Full disclosure: I’ve been a professional wrestler for nearly 27 years, so I’m going to be somewhat tough on this show, because I have a unique insight into its realism.

I’m excited that it exists — it’s not a cheap wrestling cash-in, as its executive produced by Emmy nominee Mike O’Malley and Academy Award nominee Julie Yorn, plus it boasts a solid cast.

Heels is about the Duffy Wrestling League, which is owned by the son of its creator, Jack Spade (Stephen Amell, who was on Arrow* and has actually competed in several matches; he broke his back — literally — doing stunts for this series). Jack has the worst job in wrestling, as he not only owns the promotion, but is its main writer/booker, which means that everyone intensely loves and hates him, often at the same time.

The small building that they run every week may seem small to some, but I spent the better part of a decade or more working for a family-owned promotion not unlike the one in this movie, one that had very much its own family drama. Not exactly like this show, mind you, but the bonds of family and who got the push toward fame and those upset by it? I’ve lived that.

Ace Space (Alexander Ludwig), Jack’s brother, starts the series as a face, the exact opposite of a heel. If you don’t know, a heel is the antagonist and the face is the hero. What the series gets right is that most career heels tend to be amongst the finer people you meet in wrestling and there’s a very interesting reason why: generally, the heel is more concerned with putting the match together and making the babyface look good. Most babyfaces are only concerned with looking good. This division between them goes beyond the ring and into life, so I can tell you with some authority that the majority of babyfaces I’ve met are heels in real life and vice versa.

Meanwhile, the other wrestlers in DWF struggle in their wrestling careers, like Crystal Tyler (Kelli Berglund, who is great on this show), a valet who dreams of more. There’s also Rooster Robbins (Allen Maldonado), who dreams of the main event; Apocalypse (Pittsburgh Steeler James Harrison) who conducts AA meetings in the ring during the week; BIg Jim Kitchen (Duke Davis Roberts), who is retiring; Bobby Pin (Trey Tucker), a young wrestler from Texas who loves ranch dressing and might just be a big kid and the masked Diego Cottonmouth (Robby Ramos). The way the boys interact with one another rings quite true again and feels pretty authentic.

The series sets up the battle between what Jack sees as right and what Ace wants and how family life — Jack’s wife Staci (Alison Luff) and son Thomas (Roxton Garcia) are often last in line after wrestling — suffers when the drug that is the ring is calling.

Speaking of drugs, perhaps the most realized and realistic character is Wild Bill Hancock (Chris Bauer, The Machine from 8MM), who feels like every former star facing his own decline that I’ve ever met. Bauer is an incredible actor, able to convey not only the emotional and physical turmoil that Hancock deals with on a daily basis, but also gets across his danger and ability to use heat in every situation, a person who is constantly working everyone, including himself. He’s fascinating in that he’s a villain — he left Duffy and tag partner Tom Spade (David James Elliott, that dude your grandmother used to remember what sexy was on J*A*G*), Jack and Ace’s father, behind. He’s also someone trying — not always — to change who he is, particularly with backstage producer Willie Day (Mary McCormack, always incredible).

There are a few missteps. For all the attention given to Rooster and his complaints about being lost in the shuffle, his character suffers the same fate in this show. Alice Barrett Mitchell does a good job of playing Jack and Ace’s mother Carol, but she doesn’t seem like someone who spent their life around wrestling, unless the creators were looking for a parallel to Stu Hart’s wife Helen. And for all the wrestlers that seem so realistic, CM Punk’s portrayal of Ricky Rabies feels as if he’s playing a character from a horrible wrestling movie like Ready to Rumble. He seems jokey and inauthentic in every appearance. That said, Bonnie Summerville, who plays his valet Vicky, has a great moment with Crystal. And Mick Foley’s Dick Valentino needs to come back and be explored more; he’s based on Marc Maron and really pushes the idea that Jack needs to deal with the suicide of his father.

The other character that feels cartoony in this more realistic world is Florida Wrestling Dystopia** owner Charlie Gully (O’Malley, who once hosted Nickoldeon’s Guts and is the main showrunner for this series in addition to being the executive producer). He’s kind of a mix of Rob Black and Paul Heyman, but he comes off like David Cross running a hardcore promotion full of the worst stereotypes that people think of when they imagine independent wrestling.

With scripts by series creator Michael Waldron (the lead writer of the Loki series), Bradley Paul (Better Call Saul), Rodney Barnes (The Boondocks and several comic books), Daria Polatin (Castle Rock), Rachel Sydney Alter (The Society), Eli Jorné (the creator of Son of Zorn) and Eric Martin (Loki) and all the episodes directed by Peter Segal (Tommy Boy, Grudge Match, Get Smart, 50 First Dates) the show feels and looks great.

My major issue — and honestly, I expected to dislike this show and actually really enjoyed it — is that no promotion that I’ve worked for on the level of DWF has complete scripts or production at this level. Having headsets on all the referees? Man, that seems really fancy. Most places I’ve worked at did things as silly as having someone take off their hat in the balcony when time was up.

Finally, in most places that I’ve worked, if Ace did what he did to Bobby — never mind that Jack nearly did the same thing to him — he’d end up getting a receipt sooner of later.

I’m really interested to see where the series goes from here. It was recently renewed and Variety shared a quote by Jeffrey Hirsch, president and CEO of Starz: “It’s clear from the critical and fan acclaim that the stories and characters from the Duffy Wrestling League have made a connection with audiences bringing a community that is not often found to premium TV. I’m excited for our amazing cast and executive producers to get back into the ring together for a second season.”

