It’s a jovial mood at Detroit’s Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, where three dozen cast members and support staff of the television series South West High are gathered. Even though the series wrapped up filming several weeks ago, the creators Dennis Reed, Ty Mopkins, and Jalen Rose brought the cast back together to shoot promotional clips, photos, and just have fun. Actresses Brooklyn “Queen” Oates and Diamond Sanderfield are making TikTok videos, singer and actress Towanda Braxton is playfully telling Rose that she can beat him in basketball, actor Stevie Baggs Jr. is chasing his toddler son around the stage, and boxing legend Thomas Hearns stops by for a visit.
“It was important for all of us to come together and be a family again because a lot of times when you do a project, the project comes out, and you guys are never in the same place at the same time,” Rose tells the group from the auditorium’s stage. “It means a lot as a family for you guys to pull up the way you’ve done and we’re going to make sure we do our best to make sure this is definitely going to be a success.”
Since his days as a standout prep basketball player at Southwestern High School and his three seasons at the University of Michigan, Rose has been one of Detroit’s proudest sons, going on to play 13 seasons in the NBA, embarking on a successful broadcasting career, and opening the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (JRLA) in northwest Detroit in 2011. Along the way he’s been a friend to Detroit’s hip-hop community and a sideline fixture at both Detroit Pistons and Detroit Lions games.
“The unique thing about me as a public figure is that I never moved,” he says. “So what happens for a city like Detroit, and I say this humbly — when you’re watching a Lions game and the people they may show at the game don’t necessarily live here. So a lot of times that becomes the disconnect.”
Jalen Rose. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Jalen-Rose015.jpg?fit=300%2C205&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Jalen-Rose015.jpg?fit=780%2C534&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Jalen-Rose015.jpg?resize=1000%2C684&ssl=1" alt class="wp-image-282507" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Jalen-Rose015.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Jalen-Rose015.jpg?resize=300%2C205&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Jalen-Rose015.jpg?resize=768%2C525&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Jalen-Rose015.jpg?resize=550%2C376&ssl=1 550w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Jalen-Rose015.jpg?resize=800%2C547&ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Jalen-Rose015.jpg?resize=780%2C534&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Jalen-Rose015.jpg?resize=400%2C274&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Jalen-Rose015.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px">
Jalen Rose. Credit: Kahn Santori Davison
But within Rose’s plethora of on and off-the-court achievements, he still had another avenue he wanted to pursue: entertainment. In early 2025 Rose approached longtime friend and Detroit tastemaker Ty Mopkins with the idea to film a scripted series. Rose wanted it to be something that not only spoke to the youth of Detroit, but accurately represented their struggles and beauty to the rest of the world.
“Ty and I were just in the lab thinking about something that we can create that would be something special,” Rose says. “And coincidentally, Ty and I both attended Southwestern High School […] we felt like there was a space for us to do something where we can educate young people but also highlight a lot of the challenges that they needed to overcome.”
The first order of business was financing. Rose wanted a big budget, so he reached out to Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores. He decided to invest in the project, and together they formed a production company called Same Page Entertainment.
“It’s really just a maturation of our relationship,” Rose says. “We’ve been really good friends for over a decade. The Pistons, Platinum Equity, and Tom and his wife Holly have been great supporters of JRLA over the years.”
The next piece was finding the right director. Rose initially wanted to use his industry contacts to reach out to someone in California or New York, but Mopkins suggested native Detroiter Dennis Reed. Over the last decade Reed has filmed over four dozen projects, built a 15-thousand square foot film studio, and has taken a leadership role in Detroit’s independent film community. Reed penned a script using the now-closed Southwestern High School as a muse (school colors and all). Rose transformed parts of the JRLA into film sets, and South West High was brought to life.
Towanda Braxton and Dawn HalfKenny behind the scenes. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Towanda-Braxton-and-Dawn-HalfKenny-behind-the-scenes.-009.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Towanda-Braxton-and-Dawn-HalfKenny-behind-the-scenes.-009.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Towanda-Braxton-and-Dawn-HalfKenny-behind-the-scenes.-009.jpg?resize=1000%2C667&ssl=1" alt class="wp-image-282506" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Towanda-Braxton-and-Dawn-HalfKenny-behind-the-scenes.-009.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Towanda-Braxton-and-Dawn-HalfKenny-behind-the-scenes.-009.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Towanda-Braxton-and-Dawn-HalfKenny-behind-the-scenes.-009.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Towanda-Braxton-and-Dawn-HalfKenny-behind-the-scenes.-009.jpg?resize=550%2C367&ssl=1 550w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Towanda-Braxton-and-Dawn-HalfKenny-behind-the-scenes.-009.jpg?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Towanda-Braxton-and-Dawn-HalfKenny-behind-the-scenes.-009.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Towanda-Braxton-and-Dawn-HalfKenny-behind-the-scenes.-009.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Towanda-Braxton-and-Dawn-HalfKenny-behind-the-scenes.-009.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px">
Towanda Braxton and Dawn HalfKenny behind the scenes. Credit: Kahn Santori Davison
In the series, Rose plays Nolan Thomas, a former NBA player who has been recruited by his two longtime friends and educators, Kelli Tillman (played by Towanda Braxton) and Mason (played by LeMastor Spratling), to return to his alma mater as a principal and revive the family culture that existed when they were students there. Thomas has to find solutions and manage the same issues that schools across the country deal with. There’s low test scores, recreational drug use, teen pregnancy, poverty, gang violence, guns, and a couple of teachers who just don’t care anymore. There’s hidden messages and positive themes, but South West High isn’t a sitcom or an afterschool special — it’s a drama. Rose’s portrayal of Nolan Thomas is much more Joe Clark (Lean on Me) than Mr. Cooper. He’s principal Jefferson Pierce (Black Lighting) minus the superpowers, trying to balance family life with the needs of his students.
