'The Crew' on Netflix: Everything We Know About Kevin James' New Show

Release Date

Shortly after the end of the Season Finale 500 at Phoenix Raceway, NASCAR released a brief teaser for The Crew. The clip showed James standing in a billowing cloud of smoke while the No. 74 Fake Steak Chevrolet Camaro sat in the foreground. As promised by the synopsis, James had on a crew chief's headset The tweet said that the show was 2021's next contender. However, NASCAR didn't actually reveal when the show will air, only saying "Coming Soon."

Authentic Cars

NASCAR has two prominent figures — managing director of entertainment marketing Matt Summers and chief digital officer Tim Clark — serving as executive producers on the series in order to lend some expertise to The Crew. The show will also feature actual race footage captured during the unique 2020 season. NASCAR driver Reed Sorenson helped out the series in August during a doubleheader weekend at Michigan International Speedway. His No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro turned into the No. 74 Fake Steak Chevrolet during the FireKeepers Casino 400 and the Consumers Energy 400. He then took part in the races while the cameras captured footage to use during the episodes.

Kevin James' Role

According to a synopsis of The Crew, James stars as the crew chief for the fictional Bobby Spencer Racing team. When the owner steps down and passes the team off to his daughter, James "finds himself at odds" with the tech-reliant millennials she starts bringing in to modernize the team. Not much else is known about his character, but James will be the one donning the headset as the Fake Steak Chevrolet heads to the track. He will try to guide his driver to victory and provide critical feedback about when to switch out Goodyear tires and when to remain out on the track.

Gary Anthony Williams

Gary Anthony Williams, a prolific actor in both regular and animated series, joins The Crew as Chuck Stubbs. He is someone that is "suspicious" of technology and doesn't care for the new changes to the racing team. Stubbs also has issues with the team driver due to the number of crashes in events. However, the show bills him as a mechanical genius. "Chuck's new boss in the series wants to get rid of him but can't argue with his ability to keep the car running in the middle of races," the show's description states.

The Driver

Freddie Stroma (Pitch Perfect) will be the man tasked with driving the No. 74 Fake Steak Chevrolet Camaro during Cup Series races. Jake Martin is the "charismatic" driver that also has a tendency to crash the stock car, putting him at odds with Williams' character, Stubbs. Netflix has not provided much more information about the show's costar other than his name and that he is currently in seven episodes. What is known is that Stroma's character will play a significant role considering that he is the one driving the car on a "weekly basis."

The Writer

Every good sitcom needs a standout writer, and Netflix selected one of the most successful to take part in The Crew. Jeff Lowell, who has worked on The Ranch, Spin City and Two and a Half Men among other projects, will serve as a writer and executive producer on the NASCAR-centric series. Lowell will also serve as the showrunner on the project while working with other executive producers in Jeff Sussman (The King of Queens, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, True Memoirs of an International Assassin), Todd Garner (Tag) and Andy Fickman (Playing With Fire, The Game Plan).

Other Cast Members

James, Williams and Stroma are three of the biggest names on set, but several other stars will join them for The Crew. Dan Ahdoot, Sarah Stiles and Jillian Mueller round the list of known cast members. According to Deadline, Ahdoot will portray Amir, a worrier that secretly loves the new technology that's creeping its way into the organization. He is bitter that all of his classmates are Silicon Valley billionaires.

Stiles will play Beth, the love interest of sorts for James' character. The two never began dating, so Beth is now protective of his love life. Finally, Mueller is the new owner of Bobby Spencer Racing. "She's a millennial who memorized Moneyball" and wants to modernize the racing team.