Showtime - Pilot
Genre: Drama / Comedy / Sports
Executive Producer: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Chad Taylor & Mo Buck

Cast:
Barry Keoghan .... Ben Carr
Joe Manganiello .... Ricky Santana
Dacre Montgomery .... Thunderjack Haynes
Nick Offerman .... Bill Gundy
Cooper Andrews .... Loto the Evil Islander
Paul Walter Hauser .... "Slim" Clem Sanders
Zoey Deutch .... Sweet Tea
Clayne Crawford .... Brad "The Superior" Wolfe
Tom Hopper .... Tom Jackson
Alan Ritchson .... Don Jackson
Paul Rust .... "Loudmouth" Dicky Sanders
Stephen Root .... Roy Brown
Freddie Stroma .... Andrew Carr
David Bradley .... Roland Carr

Plot: Smells of blood, sweat and tears are in the air in the Texas Championship Wrestling locker room following another successful event. Wrestlers high-fiving each others and the alcohol flows generously. The promotion's top heel, Loto the Evil Islander (Cooper Andrews) comes back in the locker room with his manager "Loudmouth" Dicky Ray (Paul Rust) on his shoulder after the latter sold an injury in the ring. As soon as he enters the locker room, he drops the act and he celebrates with his co-workers as we hear the crowd still roaring from the crowd-favorite moral victory over the evil Loto. The promoter, Roy Brown (Stephen Root) runs out of his office and into the arms of his biggest star, Ricky Santana (Joe Mangianello). He congratulates him on a succesful night and asks everyone to behave nicely and accordingly, a new employee will arrive shortly. The celebration resumes as Roy Brown looks happy and satisfied.

At a small events hall in England, Pro Wrestling from London puts on a show for a rowdy crowd. Ben Carr (Barry Keoghan) watches from afar as his older brother Andrew (Freddie Stroma) is adored by the crowd. Afterwards, he must do the ring-rat work of dismantling the ring and cleaning up the arena. When he’s done, his father Roland (David Bradley) tells him he can go.

Roy Brown shakes "The Superior" Brad Wolfe's hand and he kisses Wolfe's sister. He tells her she'll work under the name Sweet Tea (Zoey Deutch) and he's sure she's going to be a star. He asks Wolfe to show her around and introduce them to the wrestlers as he has a plane to catch. Wolfe asks him where he's going and Brown, with a huge grin of his face, says he's going to find their next big star and he rubs his two hands together as he walks away. Wolfe gets everyone attention and everybody’s eyes are glued on him, thanks to his commandeering voice and charisma. He presents his sister, known as Sweet Tea to everyone. He warns them that if they hurt her, he’s going to beat them until they die. Dicky Ray whispers to Loto that he would like to see him try to beat Loto and Wolfe heard it. He grabs him by the arm and he asks again if they understood him. Dicky shakes his head, he sure did.

The next day, at his father’s training school, Ben is busy doing various grueling drills and doing them best among the trainees. Mid-way through, he throws in his towel and tells Roland that he is done with this. He is ready to fight and he knows his dad knows it. He’s better than the rest of the students and Roland’s entire PWL roster. Roland is stubborn and says that Ben is in need of more training.

Roy has landed in California and is entering a bodybuilding contest in the hopes to find his next young and muscular superstar. He seems particularly uninterested by the competitors and he argues with the organizers to know if they have more charismatic competitors because they ones who parade in front of the judges are nothing more than a piece of cardboard for him. He needs pizzazz, he needs panache, not just muscles. The jock in charge reminds him that it isn’t a personality contest and they focus on the body here. If he wants to see personality, he should go check out Broadway or something. Roy walks out, saddened that he wasn’t able to find TCW’s next star. As he heads out, he notices the beach is across the streets and he sees a bunch of attractive ladies, so he decides to head to the beach for the rest of the day, catcalling a group as he crosses the street. He gets a disgusted reaction in return, which saddens him even more.

In his apartment, Ben reads various wrestling magazines, taking notes as he does. Afterwards, he studies his notes and starts to make a ranked list. Later that day, he confronts his family and tells them he is moving to America to wrestle. Andrew laughs at this while their mother wants him to stay close. Roland insists that Ben need more size and training in order to succeed in wrestling. He disagrees. He has already bought his plane ticket. He tells his family goodbye and that he will keep in touch.

As TCW is gearing up to run another show, Wolfe introduces Sweet Tea around to the other wrestlers. Of course, she knows Ricky Santana, everyone does. There’s Bill Gundy (Nick Offerman), the old grumpy and discouraged old man who’s putting on his knee pads. Wolfe tells him he should get rid of the mustache if he wants to get over and Bill tells him to go fuck himself. There’s Loto the Evil Islander. Sweet Tea says he’s ruthless in the ring but a sweetheart backstage. Wolfe says he’s the worst, he’s always happy and it infuriates him. Loto says Wolfe is just jealous that he isn’t at peace with himself as he is. There’s “Slim” Clem Sanders, the perennial jobber who has gained as much pounds since he started than different gimmicks he tried. Wolfe asks him what he’s trying this time around and Clem says he’ll try being a taxi driver tonight, because everybody loves taxi drivers. Wolfe says everybody hates taxi drivers and that’s a fact. Sweet Tea says she pities him, you almost feel sorry for him at this point. There’s the Jackson brothers, Tom (Tom Hopper) and Don (Alan Ritchson), otherwise known as the Bruiser Brothers. He whispers to Sweet Tea that she should avoid them for a while, they just lost their other twin a couple months ago and they aren’t over it. Tom confronts Wolfe because he heard what he said and the Bruiser Brothers want to start a fight with Wolfe. “Loudmouth” Dicky Ray waltzes in an puts out the fire. Wolfe who was just hit right in the face by Tom introduces Sweet Tea to Dicky Ray, a sleazy manager who wants to act like he matters here, but everyone else is wondering why he has a job. He smiles at her with his bloodied teeth and he says “look! I told you you’d like it here” and she nods uncertainly.

Roy Brown is looking at women and teens at the beach and he starts to feel dizzy. He gets up and walks up to an attractive woman and he asks her out. She tells him to get lost, she doesn’t deal with married men, pointing towards his wedding ring. He brushes off another refusal and he out the TCW contract he was supposed to use today and he vents himself with it. He starts to feel weird and he grabs his chest in pain. Not for away from him, a lifeguard (Dacre Montgomery) - chiseled like a Ken doll with perfect golden locks to match - sees him and runs to his aid. His colleagues call for an ambulance.

At the Houston airport, Ben steps off the plane and breathes in the Texas air. He looks down at his notes and circled at the top is the address for Texas Championship Wrestling.

Roy gets in the ambulance with the lifeguard. As they put the oxygen mask on, he whispers to the lifeguard that he’s the one - the next wrestling superstar - and he gives him the contract and a pen. Roy takes off the oxygen mask as they try to stabilize him and he tells him his name will be Thunderjack Haynes and he’s going to be a star. The lifeguard has no idea what the man is talking about or who he is. Roy takes his hand and promises "you're the one". As the lifeguard looks over the contract, Brown has another heart attack and passes away. Thunderjack sees that he would have to move to Texas but looks at the insane amount of money being offered and looks happily impressed. He feels like he owes it to the mysterious little man who just died, but also for the hefty salary is enticing. He figures "why not?" and signs the contract.