Rose admits he didn’t take acting classes, but he’s spent the better part of his life in front of a camera and leaned on his experiences. “I’m an actual educator, and president of the board, so that’s my life 24/7/365,” says Rose. “So I get a chance to be in the trenches day-to-day and see the good bad and ugly things that are happening in public schools in Detroit, and so what we wanted to use this story to do is highlight the many things good bad and ugly the challenges the young people overcome the teachers overcome in an inner city public school dynamic and then play it out in this series.”
Reed put together a strong cast of emerging stars, industry veterans, and Detroit favorites. Anna Maria Horsford (who plays Thomas’s mother) has starred in everything from Amen to Friday, Stevie Baggs Jr. has been a regular in Tyler Perry projects, while Dawn Halfkenny (who plays Thomas’s wife) has been a rising star for the last few years. Local talents Darius Brantley Jr. and Sarah “Chyna” Evalt have been casted, and emcee Royce da’ 5’9” is the show’s music director. Rapper and actor Darnell “Lil Blade” Lindsay Jr. plays a star basketball player, and Brooklyn “Queen” Oates stars as Thomas’s daughter Maize (a nod to U of M).
“In the show, I’m supposed to be in a private school, but I persuade my dad to let me go to the school that, you know, that he’s running . And it gets crazy,” says Oates. “It’s really relatable, whether it’s family issues, family drama, or anything in high school. And we’ve all been through high school.”
“I just believe that this series is going to be a number one series because it really relates to every high school,” adds Braxton.“You know, you have your pros, your cons, your situational situations.”
Reed said the cast jelled pretty quickly, but the biggest challenge was making sure the series stayed PG.
“It was certain things Ty and Jalen wanted that were non-negotiables. One of the things was no cussing, and if you watch any of my stuff, you know we’re cussing and doing the whole nine yards,” Reed says through a hefty laugh.
There are also no explicit sex scenes and no uses of the n-word as Reed, Rose, and Mopkins wanted a project that could transition to network TV and other platforms in the future.
“It literally made me a much better writer,” says Reed. “It made me think outside of just my New York and Detroit bag, you know what I mean? Now I’m writing and thinking, what is this kid in Palm Springs thinking? What are some of the issues that kids really go through in both inner city and suburban neighborhoods?”
The cast and crew of South West High. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Cast-photo1.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Cast-photo1.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Cast-photo1.jpg?resize=1000%2C667&ssl=1" alt class="wp-image-282505" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Cast-photo1.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Cast-photo1.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Cast-photo1.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Cast-photo1.jpg?resize=550%2C367&ssl=1 550w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Cast-photo1.jpg?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Cast-photo1.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Cast-photo1.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.metrotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Cast-photo1.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px">
The cast and crew of South West High. Credit: Kahn Santori Davison
Even with a sturdy budget, the trio made a conscious choice to place South West High on Tubi, as the scrappy streaming network has risen to be a major competitor in the streaming wars and a haven for Black indie filmmakers from Detroit. Since Fox bought Tubi in 2020 for $440 million, its value has risen to $2 billion dollars with more than 100 million monthly viewers. Reed points out that a Tubi series has never won an Emmy Award, and he wants that to change with South West High. Mopkins has told the cast repeatedly that he believes their lives are going to change when this show debuts, and a second season is already in the works.
The first episode will debut Monday, Feb. 23, and four more episodes will air every Monday through March 23. It’s the first time in Tubi’s short history that a series will not release all their episodes on the same day.
The trio is hoping to channel into that old-school nostalgia where fans had to wait a week between episodes. There will also be features from Fox 2’s Maurielle Lue and rappers Skilla Baby and Sada Baby.
Ultimately, Rose says he wants the city to be proud of the series but also eliminate stereotypes and misconceptions about how people view Detroit youth.
“I think people have their own narratives about how they feel schools in Detroit are,” says Rose, “and I kind of think this series exposes that there’s a lot of love here and there are people here that care.”
This article appears in Feb. 18-March 3, 2026.
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