EXCLUSIVE: The WNBA is getting its first ever scripted TV series. Peacock is developing a series titled The W.
The series, set in the world of professional women’s basketball, which is having a moment with stars such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, comes from two-time WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike and GLOW creators Carly Mensch and Liz Flahive.
The half-hour project follows a hot-shot rookie WNBA player and her inexperienced agent navigating the wild ups and downs of the world of women’s professional basketball. It is loosely inspired by Ogwumike and her longtime business partner and agent, Allison Galer, who chose an unconventional path after Ogwumike, who was the first pick in the 2014, chose the 24-year old as her rep. It will look at the “glamour and grind” of women’s sports.
Ogwumike was drafted by the Connecticut Sun before being traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in 2019. She also signed a deal with ESPN in 2018 and in 2020 became the first Black woman to host a national radio show for the Disney-owned sports network. She is also an in-studio analyst for the NBA Today.
Flahive and Mensch, who ran Netflix’s wrestling comedy drama GLOW for three seasons, will serve as showrunners for The W and will co-write the pilot with Tori Collins, who worked on Jamie Foxx’s Netflix comedy Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!
Universal Television is the studio and is producing with of Condé Nast’s Glamour Studios and Victorius. It will be exec produced by Ogwumike, Galer, Flahive, Mensch, Helen Estabrook, Lajoie St. George, and Jodi Hildebrand.
It also marks the first project for Ogwumike’s production company Victorious. Ogwumike and Galer previously created and exec produced ESPN Films documentary 144, which documented the 2020 WNBA season in the bubble.
Allison Galer / Carly Mensch and Liz Flahive (Courtesy of Subjects)
“Our mission with Victorious is to build a future where women in sports can win big,” said Ogwumike. “One of the most invaluable lessons that I have learned as a professional athlete, broadcaster, and ambassador is that we no longer have to wait for opportunities, we can create them. We are in an era where barriers are being broken, ceilings are being shattered and the world is finally taking notice. And with our groundbreaking first project, we will bring the main topic to the mainstream. In that spirit, Victorious is a purpose-driven platform that will forge new pathways for us to celebrate our own wins.”
“With Victorious and our first-of-its-kind scripted project, we are creating meaningful opportunities that show women in sports winning at the highest levels,” added Galer. “As an advocate and teammate of female athletes for over a decade, I know firsthand the power of women’s sports and its exceptional ability to capture hearts and minds. With media coverage accelerating, superstar status shining, and investment expanding, Victorious will be the go-to vehicle for women’s sports stories to reach and captivate global audiences.”
“Glamour has a longstanding history of championing, spotlighting, and honoring female athletes,” said Glamour’s Global Editorial Director Samantha Barry. “With more eyes focused on the world of women’s sports than ever before, we couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with WNBA icon, Chiney Ogwumike, who has paved the way for herself and others in the industry.”