 Showtime - New Beginnings
Genre: Drama / Comedy / Sports
Executive Producer: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Chad Taylor & Mo Buck

Cast:
Barry Keoghan .... Ben Carr
Joe Manganiello .... Ricky Santana
Dacre Montgomery .... Thunderjack Haynes
Nick Offerman .... Bill Gundy
Cooper Andrews .... Loto the Evil Islander
Paul Walter Hauser .... "Slim" Clem Sanders
Zoey Deutch .... Sweet Tea
Anna Gunn .... Diane Brown
Clayne Crawford .... Brad "The Superior" Wolfe
Tom Hopper .... Tom Jackson
Alan Ritchson .... Don Jackson
Paul Rust .... "Loudmouth" Dicky Sanders
Lake Bell .... Nadine

Plot: “The Superior” Brad Wolfe (Clayne Crawford) is heckling the Bruiser Brothers, Tom (Tom Hopper) and Don Jackson (Alan Ritchson) in the locker room corner, as he wants them to be a little more joyous. He thinks they are the ones lowering morale, but Tom says “Slim” Clem (Paul Walter Hauser) isn’t any better, always complaining about his failed gimmick attempts. Wolfe says it would be nice to see them smile once in a while and he asks his sister Sweet Tea (Zoey Deutch) if she ever saw the Bruiser Brothers smile ever since she was hired, and she says she hasn’t. Ricky Santana (Joe Mangianello) interferes and asks Wolfe to cut them a little slack, they just lost their twin brother. Wolfe acknowledges that, but he says it’s been a few weeks and they should get over it. Ricky asks for veteran Bill Gundy (Nick Offerman)’s help, surely he’ll understand, but an indifferent Gundy says he doesn’t mess around with backstage politics, he just minds his own business, like everyone else should do. Loto (Cooper Andrews) comes out of the shower and asks if anyone saw Roy today, but nobody has. Ricky points out that Roy always shows up at least a few hours before every show. They find it odd, but keep on with their whereabouts, until they are interrupted by a woman, Diane Brown (Anna Gunn), Roy’s widow. She breaks the news to them and even though her heart is bleeding, she promised to him to keep the promotion alive, so they should go on and do the best show they can, that’s what Roy would have wanted. She says she has big dreams and big plans for TCW and she hopes they will join her in this new adventure. “Loudmouth” Dicky Ray (Paul Rust) follows her into the office and he wants to pitch her a new storyline involving his character, but she brutally shuts him down, pointing out that it really isn’t a good time.

The TCW show goes relatively well, although nobody’s heart really seems to be in it, but that’s understandable after the tragic news they just learn. The repeated main event between Ricky Santana and Loto the Evil Islander is once again an absolute riot, with Santana getting a ton of crowd support and his win earning a thunderous reaction from the crowd. As Loto heads backstage with Dicky Ray on his shoulder, Dicky whispers to him that Diane is ruining his character by making lose again.
After the show is over, Diane is doing paperwork in her office and is happy to realise her first show was a success and the promotion made money with it. She is interrupted by young Ben Carr (Barry Keoghan) who came all the way from the Old Continent to pursue to his dream to wrestle in the big leagues. He applies for a job at TCW, but Diane isn’t sure about him, because he doesn’t have the “it” factor that say, Ricky Santana would have. Ben is ready to turn back and go to another promotion, but Bill Gundy, who stayed after the show was over (as always) blocks the doorway. He tells Diane he saw some tapes of Carr and he can vouch for him, this kid can go in the ring and he has a bright future ahead of him. Diane says she’ll take a chance on him, but only because she trusts Gundy. He’s been in the business long enough to know this kind of stuff. Carr thanks Bill for the opportunity and Bill says it’s his pleasure, but he’ll head back to help take down the ring. Carr asks if he can join him, as he used to do that in England and Gundy says he’s welcomed to join.

Santana arrives at his Houston home to his wife Nadine (Lake Bell) and two young sons. He's still taped up from his match with Loto. He and Nadine bicker over bills and his overworked schedule. She then reveals to him that he missed a call from a guy named Buck Gordon. Ricky is stunned to hear this and tells her that he is the head of American Pro Wrestling - the premiere promotion in New York City and the northeast. APW has recently secured a national television deal and is making moves to move beyond their territory - which some consider to be breaking a taboo. Ricky and Nadine argue about the pros (more money, exposure, stability) and cons (relocation, uncertainty) of going there. She tells him that he is needs to start prioritizing home life over his career. This angers him.
 
The next day is Ben's first day as a part of the TCW roster. Gundy shows him around the locker room. Clem jokes that he is relieved to see another jobber arrive so he can share the load. To his surprise, Ben is not offended as he is willing to pay his dues. This makes Bill smile like a proud parent. However, when Brad Wolfe first lays eyes on Ben, all he can see is fresh meat prime for hazing. He asks the Bruiser Brothers if they are ready for some fun and they begrudgingly say they are (while still being passively aggravated about Wolfe's comments earlier). When Ben meets Tea, he is awkward around her, which causes Wolfe and co. to snicker in the background. She whispers to him not to worry about her brother. Dicky watches Ben closely from afar and pulls Loto into Diane's office.

As a rib, Brad has Don Jackson slip some laxatives into Ben's drink. Diane informs the crew that they will be holding a big tribute show for Roy next week in his hometown of San Antonio. She then tells them that Ricky seems banged up and needs a night off so the main event will be Gundy vs. Wolfe and Loto will be fed Ben Carr. Brad looks to the Bruiser Brothers with a sly smile. Loto approaches Ben to plan the squash and tells him he's happy to be his first. Ben gets the joke but says this isn't his first wrestling match. Loto says that he really needs to come off as dangerous in this match as his series with Santana has dampened his appeal. Ben says that is no problem.

The match obviously does not go as planned as the laxatives hit Ben. He panics and tries to do his best but he finds it hard to focus. Ben whispers to Loto that they need to cut the match short. When they do this, the crowd feels that something is off and boos both of them at the finish.

Afterwards, Loto chews him out as he can't just go off script in his first match in the company. Dicky says that the match was supposed to make Loto look good, not whatever that was. Ben wants to apologize and defend himself but he has to hurry to the bathroom. As Brad and the boys are patting themselves on the back, the locker room comes to a halt when a new visitor enters. The name is Thunderjack Haynes (Dacre Montgomery) and he's here on the request of the late Roy Brown.

 Showtime - Creative Decisions
Genre: Drama / Comedy / Sports
Executive Producer: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Chad Taylor & Mo Buck

Cast:
Barry Keoghan .... Ben Carr
Joe Manganiello .... Ricky Santana
Dacre Montgomery .... Thunderjack Haynes
Nick Offerman .... Bill Gundy
Cooper Andrews .... Loto the Evil Islander
Paul Walter Hauser .... "Slim" Clem Sanders
Zoey Deutch .... Sweet Tea
Anna Gunn .... Diane Brown
Clayne Crawford .... Brad "The Superior" Wolfe
Tom Hopper .... Tom Jackson
Alan Ritchson .... Don Jackson
Paul Rust .... "Loudmouth" Dicky Sanders
Sofia Black-D'Elia .... Shirley

Plot: Wrestlers turn around to take a look at Thunderjack Haynes (Dacre Montgomery) and Diane Brown (Anna Gunn) comes out of her office to take a look at the young man who just talked about her late husband. She says TCW isn’t hiring anymore, not until she can get a hold of the current state of the business. Thunderjack points out it doesn’t matter because he signed this contract days ago at Roy Browne’s wishes. Diane has her doubts and looks at Thunderjack’s contract. It is legitimate and she nearly faints when she sees his salary. She says she has no choice but to hire him, so she reluctantly welcomes him to TCW. Brad Wolfe (Clayne Crawford) takes it upon himself to give Thunderjack a tour of the locker room, with his younger sister, Sweet Tea (Zoey Dutch) still following him. He introduces him to everyone and reminds him the two TCW locker room rules; he’s the one in charge and you don’t touch his sister. Thunderjack lets him know that he understands. Ricky Santana (Joe Manganiello) calls Brad Wolfe a liar and he tells Haynes he is the one in charge and between them, he should steer clear of Wolfe altogether, he’s not a really good influence.

Diane has some announcements to make and she gets everyone’s attention that way. She believes the creative decisions weren’t optimal before, so she announces new pairings. Bill Gundy (Nick Offerman) will be paired up with Ben Carr (Barry Keoghan) so he can show the new kid how things work in TCW. Gundy smiles at Carr who just came back from his undesired trip to the bathroom and invites him to come over. Bill tells Ben that he genuinely thinks this pairing can revitalize his career and this is going to be fun. She will also pair up Thunderjack Haynes and Sweet Tea. They are both young, good-looking and she likes to think… future TCW superstars. Brad tries to interfere, as he doesn’t approve of his sister’s pairing with Thunderjack, but Diane interrupts him dead in his tracks. She puts in a place a new rule so the heels need to hang out together and the faces hang out together. She needs them to act in character outside of the confines of the locker room. That’s how the big leagues do it and she has big plans for TCW, so they need to start somewhere. The Bruiser Brothers (Tom Hopper and Alan Ritchson) tease Wolfe that he won’t be able to keep his sister under his wing anymore and side alongside Thunderjack. Her final announcement, a more pleasant one this time, is a Roy Browne tribute show planned for next week and she needs them to bring their A-game to honor her late husband.

