]
Conception and development for Uninterrupted[edit]
In December 2014, James' longtime friend and business partnerMaverick Carterlaunched Uninterrupted (stylized in all caps), a platform designed for athletes to give testimonials about their experiences.[3]Uninterrupted was created and produced by James' SpringHill Entertainment production company, run by Carter, and hosted onTurner Sports'Bleacher Reportwebsite.[3]Athletes that made early contributions to Uninterrupted includedRob Gronkowski,Draymond Green,andRonda Rousey.[4]In December 2015,Warner Bros.and Turner Sports invested $15.8 million in the platform.[3]By March 2017, Uninterrupted was described byForbesas a digital media company.[5]
James spoke on howThe Shopbecame an idea saying, "when I was a kid, being in barbershops meant listening to adults talk about sports, clothing, politics, music, everything happened in the shop. It was so real and so candid — no one had a sense of, well I can't be myself here."[6]Randy Mims and Paul Rivera, both business partners of James' and Carter's, first proposedThe Shop.[6]
InFebruary 2016,during the NBA'sAll-Star Weekend,the first iteration ofThe Shopwas filmed in aToronto-based barbershop for the Uninterrupted website.[6]The following year,another episode ofThe Shopwas filmed in aNew Orleans-based barbershop.[7]James and Carter were joined byGolden State Warriorspower forwardDraymond Green,Atlanta rapper2 Chainz,Grey's AnatomystarJesse Williams,formerNew York KnicksAll-StarCharles Oakley,and businessmanSteve Stoute.[7]Stoute moderated the group's discussion, which notably generated James detailing how his mother did not want him to return to theCleveland Cavaliersin 2014.[7][8]The filming premiered on the Uninterrupted platform on June 9, 2017, coinciding with Game 4 of theNBA Finalsbetween James' Cavaliers and Green's Warriors.[8]The New Orleans episode wasoptionedbyESPNas a one-off.[6]
HBO iteration[edit]
Following the New Orleans episode, talks withHBObegan in earnest.[6]HBO then ordered a handful of episodes ofThe Shop,with the episode order being left vague due to James' primary focus on his basketball career.[6]The deal with HBO did not include airing the Toronto or New Orleans episodes; the first episode for HBO was filmed inWest Hollywood's Barber Surgeons Guild, in July 2018.[6][9]The episode guest starredNew York Giantswide receiverOdell Beckham Jr.,rapperSnoop Dogg,Los Angeles SparksforwardCandace Parker,comedianJon Stewart,New Orleans Saintsrunning backAlvin Kamara,and Green, alongside James and Carter.[6]The episode premiered on HBO on August 28.[1]Further episodes aired later throughout the year.[10]The second episode was filmed in aWashington, D.C.hair salon, which houses a separate cuttery.[11]This episode is notable for the guest appearance from rapperDrake,who spoke on the personal troubles between him and fellow musicianKanye West.Drake was honest and offered insight to the fight that normally would not have been made known.[12]The third and fourth episodes were also filmed in Los Angeles,[13]with the latter notable for wide receiverAntonio Brownpublicly musing on his dissatisfaction with his role on thePittsburgh Steelers,as well as with his heated relationship with quarterbackBen Roethlisberger.[14]
The second season ofThe Shoppremiered on March 1, 2019,[15]with the premiere episode being filmed inCharlotte, North Carolina,during the NBA's2019 All-Star Weekend.[16]
The fourth season premiered on May 28, 2021.[17]
Episodes[edit]
Season 1 (2018)[edit]
| No. overall | No.in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | August 28, 2018 | |
| 2 | 2 | "Episode 2" | October 12, 2018 | |
| 3 | 3 | "Episode 3" | December 21, 2018 | |
Season 2 (2019–20)[edit]
| No. overall | No.in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | "Episode 1" | March 1, 2019 | |
| 5 | 2 | "Episode 2" | May 5, 2019 | |
| 6 | 3 | "Episode 3 (New York)" | September 3, 2019 | |
|
Guests:Kevin Hart,Rob Gronkowski,Kevin Love,CJ McCollum,Charlamagne tha God,Lil Nas X,and Paul Rivera. | ||||
| 7 | 4 | "Episode 4 (L.A.)" | October 25, 2019 | |
| 8 | 5 | "Episode 5" | December 14, 2019 | |
| 9 | 6 | "Episode 6" | February 7, 2020 | |
Season 3 (2020)[edit]
| No. overall | No.in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | "Episode 1" | March 8, 2020 | |
