David Farnor | On 23, Jul 2016

Amazon’s footballing kids’ series, The Kicks, will premiere this August.

Based on Olympic gold medalist Alex Morgan’s best-selling books, the show follows Devin Burke (newcomer Sixx Orange), who was the star player on her school soccer team, until her family moved to California midway through the academic year. Now, she has to rise to the challenge after discovering her new school team, The Kicks, has been on a losing streak over the last few months and are badly in need of a leader to rally the team.

The Kicks also stars Sophia Mitri Schloss (Desert Cathedral) as Emma Gelbaum, Isabella Acres (Hello, My Name is Dorris) as Mirabelle Harris, E’myri Crutchfield (Vacation) as Zoe Hanson, Gabe Eggerling (Even Angels Cry) as Bailey Burke, Monica Lacy (Hawaii Five-0) as Sharon Burke, and Tim Martin Gleason (New Girl) as Tom Burke.

“Nothing says “strong teamwork ethics” like a sports series, but The Kicks takes an impressive punt at the theme,” we wrote in our review of the show’s pilot episode last year. “More TV role models that remind viewers girls don’t have to conform to a Barbie doll image please. Back of the net.”
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The pilot episode, which is available to stream for free now, will be joined by nine other episodes, which will all be released on Friday 26th August.

The series is executive produced by Full Fathom Five’s novelist James Frey (I Am Number Four) and Todd Cohen (Lumen), Andrew Orenstein (Malcolm in the Middle), and David Babcock (Twisted). The series is co-executive produced by Nastaran Dibai (According to Jim) and written by Orenstein, David Steinberg (Space Racers), Taylor Cox (King Julien Stand Up), Jacquie Walters (Building Wild).

“Both Alex Morgan and now Devin are undeniably strong female role models who will inspire our audience to work hard and passionately to achieve their goals,” says Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming at Amazon Studios. “The Kicks showcases the value of overcoming the odds and our audience will relate with the broader themes of passion, determination and camaraderie developed throughout the season.”

“I’m so excited to be working with Amazon and Full Fathom Five to bring The Kicks to life,” adds Morgan. “It is amazing to see the pages of my books take shape on the screen, and I cannot wait for it to premiere. Devin is so relatable and kids will go with her on this journey that draws from my real experiences as a young athlete.”

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