Ricky Santana dressed up faster than usual following his match and is ready to leave until he’s caught red-handed trying to sneak out of the building by Dicky Ray (Paul Rust). Dicky asks Ricky where he’s going and Ricky awkwardly says he’s going to see his family before leaving for San Antonio. Dicky finds it peculiar because Ricky usually isn’t enchanted to go back home, so Dicky decides to follow him, in case he uncovers something embarrassing.

As Ben is packing up the ring, Bill reminds him that he's a student of the industry and has seen the tapes from England. He knows Ben's potential but is confused as to why he did so bad in the Loto match. Ben can't explain it but says that he will do better. There on the floor, they start to practice tag team moves and work on their chemistry.

On his own, Santana goes to a phone booth and tries to call the APW offices but fails. Since he doesn't talk to anyone, Dicky isn't able to pick up on who he's calling. As he is leaving, he is mobbed by a group of young female fans for autographs. As he is signing an item for one of them, she (Sofia Black-D'Elia) asks if he's ever thought of going to APW. He's taken aback by this and brushes it off as he wants to appear loyal to his TCW fans.

Brad Wolfe storms Diane’s office and yells at her for pairing his sister up with a wrestler so soon. She acts offended and asks what else a valet is for. Fair point, but Brad says he doesn’t like that guy. Diane admits that she doesn’t either but her husband saw something in him and he does look like a Greek god. She tells him to calm down and that she has changed her mind about the tribute show. She reminds him to keep a distance from Tea and Haynes in public since they’re the good guys. She tells him that since Gundy will be teaming with Carr, she is changing her mind and putting Santana on the card after all. He will defend his championship against...Brad Wolfe. Brad smiles. And one more thing: don’t think that because Diane is a woman that you can come in and yell at her like that. She is his boss whether he likes it or not. Wolfe begrudgingly bites his tongue.

In a bar, Thunderjack is hanging out with Tea, Ben, Bill, and some other face wrestlers. He is holding court as the life of the party. Tea watches on with a smile, unable to hide her attraction to him. Ben, who likes Tea a bit himself, senses this but he’s not to worried about it. He’s glad that he’s found people to fit in with.

From the outside, Wolfe watches from his truck with the Bruiser Brothers with him. He mouths off about Thunderjack, asking what kind of name is that. He says that they should be thinking about how they're going to haze him. Tom (Tom Hopper) says that he actually kinda likes the guy and Don (Alan Ritcheson) agrees. Wolfe is pissed off to hear this.

On his way out of town, Santana stops in at a diner for a quick bite. Not long after him, a waitress enters for her shift and it is the same girl who asked him about APW. She says that this is embarrassing and he says not at all. He won’t say anything about her if she doesn’t tell people who he is. She agrees to that. As she gets his order, he turns his charm on and says don’t think he hasn’t seen her show up to every show. He asks her more about herself. She blushes and says that she might be the head of the southwestern Texas branch of the Ricky Santana Fan Club. He is delighted to hear this and says he didn’t know he had one. He says he never got her name and she points out that she has a name tag on that reads Shirley. Ricky laughs at himself and says he must’ve missed that.

Smash cut to Ricky and Shirley hooking up in his car. A few cars down, Dicky watches on with a curious eye.

The episode ends with the wrestlers driving towards San Antonio.

 Showtime - The Roy Browne Tribute Show
Genre: Drama / Comedy / Sports
Executive Producer: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Chad Taylor & Mo Buck

Cast:
Barry Keoghan .... Ben Carr
Joe Manganiello .... Ricky Santana
Dacre Montgomery .... Thunderjack Haynes
Nick Offerman .... Bill Gundy
Cooper Andrews .... Loto the Evil Islander
Paul Walter Hauser .... "Slim" Clem Sanders
Zoey Deutch .... Sweet Tea
Anna Gunn .... Diane Brown
Clayne Crawford .... Brad "The Superior" Wolfe
Tom Hopper .... Tom Jackson
Alan Ritchson .... Don Jackson
Paul Rust .... "Loudmouth" Dicky Sanders

Plot: Wrestlers are nervous, but the crowd is wild, tonight, in San Antonio, Texas, Texas Championship Wrestling presents the Roy Browne Tribute Show.

Diane Brown (Anna Gunn), gets up on a bench and gets everyone’s attention. Tonight, all the southern United States are watching. This is their time to shine and prove the world that TCW belongs in the big leagues. She announces that Dicky Ray (Paul Rust) will not be appearing tonight, they’ll say he’s suffering from an injury and it needs time to heal. Dicky says it’s bullshit, but Diane reminds him she has the final word. Dicky storms off, but he sees Ricky Santana (Joe Manganiello) standing in the corner. He tells him he needs something from him and Santana refuses, even in Dicky says he has leverage. He then reveals to Ricky he saw him with that groupie in his car and he wants Ricky to stand up for him with Diane, or else, the world is going to know that Ricky Santana is cheating on his wife. Ricky says he’s a sad man to blackmail someone for his own advantage, but he will do it, because he knows that sleeping with Shirley was a mistake.

Brad Wolfe (Clayne Crawford) observes his sister, Sweet Tea (Zoey Dutch) from head to toe. He goes over to Diane to complain about her scantily clad outfit, but she says her decision is final and she will go out like that. TCW has needed eye candy for a while and she reminds him that he was the one who got her hired in the first place and a pretty face like her surely wouldn’t end up in a nun costume. She asks him to get Thunderjack so she can see Sweet Tea and him side-by-side. He goes to the other side of the locker room and he sees Don (Alan Ritchson) and Tom (Tom Hopper) Jackson talking to Thunderjack (Dacre Montgomery). He yells at Haynes Diane wants to see him and he reaches over to the Bruiser Brothers to ask them what that was about. They say they were giving him tips for his upcoming debut and Wolfe says that’s not what they’re supposed to do. They say he’ll become something special and it could be nice to have a powerful friend backstage, besides, it could help him be closer to his sister. They would love to talk about it more, but their match is next. Wolfe slams a chair down and starts yelling that he wants some respect around here and he just wants to be listened to. Thunderjack, caressing Sweet Tea’s back asks her what’s the problem with him and she says he feels like Thunderjack will replace Brad as the cool new guy in the locker room.

Ben Carr (Barry Keoghan) and Bill Gundy (Nick Offerman) are standing right next to the curtains, ready to go out. The Bruiser Brothers pass them by and get out to a raucous reaction. Bill asks Ben if he’s ready to do this and Ben nods. They get a passable reaction and Nick tells Ben to not be bothered by it, they’re going to win them over. The match goes according to plan, with Ben impressing with his innovative moves and Nick with is great knowledge of the fundamentals. The Bruiser Brothers use their brute force to dominate early. When Ben tries to kickstart their rally, Tom doesn’t sell his moves and he hits Ben for real. Ben lies down and looks at Bill confused.

“Slim” Clem Sanders (Paul Walter Hauser) is backstage and wondering how he should dress up for his match against Thunderjack. His latest gimmick failed and all of the last ones too. He desperately needs a win now, he’s tired of being at the bottom of the food chain. Loto (Cooper Andrews) notices it and offers him advice. He thinks Clem is trying too hard and thinks he tone a little. Enough with the crazy gimmicks, he should go out as himself. He’s charming and lovable, that will do. Clem thanks him for the advice and takes off his peacock headgear. Tonight, he goes out as a “Slim” Clem Sanders.

