Issa Rae and Mike Gauyo are bringing a new scripted audio drama to Audible. Fruit: The Cost of Legacy, the third installment in the Fruit franchise, launches exclusively on Audible this Thursday, executive produced by Rae, Gauyo and Raedio.

Set inside the high-pressure world of college football, the series follows Marc St. James, played by Siddiq Saunderson, a star running back at the University of Los Angeles and heir to one of sports’ most celebrated dynasties. Marc has been handed talent, wealth, fame and a family name synonymous with greatness, until a leaked recording exposes his private relationship with his boyfriend, Trae, played by Justen Ross, and threatens to unravel everything his family has spent generations building.

What follows is a season-long reckoning with identity, masculinity and the cost of living inside a legacy that was never entirely his to shape.

Amin Joseph, Cassandra Freeman and Jonica Booth round out the St. James family as Andre, Sheryl and Jordyn, joined by Yutopia Essex, Kendall Kyndall and Mike Merrill, along with Tristen J. Winger, D.K. Uzoukwu, Christina Anthony, Mason McCulley, Darren Dalton, Thomas Mackie, Mackenro Alexander, Talia Caldwell, Keylon Hall, David Alan Madrick and Roderick Davis. Jessie Woo, Gail Bean and Rae herself make guest appearances.

The series is written by Gauyo alongside Kira Talise, Darnell Brown, RK Russell, Joshua L. Myers and Jules Crosby, and directed by Gauyo.

Audible’s original drama slate has grown into something closer to prestige television for the ear, full casts, layered sound design and A-list names attached to stories built specifically for listening rather than watching.

Three-time NBA champion JaVale McGee has produced his own scripted series following a young rapper’s rise through the music industry, and Audible’s roster now includes everything from sports-world fiction to comedy ensembles fronted by names like John Cena.

It’s a format that rewards intimacy over spectacle, and one where Black creators in particular are using the space to tell stories that streaming and network television haven’t always made room for.

That’s part of what makes Fruit: The Cost of Legacy notable beyond its cast list. It’s a story about a Black athlete navigating sexuality, family expectation and public scrutiny all at once, told in a medium where the performances carry the weight without a single frame of picture.

Fruit: The Cost of Legacy premieres Thursday, August 20, exclusively on Audible. Check out the trailer.