Subscribe

* indicates required
Okayplayer News

To continue reading

Create a free account or sign in to unlock more free articles.

By continuing, you agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge our Privacy Policy

Charles Barkley To Tackle ‘The Race Card’ In New TNT Show
Charles Barkley To Tackle ‘The Race Card’ In New TNT Show

Charles Barkley To Tackle 'The Race Card' In New TNT Show

Charles Barkley To Tackle \u2018The Race Card\u2019 In New TNT Show

Photo credit: Associated Press

Former NBA star and basketball analyst Charles Barkley ruffles feathers with his opinions on racial issues, and TNT has given him his own platform to do so.

TNT announced on Sunday that it has given the green light for "The Race Card," a limited-run TV series starring Barkley as he looks to get to the bottom of racial and social issues in America. TNT has ordered six hour-long episodes, and the show is scheduled to launch in early 2017.

"In The Race Card, Charles Barkley wants to bust up the echo chamber mentality that so often has people retreating to corners of the like-minded, where views are reinforced and ideas are distorted into angry, unexamined groupthink conclusions," a press release states. "Each week, Barkley will take on the rapidly calcifying positions around today’s hot-button topics. He will seek out the sharpest and most varied viewpoints from today’s cultural leaders and tastemakers. He will then challenge and probe those ideas, even trying them out on himself."

"We as Americans never discuss the issue of race in this country and how it impacts everything in our lives until something bad happens," Barkley said in a statement. "I see this project as a way to talk about race, class and cultural differences and challenge everyone's status quo."

Barkley has caused controversy ever since his days as an all-star NBA forward, when he famously said "I'm not a role model." These days he stays in headlines for his opinions surrounding issues of race regarding poverty, crime, and police brutality.