|
Guests:Patrick Mahomes,Chadwick Boseman,Trae Young,Roddy Ricch,Tiffany Haddish,Steve Stouteand Paul Rivera | ||||
| 11 | 2 | "Episode 2" | October 30, 2020 | |
|
Guests: Former PresidentBarack Obama | ||||
Season 4 (2021)[edit]
| No. overall | No.in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1 | "Episode 1" | May 28, 2021 | |
| 13 | 2 | "Episode 2" | June 25, 2021 | |
| 14 | 3 | "Episode 3" | July 30, 2021 | |
| 15 | 4 | "Episode 4" | August 27, 2021 | |
| 16 | 5 | "Episode 5" | September 24, 2021 | |
| 17 | 6 | "Episode 6" | October 29, 2021 | |
Season 5 (2022)[edit]
| No. overall | No.in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 1 | "Episode 1" | March 4, 2022 | |
|
Guests:Donald Glover,Quinta Brunson,J Balvin,Lamar Jackson Hosts: LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Paul Rivera | ||||
| 19 | 2 | "Episode 2" | April 4, 2022 | |
| 20 | 3 | "Episode 3" | May 6, 2022 | |
| 21 | 4 | "Episode 4" | June 10, 2022 | |
| 22 | 5 | "Episode 5" | July 15, 2022 | |
|
Guests:Daniel Kaluuya,Marcus Rashford,Rashid Johnson Hosts: LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Paul Rivera | ||||
| 23 | 6 | "Episode 6" | September 2, 2022 | |
| 24 | 7 | "Episode 7" | October 7, 2022 | |
| 25 | 8 | "Episode 8" | December 20, 2022 | |
Season 6 (2023)[edit]
| No. overall | No.in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 1 | "Episode 1" | March 9, 2023 | |
| 27 | 2 | "Episode 2" | March 23, 2023 | |
| 28 | 3 | "Episode 3" | April 6, 2023 | |
| 29 | 4 | "Episode 4" | April 20, 2023 | |
| 30 | 5 | "Episode 5" | May 4, 2023 | |
| 31 | 6 | "Episode 6" | May 18, 2023 | |
| 32 | 7 | "Episode 7" | June 1, 2023 | |
| 33 | 8 | "Episode 8" | June 15, 2023 | |
Reception[edit]
Following the series' HBO premiere, Haley O'Shaughnessy ofThe Ringerwrote: "The setting creates a very personal facade, an opportunity to speak on fame and kids and race openly. The viewer is in on the conversation, but isn'tinthe conversation. Opinions on hot-topic issues that LeBron's addressed before aren’t delivered like a sermon, which are more likely to fall flat. He’s chatting with people he respects. And you feel like part of that group. "[18]O'Shaughnessy added that, "The Shopis another platform, but it isn't a pedestal. It's not a postgame press conference, where power dynamics are heavily skewed. It's an HBO show that attempts to keep a level playing field for everyone involved. "[18]Following the second episode,The Ringer's Micah Peters opined, "[The Shopis] really good TV––they sip wine, they offer a side of themselves rarely seen in public, andLeBron James says swear words.Even the color palette is spare and direct. This, like most barbershops, is a space reserved strictly forreal talk."[21]Rashad Grove ofThe Sourcewrote on the series' authenticity of the Black barbershop experience, "LeBron onThe Shopis showing the world what really goes down at the Black barbershop. The conversations are raw and authentic over many glasses of wine. "[22]
Meredith Blake of theLos Angeles Timespublished a lukewarm review of the first episode, writing, "Though the effort to capture the vibrance and tell-it-like-it-is spirit of the African American barbershop met with slightly mixed results in the first episode,The Shopis more than worth a return visit, "and adding" stylish black-and-white photographs of guests arriving at the shop serve as act breaks and enhance the show’s documentary feel. But the choppy editing sometimes removes context from the conversation, offering little sense of how one subject flows to the next. "[23]
Billy Haisley ofDeadspinwrote a more critical review ofThe Shop's first episode, questioning its candidness. Haisley referred to other outlets' comments on the episode, writing, "Amazing:Slate,theWashington Post,andHBOall agree that an edited, literally filtered TV program created, produced, and starring a world-famous athlete with a notoriously and meticulously maintained image is best described as 'unfiltered.'The Ringerand theSporting Newsat least consulted a thesaurus before copyingThe Shop's press release language, writing, respectfully, that the episode was 'honest' and 'candid.' "[24]Haisley added, "The point here isn't that the things LeBron and Co. say inThe Shopare insincere