The two tag teams arrive backstage and Don Jackson thanks Gundy for the great match - their best since their brother’s death. Everyone else backstage agrees. Ben is confused to hear this and tells Bill he thought their stiffness ruined the match. Bill reminds him that he’s still a rookie so he’ll need to just take it for now and bite his tongue. As he is walking away, Bill turns Ben around and personally thanks him as he thinks this tag team will revitalize his career. Wanting to maintain his tough guy act, he tells Ben to keep that to himself.

The fans are surprised to see that Clem is just himself tonight. They are not sure how to react. This is detrimental to his match with Thunderjack, who is very green in the ring and Clem is no ring general. The only redeeming quality is Jack’s chemistry with Tea, who takes to the valet role naturally.

Backstage, Brad can’t get himself to watch so he goes outside of the arena for a depressed smoke. He runs into a clan of groupies, including Shirley (Sofia D’Elia Black). They were waiting on Ricky and aren’t too interested in him so they leave. He rolls his eyes and says “of course”. However, he notices that Shirley dropped a small notebook and picks it up. He thumbs through the pages and realizes that she must write some kind of insider newsletter that exposes the backstage secrets of the business. Instead of chasing her down, he puts the notebook in his back pocket.

As the Sanders-Haynes match goes off the rails, there becomes an issue when a group of bikers in the front row start to sexually harass Tea. The wrestlers in the ring ignore it as they try to wrap up their match and she puts a smile on but everyone can hear it. Thunderjack wins the match to a minimal reaction, the opposite intention of Diane’s booking. As they are leaving, one of the bikers (Mark Boone Junior) squeezes Tea’s ass, unbeknownst to Thunderjack. She doesn’t say anything but is holding back tears.

Backstage, the crew looks to disgusted but Brad is nowhere to be found. Bill is angry and says he’s not having it. He goes out to the ring and cuts a promo on the bikers. The bikers heckle him back and the one that touched Tea says he could whoop Bill’s ass. Bill challenges him to come to the ring and the biker obliges. The biker lunges at Bill, who headbutts him - busting the biker’s nose open. Bill, a trained Greco-Roman wrestler, puts him in a real headlock - causing the biker to go limp and piss his pants.

When he comes backstage, Bill is applauded but Diane is red-faced and calls him into her office. Brad reenters and is caught up on what happened. Not only has he lost control of the locker room but he couldn’t even protect his own sister. He doesn’t say anything and straight out for his match with Santana. He channels this anger to have a banger of a match and they tear the house down, with Santana retaining his title of course.

In the locker room afterwards, Diane gives an emotional speech where she thanks them for honoring her husband in the way that they did.

 Showtime - Bonding
Genre: Drama / Comedy / Sports
Executive Producer: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Chad Taylor & Mo Buck

Cast:
Barry Keoghan .... Ben Carr
Joe Manganiello .... Ricky Santana
Dacre Montgomery .... Thunderjack Haynes
Nick Offerman .... Bill Gundy
Cooper Andrews .... Loto the Evil Islander
Paul Walter Hauser .... "Slim" Clem Sanders
Zoey Deutch .... Sweet Tea
Anna Gunn .... Diane Brown
Clayne Crawford .... Brad "The Superior" Wolfe
Tom Hopper .... Tom Jackson
Alan Ritchson .... Don Jackson
Paul Rust .... "Loudmouth" Dicky Sanders
Max Minghella .... Buck Gordon

Plot: Following the Roy Brown Tribute Show, the faces head out to a local bar to celebrate their good outing. Loto (Cooper Andrews) is able to catch Clem Sanders (Paul Walter Hauser) before he leaves and he asks him how he feels after what happened tonight. Clem is honest with Loto and he says he doesn’t feel so good right now but he’ll get over it. Loto says he shouldn’t let it affect his work, and Sanders says it won’t be a problem. Clem gets in his beat-up car and says he’s drinking to forget tonight. Ricky Santana (Joe Manganiello) exits the building, greets a few fans (mostly female) and signs autographs. Sweet Tea (Zoey Dutch) tells Thunderjack (Dacre Montgomery) that it will soon be like that for him too, while caressing his bicep. Thunderjack feels the same thing and wraps his arm around her as they enter the car. Ben (Barry Keoghan) and Bill (Nick Offerman) once again stay with the crew members to take the ring down. Ben asks why Bill didn’t want to go with the others to celebrate and Bill warns him that he should steer clear of the alcohol. Ben asks why and Bill says it’s an issue with a lot of wrestlers, plus, you never know what’s going to happen at the bar. Many careers were ruined thanks to alcohol and Bill won’t let Ben do the same thing he saw countless of his friends do. Ben understands it’s for the best, but it would’ve been a good opportunity to bond with Ricky and Thunderjack.

The heels stay in the locker room and little longer as Loto is nursing a nasty bruise he suffered in his match against a jobber tonight. The Bruiser Brothers, Tom (Tom Hopper) and Don (Alan Ritchson) watch a tape of their matches against Ben and Bill, looking for ways to improve their craft. Brad Wolfe (Clayne Crawford), still arguing with fans that he’s better than them and should have won tonight against Santana, comes back in the locker room with a big grin and heads for the showers. Dicky Ray (Paul Rust), true to his scheming-self, goes around the locker room and searching lockers in case someone forgot something so he can keep it. He passes in front of Wolfe’s locker and turns around to search it after he makes sure Brad is in the shower. He finds Shirley’s book and finds it peculiar. He decides to keep it. He hides in a storage room to read it.

Diane (Anna Gunn) is in her office, trying to negotiate a television deal with networks following their successful event. She is discouraged to find out they won’t pick TCW up for a television deal citing their lack of true star and less than adequate production design. Diane talks to herself berating them for their lack of stars. Brad, coming out of the shower, enters Diane’s office wearing nothing but a towel. He says he could be the next star TCW needs to reach the next level. He confesses he was eavesdropping and he gets closer and closer to Diane. Dicky comes out of the storage room and passes in front of Diane’s office, only to see Brad getting way to comfortable around her. He whispers to himself it’s no wonder why he got the title shot tonight. He hides Shirley’s book in his shirt and he leaves with Loto. Diane rejects Brad, saying her husband just died and now is not a good time, essentially not closing the door in the future. Brad plays it cool and leaves. He dresses up and he gets the Bruiser Brothers, still gushing over Ben’s ring ability. Brad says he liked him better when he was shitting his pants in the ring. They leave and head for a nearby bar.

On the road, Tea and Haynes get to know each other better. They come from completely opposite sides of the country, California and Georgia. She has been around the wrestling business since she was a kid while he didn't even know what professional wrestling was until a few weeks ago. She is open and honest when criticizing his match with Sanders. He asks if she can help him learn the ropes better. She smiles and says she thinks that would benefit the both of them.

At the next show, Wolfe approaches The Bruiser Brothers and tells them that he plans on pulling the same prank on Thunderjack that he did on Ben. Given that they like Haynes and don't want to make him mad, they advise against it. Brad is pissed at them and says he's already done it. They go over to Thunderjack and pour out his drink. He gets angry but says he'll thank them later. Tea approaches her brother and says she saw what he did and she does not approve. Brad stands his ground and says that every newcomer needs to go through hazing, it is wrestling tradition. Especially a someone as green as Haynes. Tea tells him that they have a future star on his hands and she isn't going to let her brother run him off from the promotion.

Before his match in the main event, Santana spends some alone time by himself as he always does. He is annoyed to hear a knock on the door but opens up. It is Buck Gordon (Max Minghella), head of American Pro Wrestling in the northeast. In a reversal of fortunes, Ricky is the one that is starstruck. Buck says that he flew in from New York City because he could not get Ricky to answer his calls. He's been watching his tapes for years now and thinks he would be the perfect Hispanic-American star for APW. This includes tripling his current salary plus a signing bonus. Ricky asks if he would still be able to work at TCW but Gordon tells him that it would be exclusive. Ricky points out that this breaks an unspoken agreement amongst wrestling promoters to not steal from other territories. Buck shrugs his shoulders and says it's a whole new ballgame and he wants Ricky to be a part of it. Ricky does not show his cards yet and tells Buck he will need to talk to his family first. Buck tells him he understands and that the offer is on the table.

