On the heels of Sept. 17’s season two finale of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, fans were shocked to learn that the series had been canceled. Others, like Magic Johnson, were unfazed.
“Well, I never watched it because nobody in this world can tell the Lakers story [like it needed to be told]. The Showtime story? Nobody! Dr. Buss was way ahead of his time as an owner. Our team? Unbelievable! The Laker girls with Paula Abdul? Unbelievable! Nobody can tell that story,” the NBA great told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday night when asked about it on the red carpet at the Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End AIDS. “So, none of us watched it because it was fictional. You just can’t tell that story. But, hey, that’s on them.”
Based on Jeff Pearlman’s book, Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers, Winning Time chronicled the...
“Well, I never watched it because nobody in this world can tell the Lakers story [like it needed to be told]. The Showtime story? Nobody! Dr. Buss was way ahead of his time as an owner. Our team? Unbelievable! The Laker girls with Paula Abdul? Unbelievable! Nobody can tell that story,” the NBA great told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday night when asked about it on the red carpet at the Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End AIDS. “So, none of us watched it because it was fictional. You just can’t tell that story. But, hey, that’s on them.”
Based on Jeff Pearlman’s book, Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers, Winning Time chronicled the...
- 9/25/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The second season of HBO's Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty sped through four seasons of the Los Angeles Lakers' Showtime era in search of a villain. Was it Paul Westhead (Jason Segel), the academically inclined head coach who antagonized his players while subjugating them to his vainglorious "system"? Was it Norm Nixon (DeVaughn Nixon) or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes), whose petty rivalries with Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) nearly imploded the team's chemistry? Was it Dr. Jerry Buss' (John C. Reilly) new (sort of) wife, Honey (Ari Graynor), whose palimony lawsuit threatened to take down the entire Buss empire?...
- 9/19/2023
- by Joe Reid
- Primetimer
For HBO, the Los Angeles Lakers’ decade-long dynasty never really was. The premium cabler said Sunday that Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty was canceled after two seasons — with just one of the team’s five 1980s NBA titles depicted onscreen.
In an exit interview with Vulture, Winning Time EP Kevin Messick the producers never had a time frame for how long the series might run, saying: “I think we always took it season by season. Before the [WGA] strike happened, we had just started to talk about what would’ve happened in Season 3, but all that was curtailed and cut short.”
Season 2 was intended to end with the Lakers’ churning loss to the archrival Boston Celtics in the 1984 NBA Finals. That version was sent to critics as the season began, but the tweaked version that aired featured Lakers owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) and his daughter and...
In an exit interview with Vulture, Winning Time EP Kevin Messick the producers never had a time frame for how long the series might run, saying: “I think we always took it season by season. Before the [WGA] strike happened, we had just started to talk about what would’ve happened in Season 3, but all that was curtailed and cut short.”
Season 2 was intended to end with the Lakers’ churning loss to the archrival Boston Celtics in the 1984 NBA Finals. That version was sent to critics as the season began, but the tweaked version that aired featured Lakers owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) and his daughter and...
- 9/19/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Well, this is a bit of a shocker.
HBO has confirmed the demise of the 1980s basketball drama Winning Time.
The series wrapped its sophomore run Sunday night and was canceled the same day as the finale.
Series showrunner Max Borenstein alluded to the cancellation with a message on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Not the ending that we had in mind. But nothing but gratitude and love," he wrote.
Fans commented their thoughts on the shocking decision below the Tweet.
"So sorry Max. I eagerly anticipated each episode and enjoyed the hell out of the series," said one fan, adding:
"Congratulations on making something so creatively successful as Winning Time."
"Everything I anticipated it could be and even better when you told me about it at that lunch way back when," said another fan.
"Disappointed it couldn't at least get to Riley's promise of a repeat, but everything you did do was great.
HBO has confirmed the demise of the 1980s basketball drama Winning Time.
The series wrapped its sophomore run Sunday night and was canceled the same day as the finale.
Series showrunner Max Borenstein alluded to the cancellation with a message on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Not the ending that we had in mind. But nothing but gratitude and love," he wrote.
Fans commented their thoughts on the shocking decision below the Tweet.
"So sorry Max. I eagerly anticipated each episode and enjoyed the hell out of the series," said one fan, adding:
"Congratulations on making something so creatively successful as Winning Time."
"Everything I anticipated it could be and even better when you told me about it at that lunch way back when," said another fan.
"Disappointed it couldn't at least get to Riley's promise of a repeat, but everything you did do was great.
- 9/18/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
Note: This story contains spoilers from “Winning Time” Season 2, Episode 5.
