'Playing for Keeps': Release date, plot, cast and all you need to know about the show on footballers' WAGs

The eight-part series is a fresh, contemporary and glamorous murder mystery set on the sidelines of professional football
UPDATED FEB 6, 2020
Madeleine West, Annie Maynard, Cecelia Peters and Olympia Valance (IMDb)
Madeleine West, Annie Maynard, Cecelia Peters and Olympia Valance (IMDb)

After making waves in Australia, 'Playing for Keeps', described as "murder mystery dramedy" is set to premiere on Sundance Now. The eight-part series is a fresh, contemporary and glamorous murder mystery set on the sidelines of professional football. But here is the catch. The narrative is framed from the unique perspective of the footballers' wives. It is part of Sundance Now's programming that brings "engrossing true crime, heart-stopping dramas and fiercely intelligent thrillers from around the world". 

Release date

'Playing for Keeps' premieres on Sundance Now on February 20, 2020 for American audience.

Plot

The series tagline is "Fame. Fortune. Celebrity. Murder. What does it take to survive as a footballer’s wife?" The series focus steals away from the grandstands and locker rooms to where the real action is -- the red carpets, the beauty salons and the designer bedrooms. The show, a bit like 'Ballers', will concentrate on the personal rather than the professional. Instead of the players, the ones under the spotlight will be the real power players: the wives and girlfriends of the players for the fictional Southern Jets Football Club. In the vein of 'Gossip Girl', it will revolve around love, power, and status of these wealthy women and their men. The death of a team member will add the murder element to this potent mix. According to the show's description, the series is a "bold, brassy and dangerous drama" that depicts the lives of the rich and famous in a world full of lies, scandals, and murder.

Cast

Madeleine West, Annie Maynard, and Olympia Valance in 'Playing for Keeps' (IMDb)

Madeleine West, Annie Maynard, Olympia Valance, Cecelia Peters and Isabella Giovinazzo star in 'Playing for Keeps'.

Creator 

The series was created from a concept by Rick Maier, the head of drama for Network 10, an Australian network channel.

Trailer



 

The trailer shows the new girlfriend of a player on the team suddenly being introduced to the rarified world of the footballers' WAGs (wives and girlfriends). She is obviously unprepared for it compared to the other WAGs who look all polished and sophisticated. There is the mandatory makeover of course. But it doesn't help when she makes her first red carpet appearance and is cruelly subjected to mean comments after she goes "viral". We see lots of behind-the-scenes sex, lies and scandals before they are overshadowed by the death of a team member that could be a murder. 

Where to watch

After the premiere on February 20 on Sundance Now, the streaming platform will add new episodes every Thursday.

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