 Showtime - A Night Out
Genre: Drama / Comedy / Sports
Executive Producer: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Chad Taylor & Mo Buck

Cast:
Barry Keoghan .... Ben Carr
Joe Manganiello .... Ricky Santana
Dacre Montgomery .... Thunderjack Haynes
Nick Offerman .... Bill Gundy
Cooper Andrews .... Loto the Evil Islander
Paul Walter Hauser .... "Slim" Clem Sanders
Zoey Deutch .... Sweet Tea
Anna Gunn .... Diane Brown
Clayne Crawford .... Brad "The Superior" Wolfe
Tom Hopper .... Tom Jackson
Alan Ritchson .... Don Jackson
Paul Rust .... "Loudmouth" Dicky Sanders
Lake Bell .... Nadine
Sofia Black-D'Elia .... Shirley

Plot: Ricky Santana (Joe Mangianello) is arguing with his wife, Nadine (Lake Bell) about the offer he officially received to wrestle for APW from Buck Gordon himself. She brings up her children who need a father figure around and he can’t just abandon them like that. He says it won’t be much different from what he’s doing now. She says he wrestles not really far away and they barely see him, so she can’t imagine what it’ll be like if he works farther. She adds that it’s time for him to prioritize his family life over his work life. She says he’s not getting any younger and what if his previous injuries come back to haunt him. What would happen to him ? He says she doesn’t understand and it would help them because the job comes with a better salary and honestly it could help them a little. Nadine says she doesn’t care about money if she means not seeing him anymore. The whole argument angers Ricky who bursts out of the house and leaves in his car.

Diane Brown (Anna Gunn) is looking helpless in her office. She received all her responses and they are all negative. After many attempts and multiple reach-outs, she still hasn’t been able to get a new television deal. The pay per views carriers are unimpressed by their product as well. She’s angered to find out that only APW has been able to snag up new contracts with the major players. It is clear to her that they don’t view TCW as a major promotion and she’s busy trying to change their minds about it. She receives a little help from “The Superior” Brad Wolfe (Clayne Crawford). He comes in her office wearing only a small towel and he sits in front of her, not even crossing his legs. He says he has a grand idea that he kept pitching to Roy but he always refused. Diane wants to know why Roy refused and Brad said it is too risky. He always imagined TCW headlining a show at the Astrodome in Houston. Diane says he’s crazy. Brad gets closer to her and he asks her if she likes crazy. She gets closer to him and when he thinks she’s about to kiss him, she asks him if he’s going to join the others at the bar. He says he will now, but he’ll come back to finish this another time and Diane is sure he will.

The rest of the wrestlers are hanging out at a local bar after the show. Ben Carr (Barry Keoghan) and Bill Gundy (Nick Offerman) arrive at the bar. Ben begs Bill to go and he says bars just bring bad news, so he’s going home, but Ben can stay if he wants. He decides to stay as it will give him an opportunity to bond with the others. Thunderjack (Dacre Montgomery) and Sweet Tea (Zoey Deutch) are sitting by themselves in a booth, smiling at each others. The Bruiser Brothers (Tom Hopper and Alan Richtson) are at the bar with Clem (Paul Walter Hauser). Ben is looking for Loto (Cooper Andrews). He seems like a cool guy to hang out with. Loto grabs ahold of Dicky (Paul Rust) and he honestly asks him to watch him tonight and Sanders says he understands and he will. Ben starts a conversation by buying Loto a beer that he gladly accepts. Sweet Tea gets on Thunderjack’s side and she says this place is lame and they should go somewhere else. He agrees and they leave holding each other’s hands. Dicky asks the Bruisers and Clem if they've seen Ricky around and they say he is probably at home. Dicky doesn't buy this and leaves the bar.

Ricky is seen driving with the windows down and rock music blasting. He arrives at his destination, the diner where Shirley works. When he walks in, they make eye contact and smile at each other.

Smash cut to them once again hooking up in his car. Afterwards, Ricky opens up to her about his decision to join APW. He says that his wife just doesn't understand as she can't look at the big picture. While Shirley is obviously bummed to hear that he would be moving to another part of the country, she is excited that he is going to raise his profile and maybe the Ricky Santana Fan Club will gain a few more members. On the road outside the diner, Dicky's car drives by and he spots Santana's car - telling him everything he needs to know.

On their private date, Tea tells Thunderjack that this should help for their on-screen chemistry. He asks what about their real-life chemistry? She points out that they're basically the same thing, dummy. She goes to kiss him but he holds back, momentarily, pointing out that her brother will kill him if he catches a scent of this. Tea points out that he has the Bruiser Brothers in his corner now and that's all he needs. They commence their first kiss, cementing their real-life chemistry.

At the bar, the night is waning down and everyone is several beers in. Loto, Ben, and the Bruisers tell their own respective stories about coming from wrestling families - kayfabe be damned. Loto, in particular, talks about the Samoan legacy in wrestling and, very drunk, opens up about his own worries about the shorter life expectancy for Samoans - especially Samoan wrestlers. Ben, a self-proclaimed lightweight (both in wrestling and in beer-drinking), says he has to tap out for the night as he has reached his limits. Loto, already doubling Ben's beer count, can do no such thing. The Bruiser Brothers ask him if he wants to hitch a ride with them but he says he's going to stick around a bit longer.

Diane, up late in the middle of the night, is restless in bed. She gets up and goes to the phonebook and calls an acquaintance of Roy's. She asks about the logistics of booking the Astrodome.

On his way back from spying on Santana, Dicky arrives back at the bar to find that everyone has left. However, as he is leaving, he notices something in the alley. When he goes to investigate, he finds Loto face-down and passed out, his head resting in a puddle of his own vomit. Dicky's shoulders slump in defeat. He tries to lift Loto up before calling for a stranger's help to carry his weight over to Dicky's car. Dicky drives with the radio off, clearly sobered by the guilt of leaving Loto unattended to.

 Showtime - Laredo
Genre: Drama / Comedy / Sports
Executive Producer: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Chad Taylor & Mo Buck

Cast:
Barry Keoghan .... Ben Carr
Joe Manganiello .... Ricky Santana
Dacre Montgomery .... Thunderjack Haynes
Nick Offerman .... Bill Gundy
Cooper Andrews .... Loto the Evil Islander
Paul Walter Hauser .... "Slim" Clem Sanders
Zoey Deutch .... Sweet Tea
Anna Gunn .... Diane Brown
Clayne Crawford .... Brad "The Superior" Wolfe
Tom Hopper .... Tom Jackson
Alan Ritchson .... Don Jackson
Paul Rust .... "Loudmouth" Dicky Sanders
Pedro Pascal .... Oscar "The Blue Tiger" Sanchez

Plot: The next TCW show is set for Laredo, their southernmost tour spot. Being right on the Mexican border, this also one of their most Hispanic fanbases. As such, Diane (Anna Gunn) wants to make a blockbuster match for her "Hispanic" star Ricky Santana (Joe Mangianello). She gets in contact with Federacion de Lucha Libre, a top Mexican promotion, to bring in their top star Oscar "The Blue Tiger" Sanchez to face Ricky. FLL want this to be an exchange so she offers Clem Sanders (Paul Walter Hauser) but they say they want Thunderjack Haynes (Dacre Montgomery). Diane is hesitant as she is protective of Thunderjack but she accepts. She meets with Thunderjack and tells him he will need to be traveling to Monterrey for an FLL show. He asks if Tea (Zoey Deutch) can come with and Diane says yes.

