If you wish “The Sopranos” had included more women and people of color onscreen — and had doubled down on Carmela’s fierce manicures — your dream has come true. The Niecy Nash-starring TNT dramedy “Claws” has a trailer and a premiere date.
From showrunner Janine Sherman Barrois and executive produced by “Celeste and Jesse Forever” writers Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, “Claws” is set in South Florida and follows “the rise of five diverse and treacherous manicurists,” the official synopsis details.
“At the center is salon owner Desna (Nash, ‘Scream Queens’), who lives with and cares for her mentally ill twin brother, Dean (Harold Perrineau, ‘The Best Man Holiday’). Desna’s staff includes best friend Jennifer (Jenn Lyon, ‘Justified’), a tenuously sober ex-party girl raising two children from previous relationships; Quiet Ann (Judy Reyes, ‘Jane the Virgin’), Desna’s enigmatic driver who also provides security for the salon; Polly (Carrie Preston, ‘The Good Fight’), a mild-mannered preppy who recently served time in prison for identity theft; and Virginia (Karrueche Tran, ‘The Nice Guys’), who makes no effort to hide her boredom and impatience with her job.”
We’re pleased to report that the “Claws” spot gives us a glimpse of everything we could have wanted from the series. There are pledges of sisterhood, confident struts, alligator fights, a worthy villain (“Breaking Bad’s” Dean Norris), and a lot of bad-ass nails. Plus, there’s this exchange:
“Y’all got some real idiots up in here,” a customer observes.
“Baby, it’s what we do,” Desna replies with a laugh. To which Polly adds, “Biggest export after oranges.”
Sherman Barrois previously wrote for “The Jamie Foxx Show,” “ER,” and “Criminal Minds.” She also served as executive producer on the latter two.
Jones is best known for her acting roles in “Parks and Recreation” and “Angie Tribeca.” She is also a producer of projects like the upcoming “Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On,” “Angie Tribeca,” “Hot Girls Wanted,” and “A to Z.” She co-wrote one of the new episodes of “Black Mirror,” “Nosedive,” with her “Parks” showrunner Michael Schur. Jones and McCormack are also credited as the writers of “Toy Story 4,” slated for 2019.
“Claws” debuts June 11 on TNT.