There’s no date announced as of yet, other than nearly everyone on the show is coming back, with Tucker (Bobby Pin) and Ramos (Diego Cottonmouth) have become series regulars.

I’m really excited that this entire series is out on DVD, as it allowed me to watch the show in several focused sittings. Here’s hoping season 2 delves more into Jack realizing that wrestling is always better when it’s called in the ring.

Heels: The Complete First Season is on Starz and is also available on DVD from Lionsgate.

*Just like Arrow, Amell’s character has to deal with the gun-related suicide of his father.

**I laugh every time they show footage of FWD — which is the inverted evil DWF, a neat writing trick — because it’s old TNA matches.

Mahalia Jackson (Grammy award wining singer and Orange Is the New Black actress Danielle Brooks) became the Queen of Gospel as well as the voice of the civil rights movement. With a four decade career, Jackson was one of the reasons why gospel blues became so important to black churches throughout the U.S. And more importantly, during a time when racial segregation existed, she sold an estimated 22 million records and performed in front of black and white audiences.

The granddaughter of former slaces, Jackson was born into poverty in New Orleans. The church and music was her salvation, which is why she always wanted to deliver the Word of the Lord through her music. After years of being a singer anywhere she could find a place to sing, including funerals and churches, her recording of “Move On Up a Little Higher” reached number two on the Billboard charts. She did that without singing secular music, something she stuck to for her entire career.

With a story by Bettina Gilois (who also wrote Bessie, a movie about Jackson’s inspiration Bessie Smith) and a teleplay by Todd Kreidler, this tells the life story of Jackson in a very dynamic way. It’s directed by Kenny Leon, who directed the Hairspray Live! and The Wiz Live! TV movies.

The moments with Dr. Martin Luther King (Rob Demery) are very moving, particularly when he asks her to sing a song that he loves at his funeral, should he die before her. Of course, he did, and the moments where we see how Jackson was part of the civil rights movement should remind us that this was only sixty years ago.

While a Lifetime movie, this could have played theaters. For a subject that I wouldn’t think I’d enjoy, I can’t believe how much I was moved by this movie.

Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia is now availble on DVD from Lionsgate.

This is one wild series!

Ultraman Zero is the son of the legendary Ultra Seven and as an unproven rookie Ultra, he’s been assigned Ultraman Leo to become his master. When the Land of Light is threatened by a troop of monsters and aliens headed by the evil Ultraman Belial — an evil Ultra! — Zero must embrace his heritage and save, well, everything.

Soon, he must battle Alien Batt and Alien Zetton, the Hyper Zetton to save Earth, joining with  Ultraman Dyna and Ultraman Cosmos to become Ultraman Saga.

Ultraman Zero: The Chronicle was created by Tsuburaya Productions to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Ultra Seven. It also introduced the characters from the movie Ultraman Orb The Movie, Ultraman Ginga, Ultraman Orb, Ultraman X and Ultraman Orb.

If you recognize some of the footage within the show, that’s because it comes from the Ultraman Zero films, which include Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends The Movie, Ultra Galaxy Legend Gaiden: Ultraman Zero vs. Darklops Zero, Ultraman Zero The Movie: Super Deciding Fight! The Belial Galactic Empire, Ultraman Saga, Ultraman Zero Gaiden: Killer the Beatstar and Ultraman Retsuden.

It’s a really interesting journey through the history of Ultraman with a literal army of the characters showing up. As a kid, one Ultra would send me into near hyperactive moments of sheer mania. I can only imagine how I would have reacted had I seen this then. I probably would have transformed and found my own Beta Capsule.

I’m so excited that Mill Creek keeps releasing all of this Ultra content. This set is great and the fact that they’re on blu ray means that the quality is stellar. You can get this from Deep Discount.

When this show is good, it’s good. “Alter-Ego” was written by D.C. Fontana, who is mainly known for her Star Trek episodes, and Richard Matheson, who is the king of anthology horror. It’s based on a story by Stanley Ellin, a mystery writer who wrote several episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and had six of his books made into movies: Dreadful Summit became The Big Night, Key to Nicholas Street was made as Claude Chabrol’s A Double Tour, The Best of Everything was made by Clive Donner as Nothing but the Best, House of Cards, The Bind which was filmed as Sunburn and Stronghold was made into A Prayer in the Dark.

In the director’s chair? David Lowell Rich, whose mark was made in disaster movies like SST Death Flight and Airport ’79…The Concorde, horror such as The Horror at 37,000 Feet, Eye of the Cat and Satan’s School for Girls, as well as one of my favorite episodes of The Twilight Zone, “Of Late I Think of Cliffordville.”

Bobby is stuck at home from fifth grade, unable to go to the class of his beloved Miss Gilden (Helen Hayes), but he soon gains an alter ego who can go to school in his place. However, his other half is a child of pure malice and wow, what a star turn by Michael-James Wixted. As time goes on, everyone that the other half of Bobby meets must pay, from family animals to even the kindly teacher, all as a game of chess between the two takes on the highest of stakes.

This description won’t explain just how upset this episode made me at times, as the evil Bobby is just horrible. Gilden is dealt scorn for scorn throughout, abused by a child who surely can’t be pulling off all of the horrible things that she claims that he’s been doing in her class. The scene where he slowly teases eating potentially poisoned chocolates? Borderline Satanic.

If you were to pick one episode of this show to check out, this would be my pick.

You can watch this on YouTube.