Deadline reported exclusively on 15 September 2026 that Starz's upcoming Black rodeo drama has cast five actors in recurring roles, with John Gabriel Rodriquez playing Francisco Morales, the seductively confident chief executive of Morales Timber Company, a respected family business with shady ties. SteVonte Hart plays Langston, a rodeo clown by day and bartender by night who is also a gifted musician and producer, Gabrielle Byndloss plays Crystal, a local radio personality who moonlights as a rodeo DJ and announcer, and Samuel-Taylor plays Ivan Robinson, a top bull rider battling a groin injury he self-medicates while aiming for the National Bull Riding League Team Series. Aaron Smalls plays Hakeem, the well-dressed owner of Boots Lace. The as-yet-untitled series is set in Southeast Texas, described as a place where rodeo is not just what you do but who you are, and centres on three siblings bound by the legacy their mother built and the unfinished business their father left behind. The previously announced cast includes DeWanda Wise, Shannon Wallace, Tian Richards, Curtiss Cook, Lauren Banks, Marcus Emanuel Mitchell, Liv Symone and Jason Dirden, with Kirk Moore as showrunner and executive producer and Mark Johnson, Myki Bajaj, Tony Hernandez, Elise Henderson and Lilly Burns also executive producing.
π The Backstory
Starz has built a reputation for Black-led drama through series such as P-Valley and the Power franchise, and has been looking for new ongoing dramas as the broader television business consolidates. The project draws on the world of Black rodeo, a tradition with deep roots in the American West, notably through figures like Bill Pickett and the rodeo circuits and associations that grew from that history. Hip-hop and country have increasingly intersected in popular culture, which is reflected in the show's described blend of swagger and country soul. Casting announcements of this kind typically arrive as a production moves towards shooting, so the series is progressing from development into active production.
π― Why It Matters
The series is a bet on a subject and setting that have rarely been at the centre of a major American drama, which makes it significant for audiences who have not seen Black rodeo culture represented on screen. Starz is making the show as the wider streaming industry cuts spending and consolidates, so its reception will influence whether the network continues commissioning new scripted dramas at this scale. For the five actors cast in recurring roles, the project is a substantial credit alongside a previously announced main cast that includes established names. The showrunner and production team, drawn from Gran Via Productions and Counterpart Studios, signal a production with significant backing behind it.
Deadline reported exclusively on 15 September 2026 that Starz's upcoming Black rodeo drama has cast five actors in recurring roles, with John Gabriel Rodriquez playing Francisco Morales, the seductively confident chief executive of Morales Timber Company, a respected family business with shady ties. SteVonte Hart plays Langston, a rodeo clown by day and bartender by night who is also a gifted musician and producer, Gabrielle Byndloss plays Crystal, a local radio personality who moonlights as a rodeo DJ and announcer, and Samuel-Taylor plays Ivan Robinson, a top bull rider battling a groin injury he self-medicates while aiming for the National Bull Riding League Team Series. Aaron Smalls plays Hakeem, the well-dressed owner of Boots Lace. The as-yet-untitled series is set in Southeast Texas, described as a place where rodeo is not just what you do but who you are, and centres on three siblings bound by the legacy their mother built and the unfinished business their father left behind. The previously announced cast includes DeWanda Wise, Shannon Wallace, Tian Richards, Curtiss Cook, Lauren Banks, Marcus Emanuel Mitchell, Liv Symone and Jason Dirden, with Kirk Moore as showrunner and executive producer and Mark Johnson, Myki Bajaj, Tony Hernandez, Elise Henderson and Lilly Burns also executive producing.
Starz has built a reputation for Black-led drama through series such as P-Valley and the Power franchise, and has been looking for new ongoing dramas as the broader television business consolidates. The project draws on the world of Black rodeo, a tradition with deep roots in the American West, notably through figures like Bill Pickett and the rodeo circuits and associations that grew from that history. Hip-hop and country have increasingly intersected in popular culture, which is reflected in the show's described blend of swagger and country soul. Casting announcements of this kind typically arrive as a production moves towards shooting, so the series is progressing from development into active production.
The series is a bet on a subject and setting that have rarely been at the centre of a major American drama, which makes it significant for audiences who have not seen Black rodeo culture represented on screen. Starz is making the show as the wider streaming industry cuts spending and consolidates, so its reception will influence whether the network continues commissioning new scripted dramas at this scale. For the five actors cast in recurring roles, the project is a substantial credit alongside a previously announced main cast that includes established names. The showrunner and production team, drawn from Gran Via Productions and Counterpart Studios, signal a production with significant backing behind it.