On the road, Dicky (Paul Rust) tells Loto (Cooper Andrews) that he needs to make a detour. Loto is annoyed by this but Dicky is not having much of it, considering the state he found Loto in the night before. Plus, this will be to the benefit of the both of them in the long run. He gives a mischievous smile while Loto shakes his head, knowing Dicky is up to some shit. Their car pulls up to Shirley's diner, just as she is getting off of work. She drives to her apartment, with Dicky and Loto following. When she gets home, she relaxes and looks at a poster of Ricky on her wall, smiling as she would on a crush. She then goes to her typewriter to start her latest newsletter, presumably to talk about the bombshell of Santana planning to leave TCW. Dicky tells Loto to wait in the car, he needs to do something. He knocks on Shirley’s door and he presents himself. She says he needs no introduction, she knows who he is, she just wants to know why is he in her apartment. Dicky asks her if she likes Ricky Santana and Shirley says that she’s a fan. Dicky her to cut the shit. He knows about her affair with Ricky and he could ruin both their lives. Shirley asks him what she can do to prevent that and he asks to reveal what’s Ricky’s little secret. Shirley reveals Ricky received an offer from APW. Shirley says she’ll hold her end of the bargain, he needs to hold his. Dicky mischievously smiles and says it won’t be a problem.

The others make it to Laredo early and start to plan out matches. Brad (Clayne Crawford) asks where Tea is and Diane tells him that Thunderjack and Tea are traveling to Monterrey for a show. He is angry at her for doing this but she calls him into her office and tells him the news before anyone else: they’re going to the Astrodome. As they have been, Ben (Barry Keoghan) and Bill (Nick Offerman) continue their series against Tom (Tom Hopper) and Don (Alan Ritchson) Jackson, which is playing well in every city they go to. Oscar Sanchez (Pedro Pascal) arrives, already wearing his Blue Tiger mask to protect his identity. Oscar walks with a pep in his step and goes to meet Ricky, speaking in Spanish as he does. Ricky stumbles through his response, with Spanish being his second language. Oscar jumps on this like a predator to an injured prey, immediately questioning Ricky's hispanic heritage. Ricky grows red but defensive, aware that Oscar's assumptions are true as he and Roy conceived this character to appeal to Hispanic fans. He's really an Italian-American. He plays it off but you can tell this has shaken his confidence. Brad, facing his own mid-life crisis, walks by and pokes fun at Santana's embarrassment. Dicky laughs at Ricky, thinking about everything he knows about him and how he can use it to its advantage.
Brad comes back from his match against Clem. He warns Ricky that this is a tough crowd, but Ricky reminds him that it is always a tough crowd for Wolfe, everybody hates him. Wolfe says that just means he’s good at his job. It is now time for the main event. The Blue Tiger makes his way to the ring to a standing ovation. Diane tells him that it’s going to be a tough crowd out there for Ricky, but she wishes him luck.

The match starts off strong and Ricky does his trademark moves to get the crowd behind him, to no avail. Despite his apparent desire to win the crowd over, they just seem to be behind Sanchez no matter what. Sanchez hits a series of high-flying move to get the crowd back into it. Ricky notices it’s a lost cause for him, so he calls an audible in the ring, so he acts as a heel in the match. Sanchez agrees to the change of direction, on the condition that he comes out on top. Santana accepts and he tries to rip Sanchez’s mask off. The crowd gets behind his attitude change and it looks like they found their footing for the rest of the match.

Thunderjack sits in the corner of the locker room in Monterray with Sweet Tea next to him. He looks upset and she tries to calm him down. He says he just needs to get the hell out of here and she follows him.

Santana jukes Sanchez, but The Blue Tiger hits him with his finisher, out of nowhere for the win. He celebrates in the crowd as Santana retreats in the locker room. He waits for Sanchez to arrive and he says it was really nice working with him. Sanchez compliments him too and before they enter the locker room, Santana reveals to Sanchez that’s he’s not truly Hispanic, he’s just Italian-American. Sanchez says he likes that he’s honest and he enjoyed wrestling with him, his secret is safe with him. Diane welcomes them in the locker room, where they receive a standing ovation for their excellent match.

Thunderjack is back at the hotel, He’s still mad that people made fun of him because he couldn’t wrestler. He asks Sweet Tea if it’s really what he is, a laughing stock and Sweet Tea says it doesn’t care what other people think. She says she liked it when he was dominating his opponent in the ring. Thunderjack asks her is she’s serious and she says she is. He leans forwards and kisses her. They share an embrace and end up having sex on the bed.

 Showtime - The Jacksons
Genre: Drama / Comedy / Sports
Executive Producer: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Chad Taylor & Mo Buck

Cast:
Barry Keoghan .... Ben Carr
Joe Manganiello .... Ricky Santana
Dacre Montgomery .... Thunderjack Haynes
Nick Offerman .... Bill Gundy
Cooper Andrews .... Loto the Evil Islander
Paul Walter Hauser .... "Slim" Clem Sanders
Zoey Deutch .... Sweet Tea
Anna Gunn .... Diane Brown
Clayne Crawford .... Brad "The Superior" Wolfe
Tom Hopper .... Tom Jackson
Alan Ritchson .... Don Jackson
Paul Rust .... "Loudmouth" Dicky Sanders
Toby Huss .... Paul Martin
Treat Williams .... Malachi Jackson

Plot: Tom (Tom Hopper) and Don (Alan Ritchson) Jackson are walking around in a cemetery. The sky is grey and it starts to rain. Soaking wet, the two brothers stop in front of a tombstone and start to cry in each other’s arms. The grave reads Ron Jackson. They place a now ruined bouquet of flowers on the grave and bid his farewell. They head to a local bar to drink their sorrows before their match this evening.

Thunderjack (Dacre Montgomery) and Sweet Tea (Zoey Deutch) reunite with their colleagues in the locker room. Diane (Anna Gunn) asks them how it went, she heard that he had a good reaction. Sweet Tea says he doesn’t want to talk about it. Two of the locker room veterans, Loto (Cooper Andrews) and Clem Sanders (Paul Walter Hauser) isolate Thunderjack in the locker room and they want him to tell them what really happened down in Mexico. He says they ridiculed him because he couldn’t wrestle and Loto says it’s a different product down there and he’s going to do just fine here. He thanks for them for their support. Not far away, Dicky (Paul Rust) grabs a hold of Brad Wolfe (Clayne Crawford) and points out to him how Thunderjack and his sister seem closer ever since they got back from Mexico. Brad says he’s right and reaches over to his sister to ask her what happened. She’s distant and doesn’t seem to want to answer the question, indicating that something definitely happened. He goes to Diane to complain. She says there’s nothing she can do stop two young souls to love each other. He suggests that she could split them up, but Diane thinks they make a good pair. She reminds him that she’s the boss around here and she calls the shots. However, her door remains open for him.

Tom and Don are drinking at a local bar when a fan recognizes them. He points out that they don’t look too good. They remember that they have to keep up the act in public, so they try to act tough, even though, deep down, they are immensely sad. They decide to leave when the fan starts to be a drag. They do their signature pose in the doorway on their way out to please the fan, but you can see they aren’t into it. They leave for the arena.

Dicky waits by the door and when Ricky (Joe Mangianello) arrives, he immediately follows him to a corner. Ricky asks him what Dicky wants and Dicky whispers that he knows about Shirley. He wonders what Nadine and his boys would say if they learn their father slept with a fan. He can smell a divorce from here. It wouldn’t do a lot of good for his finances either, she stays at home and take care of the kids, she doesn’t have money. He bets she would milk him down to his last cent. He orders Dicky to mind his own business, he could knock him out right here if he’d like. Dicky knows he won’t do that, it would arise suspicions, but you know what Ricky could do to prevent all of this? He asks Ricky to drop the title to Loto at the Astrodome. Ricky says he would never do that, but Dicky also knows he got an offer from APW. It would be a shame if Diane knew, right? Ricky says Dicky is a twisted individual and walks away, saying he will do it, but he will watch Dicky and make sure he holds on to his end of the bargain.

Since they are in the hometown of the Bruiser Brothers, Diane tells them that they will be in the main event that night. Ben (Barry Keoghan) overhears this and is giddy at main-eventing a show but Bill (Nick Offerman) calms him down, pointing out the circumstances of why they are in the main event. Ben puts his head down and says he understands. When he goes out to set up the ring, he notices that Tea is out there as well. He tells her she doesn't need to do that. She says she is just as new as him and she wants to pay her dues in the industry. He says Brad would be pissed if he knew she were out here. She shrugs her shoulders and says she's grateful that she got him the job but she's getting annoyed by how controlling her is. Ben can empathize - he says he feels the same way about how Bill acts towards him at times, like a protective parent. They bond over having came to the company at the same time and ponder why Thunderjack doesn't have to be out here doing this work. Tea tells him Thunderjack is Diane's favorite. Ben says he thinks she has...a different favorite. Tea does not understand what he is referring to.

