''Hit the Floor'', originally titled ''Bounce'', is an American

sports drama A sports film is a film genre in which any particular sport plays a prominent role in the film's plot or acts as its central theme (arts), theme. It is a production in which a sport or a sports-related topic is prominently featured or is a focus o ...

television series that debuted on

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

on May 27, 2013. Created by James LaRosa, the series chronicles the off-the-court drama surrounding the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Devil Girls, the cheerleaders for the Los Angeles Devils, a fictional professional basketball team. On April 27, 2017, the series was renewed for an eight-episode fourth season that premiered on

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

on July 10, 2018. The network canceled the series on December 7, 2018.

Plot

Ahsha Hayes ( Taylour Paige) becomes the newest member of the Devil Girls, the

cheerleaders Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ent ...

for the professional basketball team, the Los Angeles Devils, and immediately makes an enemy of Devil Girl captain Jelena Howard (

Logan Browning Logan Laurice Browning (born June 9, 1989) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Samantha White in the 2017 Netflix satirical-drama series ''Dear White People (TV series), Dear White People''. She is also known for playing Sas ...

). Knowing that her mother Sloane (

Kimberly Elise Kimberly Elise Trammel (born April 17, 1967) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in '' Set It Off'' (1996), and later received critical acclaim for her performance in '' Beloved'' (1998). During her career, Elise has appeared ...

) used to be a Devil Girl herself, Ahsha is shocked to discover that former player-turned-coach of the Devils, Pete Davenport (

Dean Cain Dean George Cain ( né Tanaka; born July 31, 1966) is an American actor. From 1993 to 1997, he played Clark Kent / Superman in the TV series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman''. Cain was the host of '' Ripley's Believe It or Not! ...

), is her biological father. Ahsha is also tempted by bad boy player Derek Roman (

McKinley Freeman McKinley Freeman (born June 9, 1976) is an American actor and producer. He has appeared in films and on television series, including the starring role of Derek Roman in the drama series '' Hit the Floor'', portraying the role of Dominic in the OWN ...

), even though she is already involved with German Vega (

Jonathan McDaniel Jonathan Richard McDaniel (born May 17, 1985), better known by his stage name Lil J, is an American actor and rapper. He is best known for his role as Devon Carter (Raven Baxter's boyfriend, and later ex-husband) on the hit Disney Channel show ...

). Season two is overshadowed by the murder of Olivia Vincent (

Charlotte Ross Charlotte Ross (born January 21, 1968) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Eve Donovan on the NBC soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'' from 1987 to 1991, and as Detective Connie McDowell on the ABC police procedural drama ...

), who was blackmailing several people associated with the Devils. Meanwhile, Ahsha and Derek try to keep their relationship a secret, Pete's estranged wife Lionel ( Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) becomes a regular presence at the arena, and a devious new forward named

Zero 0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. Adding (or subtracting) 0 to any number leaves that number unchanged; in mathematical terminology, 0 is the additive identity of the integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and compl ...

( Adam Senn) arrives with a plan to supplant star players Terrence Wall (

Robert Christopher Riley Robert Christopher Riley (born October 11, 1980) is an American film, television, and stage actor of Trinidadian and Bajan descent. He is known for his role as Terrence Wall in the VH1 television drama series '' Hit The Floor'' from 2013 to 20 ...

) and Derek. Zero seduces—and eventually gets burned by—Jelena, before he becomes sexually involved with his male agent, Jude Kinkade ( Brent Antonello). In season three, a reunited Jelena and Terrence secretly plot to take over the Devils and oust Lionel, and Zero's unwillingness to go public becomes an obstacle to his fledgling relationship with Jude. From jail, Devils owner Oscar Kinkade (

Don Stark Donald Martin Stark (born July 5, 1954) is an American actor known for his role as Bob Pinciotti on the Fox Network sitcom ''That '70s Show'' for all eight seasons (19982006) and fictional Los Angeles Devils owner Oscar Kinkade in VH1's '' Hi ...

) seeks vengeance against Sloane, who has rekindled her romance with Pete. Season four finds Ahsha and Zero gone from the Devils and Los Angeles, leaving Derek and Jude to navigate new relationships. A vengeful Eve Vincent ( Tiffany Hines), Olivia's daughter with Chase Vincent (

Rick Fox Ulrich Alexander Fox (born July 24, 1969) is a Bahamian-Canadian actor and former basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association for the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, and played college basketball for the North Caro ...

), arrives with a plan to destroy the Devils. New Devil Girls London Scott (

Teyana Taylor Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Taylor (born December 10, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model, dancer, choreographer, and music video director. After choreographing the video for Beyoncé's 2006 single " Ring the Alarm," she signed ...

