Big Shot Cast & Character Guide

The first episode of Disney’s Big Shot is now officially available on Disney+ — here’s a breakdown of the cast and characters. Big Shot is a traditional sports dramedy created by David E. Kelley, Dean Lorey, and Brad Garrett. Kelley is responsible for such hits as Big Little Lies. Lorey and Garrett, meanwhile, are known for their work as a creator of the acclaimed Harley Quinn animated series and as an actor on Everybody Loves Raymond, respectively.

Big Shot tells the story of Marvyn Korn, a renowned NCAA men’s basketball coach. Unfortunately, Korn is as known for his obsessive passion and temper as he is his team’s successes. One such example of those traits sees him throw a chair at a referee. As a result, he is deemed toxic and ousted from his job. With no other opportunities presenting themselves, he’s forced to take a coaching job at Westbrook High — an elite private school for girls.

In a fashion traditional to the genre, Korn’s abrasive style clashes with the attitudes of both his players and colleagues. In an equally customary move, each new circle Korn finds himself immersed in is comprised of an eclectic mix of personalities. With each character harboring secrets and life stories that’ll drive the action and emotion in the coming weeks, here’s a breakdown of characters and the blend of familiar and new actors that play them.

John Stamos as Marvyn Korn

Stamos plays the infamously temperamental coach. He arrives at Westbrook believing that his old methods will suffice. Over the course of the first episode, however, he realizes that a more empathetic approach may be the key — to not only success but also redemption and the kind of man he always wanted to be. Stamos’ lengthy career means he has a wealth of credits to his name. Most recently, those include the Fuller House revival and a role on Netflix’s You.

Jessalyn Gilsig as Holly Barrett

Holly serves as Korn’s assistant coach. Already established at Westbrook, she proves a fount of knowledge regarding the school and the team’s players. Equally, despite her good humor, she conveys herself as a multifaceted individual and as no pushover. Gilsig is perhaps best known for her fan-favorite turn as Gina on Nip/Tuck. She also enjoyed a prominent role on Glee.

Nell Verlaque as Louise Gruzinsky

Number 23, Louise is the star player of the Westbrook Sirens. Equally, she is the daughter of the school’s principal donor — with the gymnasium even named in honor of her family. As a result, her forthright attitude crosses the line into arrogance. After being one of the first to suffer Korn’s direct ire, the show reveals there’s more to her than meets the eye. Verlaque is a newcomer, with her largest roles being a guest spot on Bull and a handful of TV movies.

Tiana Le as Destiny Winters

As the team’s lucky number 13, Destiny is a resident Power Forward and one of the strongest players. Almost immediately, she also clashes with Korn’s abrupt style — when he singles her out regarding her weight. The episode also establishes an academic drive that belies an ongoing issue for the coming episodes. Le’s recent appearances include HBO’s Insecure.

Monique Green as Olive Cooper

With an intense dislike for whistles and no aversion for confrontation, Olive is one of the first to scorn the school’s new coach. She wears the number 4 jersey and, as of the first episode, little is currently known about her life story. As one of the team’s strongest personalities, that will likely change sooner rather than later. Green’s previous credits include an array of acclaimed series, including such dramas as This is Us and sitcoms like Black-ish.

Tisha Eve Custodio as Carolyn “Mouse” Smith

Wearing the number 10, Carolyn is the team’s resident people-pleaser. To that end, she serves as devil’s advocate, defending Korn to her various teammates. Equally, she actively goes above and beyond to earn and retain his praise. She also goes out of her way to make sure her friends are okay. Big Shot marks Custodio’s TV debut, though she is credited on several shorts — including About Last Summer, which she wrote, produced, and directed herself.

Cricket Wampler as Samantha “Giggles” Finkman

Number 11 on the team, Samantha briefly takes over Louise’s position when she’s suspended. Though she wasn’t referred to as such in Big Shot‘s first episode, Samantha is credited as being nicknamed Giggles. This no doubt comes from her medical condition: Pseudobulbar Affect — which is defined by an uncontrollable laughter. Samantha admits, however, that she’s not above exploiting it for academic gain. The series also alludes to the character’s potential struggles with her sexuality. Wampler previously starred on the About A Boy series.

Sophia Mitri Schloss as Emma Korn

Emma is Korn’s adoring daughter. Despite living on the opposite coast, she’s shown to call him every night and expresses a vested interest in him being the best version of himself. Extremely imaginative and teasing in her sarcasm, the coming episodes see her wanting to move to Westbrook. That decision and Korn’s reluctance will likely result in the jovial father and daughter dynamic becoming more strained — especially with Korn bonding further with his players. Schloss’s previous credits include Portlandia and an early episode of Grimm.

Yvette Nicole Brown as Sherilyn Thomas

Last but most definitely not least, Sherilyn is the Principal of Westbrook High. Only hiring Korn reluctantly — due to outside influence — she views him as a budding mistake for the school. Clashing with Korn regarding some of his decisions and methods, she is characterized as being no-nonsense. However, it’s made clear that she was driven primarily by a heart of gold — wanting only the best and the most positive role models for her students. Notably, Brown played Shirley on Community for five seasons. Around that, however, the actress amassed a wealth of credits — including a crowd-pleasing cameo in Avengers: Endgame.

Supporting Characters and Cameos

Richard Robichaux as George Pappas: Westbrook’s Guidance Counsellor, George didn’t appear in the first episode. He will, however, be a recurring foil in the coming weeks. Robichaux features alongside the star-studded cast of Ocean’s Eight.

Keala Settle as Christina Winters: Christina is Destiny’s mother. Settle is the actress and singer that famously plays the bearded lady, Lettie Lutz, in The Greatest Showman.

Michael Trucco as Larry Gruzinsky: Laura’s overbearing father, who tries to use his considerable wealth to influence things at Westbrook. Trucco’s previous appearances include How I Met Your Mother and he’ll soon be seen in the upcoming Netflix series Midnight Mass.

Adam Arkin as Sam: Korn’s agent, Sam facilitates the new job at Westbrook and his potential redemption. Arkin previously starred in such shows as Sons of Anarchy.

Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon as Themselves: The sports analysts and ESPN hosts cameoed as themselves, shown discussing and lamenting the fate of Korn on their show.

Comprised of 10 episodes, Big Shot will no doubt offer plenty of room for each of the above to shine. Equally, there will no doubt be an array of other characters that flit in and out of the story. Though the show doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel when it comes to sports dramedies, it serves as a decent accompaniment to such as Cobra Kai and fellow Disney show The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. Equally, it differentiates itself well by focusing primarily on female sports and personal issues. As such, Big Shot‘s cast and characters will offer much for a new demographic of fans to relate to and fall in love with.

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