Production is underway on a new ESPN docuseries centered on tennis star Serena Williams.
The network announced the news at the Walt Disney Company Upfront on Tuesday. The project will feature firsthand perspective from Williams, who has dominated the sport for over two decades and won 23 Grand Slams.
The multi-part series, titled “In the Arena: Serena Williams,” will provide the most complete, intimate, and compelling account of Williams’ legendary career and also spotlight input from key figures throughout her life. The series juxtaposes her on-court achievements and cultural impact with dramatic personal challenges, examining decisive matches, formative moments, heartbreak and glory along the way.
“In the Arena: Serena Williams” is directed by Gotham Chopra and co-produced by ESPN, Religion of Sports, Tom Brady’s 199 Productions, and Williams and Caroline Currier’s Nine Two Six Productions.
Additional details about the project, which does not yet have a release date, will be announced at a later time.
In addition to Williams’ docuseries, Disney has picked up a new detective series for ABC starring Kaitlin Olson, titled “High Potential.” Also joining the slate is a returning show that also happens to be technically new — “9-1-1,” which moved over to ABC for its seventh season after Fox opted not to renew the procedural. Its Rob Lowe-led spinoff, “9-1-1: Lone Star,” will return for a fifth season at Fox.
It also renewed the ABC series “The Conners,” “Not Dead Yet,” “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “American Idol,” “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” “Celebrity Jeopardy!,” “Shark Tank,” “The Bachelor” and “Bachelor in Paradise.”
Still unknown are the fates of “Home Economics” and “The Rookie: Feds,” whose counterpart “The Rookie” was renewed for a sixth season in April.
In addition, the network has yet to make a final call on several pilots up for possible series orders, including “The Good Doctor” spinoff “The Good Lawyer,” which aired a backdoor pilot on the original earlier this season, and medical drama “The Hurt Unit,” which stars “The O.C.” alum Ben McKenzie alongside Augustus Prew. Additional pending pilots are “Judgement,” “Public Defenders” and “Keeping It Together,” which was formerly known as “Drop-Off” and features Ellie Kemper and Judy Greer.