) and Jamie Lawson (Kyndall) clash, and Derek is frustrated with new rookie player Pax Lowe (Cort King). After the cancellation of the series, creator James LaRosa announced the resolutions of several storylines.

Episodes

Cast and characters

Notes:

Main

as Sloane Hayes (seasons 1–3), Ahsha's mother, who was one of the original Devil Girls herself. She later becomes the director of the Devil Girls. *

as Olivia Vincent (season 1), the former director of the Devil Girls and like Sloane, an original Devil Girl. She is murdered at the beginning of the second season. * Taylour Paige as Ahsha Hayes (seasons 1–3), the breakout star of the Los Angeles Devil Girls who immediately becomes a threat to Jelena. Using her dancing abilities to climb her way to the top, Ahsha is in a relationship with her college sweetheart German Vega, but finds herself attracted to the Devils' point guard Derek Roman. *

as Jelena Howard, the captain of the Devil Girls—and the mean girl of the team—who is intent on making new girl Ahsha suffer. Despite her many schemes, she has a soft side for her boyfriend Terrence Wall, the captain of the Devils. * Katherine Bailess as Kyle Hart, a clever stripper-turned-cheerleader. * Valery Ortiz as Raquel Saldana (seasons 1–3), a former cheerleader-turned manager of the Devils' Playground, who is best friends with Ahsha and Jelena. Kyle offers to feign a lesbian marriage with Raquel to hide her undocumented status. After being diagnosed with a terminal illness, Raquel dies in season three. * McKinley Freeman as Derek Roman, the Devils' MVP player later Ahsha's husband and London's new love interest. *

as German Vega, the assistant coach of the Devils, Ahsha's ex-boyfriend, and later Eve's love interest. *

as Terrence Wall (seasons 1–3), the captain of the Devils and Jelena's boyfriend. *

as Oscar Kinkade (seasons 1–3; guest season 4), the unscrupulous owner of the Devils. *

as Pete Davenport, a former player-turned-coach of the Los Angeles Devils who has a past with Sloane when he was a player and she was a Devil Girl. He is later revealed to be Ahsha's father. His estranged wife Lionel later reappears, and he ventures into a relationship with Sloane. This character is killed in a drunk driving incident in first episode of season four. * Adam Senn as "

" (seasons 2–3), a devious forward from Ohio with a number of secrets. * Brent Antonello as Jude Kinkade (seasons 2–4), a junior agent, and Oscar's estranged gay son, who eventually becomes vice president of the Devils, and then the team's owner. * Jodi Lyn O'Keefe as Lionel Davenport (seasons 2–4), an A-list actress and Pete's ex-wife, who later marries Oscar. * Kyndall as Jamie Lawson (season 4), a new Devil Girl. * Tiffany Hines as Eve Vincent (season 4), Chase's and Olivia's daughter. * Kristian Kordula as Noah (season 4), a sideline reporter for Lionel's Inside Sports Network and love interest for Jude. * Cort King as Pax Lowe (season 4), a rookie player. *

as London Scott (season 4), a choreographer coming out of a highly publicized affair. * Durrell "Tank" Babbs as Warren Matthews (season 4), the new commissioner of the league.

Recurring

* Bernard Curry as Jesse Reade (season 1), a sports agent who is Raquel's ex and the father of her son Miguel. * Melissa Molinaro as Lexi (seasons 1–3), a Devil Girl who is taken off the team when Kyle joins it, and returns a few times to cause Kyle trouble. *

Stephen Colletti Stephen Colletti (born February 7, 1986) is an American actor and television personality. He portrayed Chase Adams on The CW drama series '' One Tree Hill'' and appeared for two seasons on the MTV reality television series '' Laguna Beach: The R ...

as Teddy Reynolds (seasons 1–3), a wealthy admirer of Kyle. *

as Chase Vincent (seasons 1–3), the EVP of the Devils organization. He is Olivia's husband and Eve's father. * Johanna Braddy as Mia Sertner (season 1), a Devil Girl who dies under suspicious circumstances. * Jason George as Michael (seasons 1–2), a league investigator who works against Oscar with Sloane. * Jared Ward as Beau Ashby (seasons 2–4), a con artist who becomes romantically involved with Kyle. *

Lynn Whitfield Lynn Whitfield (''née'' Smith; born February 15, 1953) is an American actress. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a ...

as Vanessa Howard (seasons 2–3), Jelena's mother. * Jonathan Bennett as Lucas (season 3), Derek and Zero's new agent, who briefly dates Jude. *

William Baldwin William Joseph Baldwin (born February 21, 1963) Note: While birthplace is routinely listed as Massapequa, that town has no hospital, and brother Alec Baldwin was born in nearby Amityville, which does. is an American actor and the second-younge ...

as Jackson Everett (season 3), a wealthy venture capitalist who has a romantic history with Lionel. * James LaRosa as Pierce (seasons 3–4), a gossip reporter. * Terrence J as Pastor Curtis (season 4), London's married ex-lover. * Shireen Crutchfield as Leah Matthews (season 4), Warren's wife who has been sleeping with Pax.

