The Get Down star Herizen Guardiola is set to star in the USA Network pilot Dare Me alongside Willa Fitzgerald and Marlo Kelly.

The show, based on the novel by Megan Abbott, is “an unflinching explroation of volatile female friendships, jealousy, loyalty and the dynamics of power in a small Midwestern town,” according to Deadline. The show will dive into the competitive world of high school cheerleading, in which a new coach comes into town, planning to take a school’s team to the top. Meanwhile, a competition of another sort is happening between two best friends and fellow cheerleaders (Kelly and Guardiola) deal with their angst-ridden friendship.

The Cuban-Jamaican actresses’ character is Addy Hanlon, an ambitious student who wants to use her cheerleading talent to gain a college scholarship and a way out of her small town. Kelly plays Addy’s best friend Beth Cassidy, a seemingly perfect cheerleader who’s actually a rebel. Their friendship become tense once Addy starts devoting more time to the new charismatic, risk-taking coach, Collette French, played by Fitzgerald, and the dream of winning. Beth makes it her mission to take down Collette and recapture her friendship with Addy.

Abbott will act as the show’s writer and executive producer alongside Gina Fattore. Karen Rosenfelt, Sarah Condon and Film 44’s Peter Berg and Michael Lombardo will also executive produce.

Herizen Guardiola

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