or fake or anything of the sort [...] Rather, the point is that the things said in The Shop are calculated, risk-free, decidedly filtered, stated for the predominant purpose of bolstering LeBron's brand. It's to position LeBron as a bold truth-teller without him having to actually tell any bold truths. And it should be treated as such. "[24]Carrie Battan ofThe New Yorkerwrote positively of the show's candidness, however, commenting: "Theoretically,The Shopshould have been yet another affirmation of our worst suspicions—that we would only ever get to see our superheroes in sanitized, strictly controlled ways. But James has offered a potent rebuttal to the argument that celebrities can't make interesting, revelatory content about themselves and their colleagues. "[25]
Battan wrote a positive review ofThe Shop,following its first season, as she opined positively on the series' setting "designed to generate the sense of candor, camaraderie, and intimacy that happens inside African-American barbershops." Battan conceded "[she does] not operate under the delusion that this show is a purely unfiltered, candid, and unprecedentedly revealing look at the assembled stars. There are plenty of platitudes and generalities being proffered here," but opined thatThe Shop"does exactly what the best celebrity profiles have always aspired to do: delight, surprise, inform."[25]
Due to the series airing during James' basketball career, sports media outlets naturally coveredThe Shop,focusing on segments that dealt with James' presence in basketball. The ongoings of James'first seasonas a member of theLos Angeles Lakerslent themselves to discussion topics on the series, which led to further coverage by sports media. For example,Anthony Daviswas the subject of rumors regarding an attempt to trade him to the Lakers at the time of his appearance onThe Shop.[15]The series also chronicled James' and fellow Lakers teammateLonzo Ball's reactions toMagic Johnsonstepping down from his Lakers front office role during the 2019 offseason; this was also noted by sports media outlets.[26][27]
References[edit]
- ^abGundersen, Erik García (August 21, 2018)."LeBron James' show 'The Shop' to air on HBO Tuesday Aug. 28".USA Today.LeBron Wire.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^White, Peter (February 28, 2022)."LeBron James' 'The Shop' Moves From HBO To YouTube".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedFebruary 28,2022.
- ^abcVardon, Joe (December 2, 2015)."LeBron James' Uninterrupted gets $15.8M investment from Warner Bros., Turner Sports".Cleveland.com.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^Abbruzzese, Jason (December 3, 2015)."LeBron James's confessional video website for athletes gets investment from Turner and Warner Bros".Mashable.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^Badenhausen, Kurt (March 9, 2017)."LeBron James' Uninterrupted Launches New Show With Athletes Talking About Their Money".Forbes.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^abcdefghiGuthrie, Marisa (July 26, 2018)."HBO Picks Up LeBron James Barbershop-Set Talk Show (Exclusive)".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^abcJohnson, Derreck (June 9, 2017)."This Video of Draymond Green, LeBron James, and 2 Chainz Is the Barbershop Experience Personified".Slate.Ring Don't Lie.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^abVardon, Joe (June 9, 2017)."LeBron James says his mother did not want him to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers".Cleveland.com.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^Bella, Timothy (August 29, 2018)."LeBron talks about fatherhood, double standards and the n-word in HBO premiere".The Washington Post.Morning Mix.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^abCaron, Emily (October 10, 2018)."Drake, Ben Simmons and Others Join LeBron James for Episode Two of 'The Shop' on HBO".Sports Illustrated.The Crossover.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^Heil, Emily (September 11, 2018)."LeBron James and Drake spotted after filming at a Washington hair salon".The Washington Post.Reliable Source.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^"Drake Opens Up About Feud with 'Manipulative' Kanye West: 'This Guy's Trolling Me'".PEOPLE.com.