Guest

Bernie Kopell Bernard Morton Kopell (born June 21, 1933) is an American character actor known for his roles as Siegfried in ''Get Smart'' from 1966 to 1969 and as Dr. Adam Bricker ("Doc") on ''The Love Boat'' from 1977 to 1986. Early life Kopell was born in B ...

as Mel O'Grane, the Devils' former announcer (season 1) *

Tichina Arnold Tichina Rolanda Arnold (; born June 28, 1969) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actor, appearing in supporting roles in '' Little Shop of Horrors'' (1986) and '' How I Got into College'' (1989) before being cast as Pamela ...

as Mary Roman, Derek's mother (season 2) *

Jonathan Frakes Jonathan Scott Frakes (born August 19, 1952) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his portrayal of William Riker in the television series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and subsequent films and series. He has also hosted th ...

as Hank (season 2) * Joe Lando as Detective Ray Harris (season 2) * Terrell Tilford as Detective Curtis (season 3) * Thomas Calabro as Marcus Douglas, a powerful Devils board member (season 3) * Michael Beach as James Howard (season 3), Jelena's estranged father * Erika Jayne as Beverly (season 4), a New York media mogul

Production

''Hit the Floor'' was announced by

in April 2012. The series was created and executive produced by LaRosa, alongside Bryan Johnson and Maggie Malina. The pilot was written by James LaRosa and directed by Sanaa Hamri. Signed on to the pilot was Taylour Paige as Ahsha, the lead;

as Pete, the coach of the basketball team;

as Sloane, Ahsha's mother; Valery Ortiz as Raquel, and Katherine Bailess as Kyle. Following the announcement of the pilot,

signed on to play Olivia, a former dancer-turned-basketball wife who oversees the squad. The pilot was ordered to series in July 2012, with

and McKinley Freeman signing on to the main cast.

, who plays Oscar Kinkade, the owner of the basketball team, and

, who plays star player Terrence, were upgraded to series regulars after being billed as guest stars in the pilot. In April 2013, Starz Distribution finalized an international television distribution agreement to represent ''Hit the Floor'' outside of the United States. The series premiered on May 27, 2013, and the first season was the No. 1 new cable scripted series of mid-2013 among the adults 18–49 viewership demo. VH1 announced the renewal for a second season on July 15, 2013. Season two production began on January 31, 2014, and premiered on May 26, 2014. The season featured a

whodunit A ''whodunit'' (less commonly spelled as ''whodunnit''; a colloquial elision of "Who asdone it?") is a complex plot-driven variety of detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an criminal ...

story involving Olivia's murder, and LaRosa was inspired by the 1980s " Who shot J.R.?" storyline on ''

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

'' to shoot multiple resolutions so that even the cast would not know the identity of the killer until the episode aired. Teasing the reveal in the season two finale, LaRosa said, "It's definitely someone you've come to know. It's a name at the top of the credits and I can tell you that you will be shocked ... the reveal gives me chills every single time". On July 29, 2014, VH1 announced the third season renewal of ''Hit the Floor''. The 10-episode new season premiered on January 18, 2016 and ended on March 28, 2016. In April 2016, VH1 greenlit an hour-long summer special to resolve the cliffhangers raised in the third season finale. The special aired on September 5, 2016. On April 27, 2017, it was announced that the series would move to

for its future seasons. In October 2017, BET announced that Cain, Elise, Freeman, Bailess, O'Keefe, and Antonello would be returning to the series, and series creator James LaRosa confirmed that Paige and Senn would not be returning for season four.

was cast in an undisclosed role in October, and four new regular cast members were announced in November 2017: Tiffany Hines as "mystery woman" Eve, Cort King as rookie player Pax, Kyndall as new dancer Jamie, and Kristian Kordula as reporter Noah. Production began in November 2017, and the series' eight-episode fourth season premiered on July 10, 2018. LaRosa said in August 2018 that he had already planned out a potential fifth season. However, BET canceled the series on December 7, 2018.

References

External links

* * {{BET 2013 American television series debuts 2018 American television series endings 2010s American black television series 2010s American LGBTQ-related drama television series 2010s American sports television series American sports drama television series BET television dramas Cheerleading television series Dance television shows American English-language television shows Television shows set in Los Angeles VH1 original programming