Prime Video Greenlights New ‘Barbershop’ Series Starring Jermaine Fowler

Prime Video is officially cutting a new path with a Barbershop TV series, starring Jermaine Fowler (Ricky Stanicky). The show, based on the beloved MGM movies, has been in the works since last fall, and now it’s a done deal, confirmed just before Amazon’s upfront presentation.

The series comes from Marshall Todd, co-writer of the original Barbershop movie, along with Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat and Amazon MGM Studios. Todd is writing and executive producing, while Max Searle (Dave) will join as co-showrunner and executive producer.

The story follows Travis “Trav” Porter (Fowler), who is trying to step into the shoes of his grandfather, a legendary barber at the famous “Calvin’s” barbershop in Chicago. While the barbers may be new, the shop is as lively as ever. As the official description says: “And while the barbers are new, the shop remains just as lively, the customers just as argumentative, and the fades are still the dopest in the city — because at Calvin’s, the community comes together for way more than just a haircut.”

According to the press release, the Barbershop series is part of Amazon’s big move to adapt classic MGM films for TV following its $8.5 billion acquisition of the studio. The new series joins other exciting projects like the Legally Blonde prequel Elle, a Carrie series that’s finishing casting, and a Tomb Raider drama.

Behind the scenes, the series is executive produced by Todd; Searle; Kevin Hart, Bryan Smiley, and Mike Stein for Hartbeat; Bradley Gardner; Cameron Burnett and Autumn Bailey-Ford for Prominent Productions; and George L. Tillman, Jr. and Robert Teitel for State Street Pictures. Tiffany Brown will co-executive produce for Hartbeat. The show is being produced by Amazon MGM Studios.

The Barbershop movie franchise has already made a huge impact, with four films that explore the social dynamics of a South Side Chicago barbershop. The first film, released in 2002, starred Ice Cube as Calvin, who inherits his father’s struggling shop and initially tries to sell it—until he starts to realize how much it means to the community. The series continued with Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004), the spinoff Beauty Shop (2005) with Queen Latifah, and Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016).

Looks like Barbershop is ready to keep the conversation—and the fades—going strong for a whole new generation.