LeBron James, HBO Partner for Unscripted Series ‘The Shop’

By Daniel Holloway

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – HBO has picked up a new unscripted talk series from , “The Shop.”

Set in a barber shop, the series features James and business partner Maverick Carter talking sports, music, pop culture, world events, business, and other cultural topics with celebrities from the worlds of sports and entertainment. Among the show’s guests are Snoop Dogg, New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., running back Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, Los Angeles Sparks star Candace Parker, and comedian Jon Stewart.

Produced by James and Carter’s company Uninterrupted and , the series has been ordered for an eight-episode first season.

“’The Shop’ is exactly why we created Uninterrupted,” says LeBron James. “Anyone who has been in a real barbershop, like the ones where I grew up, knows why this show can be so incredible. I’m really excited HBO believed in our idea and is helping us create something special.”

“LeBron James told us he wanted to create a place where athletes and artists can come together to share points of view freely,” said Peter Nelson, executive vice president, HBO Sports. “We are honored they want HBO to be the home of that conversation. We are pleased to partner with LeBron, and Uninterrupted on ‘The Shop.’”

Set to premiere Aug. 28, “The Shop” is executive produced by James, Carter, Nelson and Rick Bernstein; Bentley Weiner serves as supervising producer.