After three seasons, the NBC series Young Rock has been canceled. NBC revealed the Young Rock cancelation along with ‘Grand Crew’ not being renewed.
Deadline notes that season one was the most-watched of Young Rock’s three season run. The third season began in November 2022 and wrapped up this past February.
The show was centered around the life of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and documented the lead up to him getting into the pro wrestling business.
Young Rock was produced by Universal Television, Seven Bucks Production and Fierce Baby Productions. The likes of Becky Lynch, Colt Cabana, Grayson Waller and Luke Hawx guest appeared on the show.
I never thought it was that good nor funny, despite some good performers in the cast. I think this third and final season was its worst.
The main story that framed the series was Rock in 2032 running for POTUS. The second season ended with him not winning, and the third season ended with him wanting to start his own country after successfully brokering a deal with another (fictional) country to supply coffee to the U.S.
On the plus side for IRL Dwayne, he’s back in the Fast & Furious family.
Young rock was a very underrated show. Unfortunately people focused too much on the “adult rock” story lines, which of course were silly, but that was all a storytelling device for adult Rock to tell the stories from his life. Sometimes I wonder if people on social media actually watched, or just read recaps.
The core of the show was the relationship between the rock and his mother and him and his late father, not him running for president or trying to make a deal for coffee beans.
One episode in particular focused on young rock and his dad cleaning a chi-chi’s which was a beautiful episode where the rock reflects on that bonding experience between he and his late father. As someone who lost his father at a younger age, this was an episode I very much related to.
Another element of the show I enjoyed was as much as we as fans hate to admit it, the average non wrestling fan looks at wrestling as white trash entertainment (not saying it is, I’m simply talking the unfortunate perception). To see a show portray wrestling legends like Andre, The Iron Sheik, Pat Patterson etc. in a way that is not that or the dark side of the business was refreshing to see on national TV. I want people to think of wrestling as more then a sleazy business that just consists of fake fighting, overdoses, sexual assaults etc. Young Rock IMO did that.
The more dramatic stories were better. The way they were framed by 2032 Rock wasn’t.
I liked the actress that played his mom, the actors playing three stages of Dwayne, and most of the actors playing past wrestlers. The less said about the show’s version of Vince, the better, though I know Pollock as said plenty. Based on how they’re portrayed, you could tell Rock has a deep love and appreciation for his grandfather, Andre, Pat Patterson, and Downtown Bruno/Harvey Whippleman. Luke Hawx and Colt Cabana made a good Steve Austin and Brooklyn Brawler respectively.