- ^Gundersen, Erik García (December 12, 2018)."LeBron's 'The Shop' to return to HBO on Dec. 21".USA Today.LeBron Wire.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^"Antonio Brown goes public with his desire to leave Pittsburgh: 'Time to move on'".CBSSports.com.12 February 2019.
- ^abcCurtis, Charles (February 21, 2019)."Anthony Davis will appear on LeBron's 'The Shop,' so everyone made tampering jokes".USA Today.For the Win.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^Shapiro, Michael (February 21, 2019)."Anthony Davis, Antonio Brown to Appear on LeBron James' HBO Show 'The Shop'".Sports Illustrated.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^Wiseman, Andreas (May 24, 2021)."LeBron James, Jay-Z & Bad Bunny Set For New Season Of HBO's 'The Shop: Uninterrupted'".Deadline Hollywood.
- ^abcO'Shaughnessy, Haley (August 29, 2018)."LeBron James Finds His Voice on 'The Shop'".The Ringer.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^Caron, Emily (December 21, 2018)."LeBron James Praises Adam Silver, Says NFL Owners Have 'Slave Mentality'".Sports Illustrated.The Crossover.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^Shifferaw, Abel (May 4, 2019)."LeBron James Recalls Finding Out Magic Johnson Stepped Down: 'It Was Just Weird'".Complex.RetrievedMay 7,2019.
- ^Peters, Micah (October 13, 2018)."Drake Aired Out Kanye West to LeBron James on 'The Shop'".The Ringer.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^Grove, Rashad (December 21, 2018)."Episode Three of 'The Shop' Will Feature Mary J. Blige, Chris Bosh, and More".The Source.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^Blake, Meredith (August 29, 2018)."Review: With 'The Shop,' LeBron James brings frank talk of race, politics and fame to HBO".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^abHaisley, Billy (August 31, 2018)."There's Nothing Candid About LeBron's The Shop".Deadspin.RetrievedMarch 4,2019.
- ^abBattan, Carrie (December 22, 2018)."LeBron James's Show" The Shop "Reinvigorates the Celebrity Interview".The New Yorker.RetrievedMay 7,2019.
- ^Conway, Tyler (May 4, 2019)."Lonzo Ball, LeBron James Talk Zion Williamson, Magic Johnson on HBO's The Shop".Bleacher Report.RetrievedMay 7,2019.
- ^Zillgit, Jeff (May 5, 2019)."LeBron James left stunned, disappointed by Magic Johnson's resignation with Lakers".USA Today.RetrievedMay 7,2019.
External links[edit]
- The ShoponHBO—The official website for the series in the United States.
- The ShopatIMDb—A user-generated database of information related to the series.
| Basketball career | |
|---|---|
| Family |
|
| Films | |
| Television series | |
| Related media | |
| Other ventures | |
- 2010s American black television series
- 2010s American television talk shows
- 2016 web series debuts
- 2017 web series endings
- 2018 American television series debuts
- American English-language television shows
- HBO original programming
- Works by LeBron James
- Television shows filmed in Los Angeles
- Television shows filmed in New Orleans
- Television shows filmed in North Carolina
- Television series by SpringHill Entertainment
- 2020s YouTube series