In her office, Diane is told she has a phone call. She picks up and learns that Paul Martin (Toby Huss) is on the line. Paul Martin is head of Martin Wrestling Association out of Atlanta, a family business for the last 40 years and the second biggest promotion in the U.S. Diane says this call was unexpected. Paul tells her that he's heard rumblings that APW is making moves and is looking to go national. Their plan to cherry-pick the top stars from various territories and effectively end the territory system. So he has to be on the defensive: what if MWA teams up with various other promotions to form an alliance to share stars and prevent APW dominating the American wrestling scene. He's already got Sun Belt Wrestling out of Memphis on board. After sitting in a prolonged silence, staring at the calendar on her wall, she tells him she'll have to decline. TCW has a big Astrodome show coming up and she is confident that this will propel them in a prime position to challenge APW on the national level. She doesn't play for second place. The answer is no. After hanging up, she smiles to herself.

In the main event, the Bruiser Brothers get a rapturous reaction from the crowd in their match against Ben and Bill. As they make their entrance, they notice there is only one person (Treat Williams) in the front row not standing or cheering. They stay focused on their match and act as if they don't see him. The teams have developed excellent chemistry at this point and they tear the house down once again. Near the climax of the match, they set up for a three-person move that they would usually do with Ron. Realizing they accidentally did this, they become lost in their train of thought and the match stalls. Bill, who is the ring with them, calls the match on the fly and works towards a finish that sees the Bruiser Brothers win - leading to an explosion of cheers from the crowd. As he pins him, Tom whispers "thank you" to Bill. Afterwards, Tom and Don leap the guardrail and go to the man who was sitting. They all show emotion for the first time as they hug and cry, in remembrance of Ron.

When they return to the locker room, everyone is patting them on the backs. They introduce the locker room to Malachi Jackson, himself a 50s wrestling star and father to three talented triplet wrestlers. Malachi gives them a pep-talk about how well their show went and the momentum the promotion seems to be building. Diane enters with a bag in her hands and says that she has an announcement to make. Because the Best-of-7 series is now even, The Bruiser Brothers and Carr & Gundy need to have their blow-off match on a big stage. And so this match will take place in the Astrodome to crown...*she pulls golden belts out of the bag* the first ever TCW Tag Team Champions.

 Showtime - Brawl
Genre: Drama / Comedy / Sports
Executive Producer: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Chad Taylor & Mo Buck

Cast:
Barry Keoghan .... Ben Carr
Joe Manganiello .... Ricky Santana
Dacre Montgomery .... Thunderjack Haynes
Nick Offerman .... Bill Gundy
Cooper Andrews .... Loto the Evil Islander
Paul Walter Hauser .... "Slim" Clem Sanders
Zoey Deutch .... Sweet Tea
Anna Gunn .... Diane Brown
Clayne Crawford .... Brad "The Superior" Wolfe
Tom Hopper .... Tom Jackson
Alan Ritchson .... Don Jackson
Paul Rust .... "Loudmouth" Dicky Sanders
Lake Bell .... Nadine
Mark Boone Junior .... Biker

Plot: Following the news that TCW will be going to the Astrodome, “Slim” Clem Sanders (Paul Walter Hauser) walks up to Diane (Anna Gunn) and he asks her if she has any big plans for him for the Astrodome show. She says he’s currently booked to face Brad Wolfe (Clayne Crawford) and lose, again. He gets everyone’s attention and he announces everyone that the Astrodome event will be his last wrestling match. He’s retiring from the business that is clearly not for him. It makes him immensely sad to take this decision, but he feels like he’s making the right choice. It’s been in the back of his mind for a while now and he thinks that it’s the perfect opportunity to go out. Diane says that they will stop in San Antonio before heading to Houston and everyone is allowed to go out and drink for Clem’s departure. Ricky (Joe Manganiello) walks up to Clem and gives him a warm hug. He tells him he won’t be able to make it, he’ll head home to his wife and kids. He reminds Clem that he’s a good guy and wishes him luck for what’s next. Loto (Cooper Andrews) also bids farewell to his old friend, promising they’ll keep in touch. He won’t go to the bar, everyone knows what will happen if he does. In the corner, Ben (Barry Keoghan) asks Bill (Nick Offerman) if they’ll go and Bill says he’ll make an exception to his no-bar rule before Clem is leaving and he likes Clem, he’s a good guy.

Ricky is back in San Antonio with his wife Nadine (Lake Bell). She’s making dinner for her two boys when Ricky comes back home. They share a kiss and Ricky says he has something to tell her. He knows she doesn’t agree with it, but for him and his family’s benefit, he decided to accept APW’s offer. Nadine can’t believe it. She says she’s had enough about him and his selfish tendencies. She never sees him and his boys barely know they have a father. She says things are over between them and Ricky argues that they could try to work this out. Nadine reminds him that she barely sees him now and he only works around Texas, imagine what it’ll be like once he wrestles all around the country. She’s crying now and she asks him to leave and to never come back. She’ll send him the divorce paper, he’ll sign them whenever he has to time to think about his family. She pushes Ricky out of his home and locks the door behind him. Ricky gets in his car and leaves.

Dicky (Paul Rust) is in a hotel room with Loto. His protegee asks him if he’s tired of always losing to Ricky and Dicky says the tables have turned now. Loto doesn’t understand what he means by that. He just feels like he’s tired of losing and he doesn’t think sticking with TCW is what’s best for him. Dicky says that’s where he’s wrong, he’ll win the title at the Astrodome. Loto doesn’t believe him, he’s just saying it to raise his morale, but Dicky says he’ll definitely win. Loto wishes him luck selling that idea to Diane, but Dicky says Diane doesn’t need to know. Loto asks Dicky what he’s been up to and he says he doesn’t want to get into details, but he has an arrangement with Ricky to drop to title to Loto at the Astrodome. Loto asks Dicky what he did, but he doesn’t want to say much. They celebrate their future title win and Dicky tells Loto that he’s going to be the star of TCW.

Diane, dressed in business attire, goes to ritzy San Antonio restaurant to have dinner with Leonard (ACTOR), an executive at a national TV network. She gives him the pitch on Texas Championship Wrestling, including their Astrodome showcase show. Leonard is particularly impressed with Santana, who he could see becoming a TV star. Diane is very pleased to hear this. Leonard tells her that he will go to the Astrodome show to see it firsthand.

At the bar, the wrestlers make a toast to Clem before he leaves the company. Brad looks on, seething, as Thunderjack (Dacre Montgomery) hits on Tea (Zoey Deutch). It is Bill's turn to toast Clem and he is boisterous about it. In the background, we see the biker (Mark Boone Junior) who Bill embarrassed the last time they were in San Antonio. He promptly leaves the bar.

Santana drives by the bar everyone is headed to but passes it up to go to Shirley's apartment, instead. Shirley (Sofia D'Elia Black) is surprised to see him there and tells him about Dicky coming to harass her. He tells her he knows as Dicky approached him as well. But he has more important news: he told Nadine he accepted APW's offer and she kicked him out. She says she's sorry, knowing this separates him from his kids. Ricky then tells her he has a wild plan: she move to New York with him. She is taken aback by this. He tells her that she reach more readers with her newsletter and have access to what is about to be the biggest pro wrestling company in the world. Plus...she gets to be with Ricky Santana! After mulling it over, she accepts and they kiss.

