The clippers are buzzing again—Barbershop is officially headed back to the small screen.
Prime Video has handed a series order to Barbershop, a fresh television adaptation of the beloved film franchise, with comedian and actor Jermaine Fowler tapped to lead. The new series had been quietly brewing since last fall and was officially announced during Amazon’s upfront presentation in New York.
The upcoming series centers on Travis “Trav” Porter (Fowler), a young man trying to fill the shoes of his grandfather, a legendary barber at the iconic Calvin’s Barbershop in Chicago. While the barbers may be new, the energy is just as vibrant—the debates are still loud, the laughs even louder, and the fades remain some of the freshest in the city. Because Calvin’s has always been more than a barbershop—it’s a cultural cornerstone.
Marshall Todd, who co-wrote the original 2002 Barbershop movie, is back to write and executive produce the series. He’ll share showrunning duties with Max Searle (Dave, The Sex Lives of College Girls), who also serves as executive producer. Kevin Hart, Bryan Smiley, and Mike Stein executive produce under Hartbeat, joined by Bradley Gardner, Cameron Burnett, and Autumn Bailey-Ford of Prominent Productions, with Tiffany Brown on board as co-executive producer. The series is produced by Amazon MGM Studios and State Street Pictures.
“We are thrilled to announce a new series based on the hilarious and innovative world of Barbershop for our global Prime Video customers,” said Vernon Sanders, Amazon MGM Studios’ head of television. “The television adaptation of this iconic film franchise is in excellent hands.”
The Barbershop franchise kicked off in 2002 with Ice Cube as Calvin and quickly became a pop culture staple. It spawned two sequels—Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004) and Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016)—as well as the spinoff film Beauty Shop (2005) starring Queen Latifah. Altogether, the films grossed more than $235 million worldwide while capturing the soul, spirit, and social pulse of Black communities. As for TV, this isn’t the first time Barbershop has made the jump to TV. Back in 2005, Showtime aired a short-lived sitcom spin-off starring Omar Gooding as Calvin. Though it only ran for one season, the attempt proved there was appetite to expand the world of Calvin’s beyond the silver screen. Now, nearly two decades later, Prime Video is giving the franchise another shot—this time with updated clippers and a new generation of voices.
Fowler brings a long list of credits to the role, including Ricky Stanicky, Coming 2 America, Sorry to Bother You, and Judas and the Black Messiah. On the TV side, he’s appeared in Superior Donuts, Friends of the People, and the FX limited series A Murder at the End of the World. He’ll also star in the upcoming Tracy Morgan comedy Crutch and Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building.
Amazon’s new Barbershop series is one of several MGM properties being revived following its $8.5 billion acquisition of the storied studio. Other series in the works include a Legally Blonde prequel titled Elle, a Carrie reboot, and a Tomb Raider drama.
Calvin’s is back—and this time, it’s got a streaming-era edge.