Back at the bar, everyone is still having a good time when the biker re-enters, this time with the rest of his gang. They take Bill by surprise and attack him six-on-one. He tries to fight back but this does not work. His fellow wrestlers are quick to react in different ways. Brad, seeing this as a way to redeem himself after failing to protect Tea from the bikers the first time, is quick to Bill's aid. His old buddies the Bruiser Brothers are right behind him. Thunderjack, afraid of conflict, dips out to the bathroom - hoping he isn't seen. However, Ben notices this and sees that it has left Tea unprotected (in the presence of the people who harassed her). He rushes over to her and offers to escort her out. Meanwhile, the bar is in all-out chaos as everyone is fighting everywhere used pool sticks, beer bottles, stools, you name it. The wrestlers end up winning it and chasing the bikers out of the bar. However, it has come at a cost: Bill looks down to a knife his thigh. The Bruiser Brothers tell him he needs to get help right away but he says he's fine. Ben sees this and won't take no for an answer - he'll drive Bill to the ER. They ask who should tell Diane and Brad offers that he will.

When he gets home, he is surprised to find Diane there waiting for him with champagne. She tells him they are about to land a TV deal and so she's in a celebratory mood and wanted to share. He shrugs his shoulders and smiles.

As Diane and Brad lay undressed in bed, he tells her it is convenient that she is here, actually. He's got...some news for her. She looks optimistically nervous. So they were at the bar...

 Showtime - Astrodome
Genre: Drama / Comedy / Sports
Executive Producer: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Chad Taylor & Mo Buck

Cast:
Barry Keoghan .... Ben Carr
Joe Manganiello .... Ricky Santana
Dacre Montgomery .... Thunderjack Haynes
Nick Offerman .... Bill Gundy
Cooper Andrews .... Loto the Evil Islander
Paul Walter Hauser .... "Slim" Clem Sanders
Zoey Deutch .... Sweet Tea
Anna Gunn .... Diane Brown
Clayne Crawford .... Brad "The Superior" Wolfe
Tom Hopper .... Tom Jackson
Alan Ritchson .... Don Jackson
Paul Rust .... "Loudmouth" Dicky Sanders
Sofia Black-D'Elia .... Shirley
Toby Huss .... Paul Martin

Plot: People are slowly filling seats in the Astrodome, here in Houston, Texas. The crowd is calm, but excited to see their favorite TCW superstars in action tonight. Diane Brown (Anna Gunn) set her office upstairs. She looks at people getting to their seats. “The Superior” Brad Wolfe (Clayne Crawford) is with her. She confides in him that ticket sales were underwhelming and she ended up giving them for free in local stores so it would look they are able to fill the Astrodome. She asks Brad if they’re going to be able to pull this off and survive in the wrestling scene and Brad says they’ll tear the house down and will thrive and rise to the top in no time, thanks to their fearless leader. He plants a kiss on her lips and she reminds him she doesn’t want them to express their feelings when at work and they head downstairs to the locker room.

If we can say it’s calm in the arena, the same can’t be said in the locker room. Everyone is gathered around Bill Gundy (Nick Offerman) who keeps saying her can perform tonight despite the injury he sustained. Ricky Santana (Joe Manganiello), however, sits in a corner, alone, focused. Dicky Ray (Paul Rust) and Loto (Cooper Andrews) sit next to him, one on each side. Loto asks him he’s ready to do it and Ricky says he’ll go through. Dicky asks if he told anyone and he didn’t. It will shock everyone and it’s perfect that way. Diane enters the locker room and goes to see what’s getting everyone’s attention. She sees Gundy’s injury and she starts to freak out. Ben Carr (Barry Keoghan) ask her if she knew about it and she says she doesn’t. Ben is now mad at Brad who was supposed to tell her, but Diane says that all Brad told her was that he saved the day at the bar. The Bruiser Brothers (Alan Ritchson and Tom Hopper) are quick to say they were the ones who gave the wrestlers the upper hand and Diane puts an end to the chaos. The show is running late and the tag team match was supposed to go first and that’s out of the question. Bill continues to argue and he says it will take more than a deep cut on his thigh to prevent him from wrestling. She says there’s no way he heads out there like that. She has decided that he won’t wrestle, so he won’t. He looks at her in the eyes and he tells her he’s disappointed in her decision. The whole mood is down in the locker room and the crowd is getting impatient. She makes a change to the card on the spot. She looks at Sweet Tea (Zoey Deutch) and Thunderjack (Dacre Montgomery) all over each other in the corner and she says they’re out first. She points at Ben and she says he’s Thunderjack’s opponent. He’s nervous and so is Thunderjack. Before they head out, he tells Thunderjack to follow his lead and they’ll be good.

Thunderjack and Sweet Tea make their way to the ring to a good reaction. The crowd is unsure how to react to Ben Carr going out alone. The match starts slowly. Thunderjack isn’t the most agile and quick wrestler and Ben must adjust his style. Ben remembers everything his father and brother thought him. He guides Thunderjack throughout the match and the crowd gets behind them. We see a quick montage of the best bits of the match and Thunderjack comes out on top, in the end. When they get back to the locker room, everyone is quick to congratulate them and tell them they were exceptional out there. Thunderjack takes all the credit for their match. Ben goes over to Bill to rent that he called the match from start to finish and he should get the credit and Sweet Tea calls Thunderjack out to give some credit to Ben because he really made him look good and Thunderjack says he needs to think about his career first. Diane briefly enters and tells Thunderjack that the crowd is still chanting his name and to go out for a brief curtain call. She can’t hold back a smile, knowing she has a star on her hand.

Brad has his match with Clem, which is a showcase for Brad. The crowd is not told that it is Clem’s last match but when he gets to the back, everyone congratulates him. The evening is going great and the locker room is buzzing. For the first time in a long time, TCW feels like it could really be something.

It comes time for the main event. Loto and Dicky make their entrance, to tens of thousands of people booing. He is hated but mainly because who he is pitted against. When Ricky makes his interest, this becomes obvious. While Thunderjack is a star of the future, Ricky Santana is the star of now. He drinks this in and looks out in the crowd to spot Shirley (Sofia D’Elia Black), which he does.

The two of them are complete pros and so the match is one of TCW’s best in a long time. The audience is eating out of the palm of their hand. When Dicky interferes, the crowd is heated but then quickly elated when the referee throws him out. This Ricky’s chance for a comeback. He hits all of his signature moves and builds up to the Stargazer, his finishing move. However, he ends up accidentally running Loto into the referee, ruining his chance to make the pin. During this time, Dicky comes from the crowd and hits Santana with a steel chair. He comically tries to dead-lift Loto up and then tries to snap some sense into him. After he does, he motions to Loto to go to the second rope and hit him with a Loto Bomb. He hits him with the devasting splash and goes for the cover while the referee regains consciousness. One. Two. The crowd is ready to leap to their feet. Three?

A stunned silence shrouds the Astrodome with occasional boos sprinkled throughout. In the back, Diane has turned red, also stunned into silence. She looks furiously over to Brad who shrugs, implying that he doesn’t know anything about it. Dicky runs into the ring with the belt and begins leaping around in celebration. The ring announcer announces that the winner and NEW Texas Championship Wrestling World Champion...LOTO THE EVIL ISLANDER!! Now that the news is settling in, the place is full of boos, which is an odd note to end the company’s mega-show.

When he arrives in the back, all eyes are on Santana. When he runs into Diane, things come to a head. He tells her his time here has been great but he’s on to bigger and better things. She tells him “don’t even say it” as she tries to anticipate the next three letters to come out of his mouth. A. P. W. She is fuming and calls for security to escort him out of the building. She storms off back to her office, where Brad tries to follow but she says she needs some alone time. When Loto arrives backstage, everyone is actually happy for him because he is so well-liked.

Leonard, the TV executive, enters Diane’s office and asks what the hell went on with that last match. Santana is their big star, why did he look like such a geek out there? She is brutally honest with him and tells him Santana just quit. He tells her “I think you know what my answer is” and she shakes her head in acceptance. After he leaves, she sits in silence for a few beats. She then picks up her phone and makes a call.

On the other line, Paul Martin (Toby Huss) says he was ready for this call. She asks him if he watched the show and he says he did. APW?, he asks. She affirms. She asks him if the offer to form an alliance is still on the table. He affirms. She says that she is ready to accept. He tells her it’s about to be a whole new ballgame.

Diane looks nervously out to her locker room, unsure of what is to come next.