In Sunday’s episode of “Winning Time,” Paul Westhead (Jason Segel) is fired as head coach of the Lakers. The actor said the twist was one of his “most fun days” on set.
“I did that scene over and over again with John C. Reilly,” he told TheWrap in an interview before the SAG-AFTRA strike. “That was a day of using all the different skills because there’s comedy in it. It’s pathetic, it’s dramatic. It just required a little bit of everything. And I got to dance with John C. Riley in that scene which is special thing.”
While Westhead is an important figure in Lakers history, Segel said he was also “lesser known,” giving him “a lot of freedom to explore what we’re trying to say with the character.”
“I hope he would appreciate,...
In Sunday’s episode of “Winning Time,” Paul Westhead (Jason Segel) is fired as head coach of the Lakers. The actor said the twist was one of his “most fun days” on set.
“I did that scene over and over again with John C. Reilly,” he told TheWrap in an interview before the SAG-AFTRA strike. “That was a day of using all the different skills because there’s comedy in it. It’s pathetic, it’s dramatic. It just required a little bit of everything. And I got to dance with John C. Riley in that scene which is special thing.”
While Westhead is an important figure in Lakers history, Segel said he was also “lesser known,” giving him “a lot of freedom to explore what we’re trying to say with the character.”
“I hope he would appreciate,...
- 9/4/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Paul Westhead is feeling the pressure of his feud with Magic Johnson in an exclusive sneak peak of Sunday’s new episode of HBO’s “Winning Time.”
In the episode, titled “The Hamburger Hamlet”, a final clash between Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and the Lakers head coach (played by Jason Segel) causes Lakers owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) to task Jerry West (Jason Clarke) with picking up the pieces. Meanwhile, as Honey (Ari Graynor) attempts a heart-to-heart with Jeanie (Hadley Robninson), Buss faces pushback from the press and his captain. Later, Pat Riley (Adrien Brody) faces his demons and takes control of his team.
The clip sees Westhead pay a visit to Buss’ office, where the former is told that the latter is in a meeting.
“With who?,” Westhead asks, to which Buss’ secretary replies, “I’m not at liberty to say.”
As Westhead turns to leave, another door swings open where Jerry West,...
In the episode, titled “The Hamburger Hamlet”, a final clash between Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and the Lakers head coach (played by Jason Segel) causes Lakers owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) to task Jerry West (Jason Clarke) with picking up the pieces. Meanwhile, as Honey (Ari Graynor) attempts a heart-to-heart with Jeanie (Hadley Robninson), Buss faces pushback from the press and his captain. Later, Pat Riley (Adrien Brody) faces his demons and takes control of his team.
The clip sees Westhead pay a visit to Buss’ office, where the former is told that the latter is in a meeting.
“With who?,” Westhead asks, to which Buss’ secretary replies, “I’m not at liberty to say.”
As Westhead turns to leave, another door swings open where Jerry West,...
- 8/31/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
In Episode 3 of HBO’s hit series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” viewers get a snapshot of Larry Bird’s background as a kid from French Lick, Indiana, and Red Auerbach using an NBA system loophole to recruit Bird before the baller graduated college.
Last week, the tensions were up between Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Norm Nixon. In the third episode, Buss laid the issue to rest with a gentle, yet threatening trade offer for Nixon if him and Johnson couldn’t figure it out. Behind the scenes, Pat Riley started chain smoking to deal with the stress of working with Paul Westhead. Jim Chones gets traded off, and Buss offered Johnson a somewhat bogus contract that would pay him $25 million over 25 years.
Here’s what’s fact and fiction from “Winning Time’s” third episode.
Jerry Buss almost blew a circuit because he was so angry...
Last week, the tensions were up between Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Norm Nixon. In the third episode, Buss laid the issue to rest with a gentle, yet threatening trade offer for Nixon if him and Johnson couldn’t figure it out. Behind the scenes, Pat Riley started chain smoking to deal with the stress of working with Paul Westhead. Jim Chones gets traded off, and Buss offered Johnson a somewhat bogus contract that would pay him $25 million over 25 years.
Here’s what’s fact and fiction from “Winning Time’s” third episode.
Jerry Buss almost blew a circuit because he was so angry...
- 8/21/2023
- by Raquel 'Rocky' Harris
- The Wrap
HBO’s Los Angeles Lakers series “Winning Time” is back for a second season, and the true-life basketball story is covering more ground in Season 2. “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” premiered in 2022 as a dramatized look at how Jerry Buss’ purchase of the NBA team in 1979 kicked off a series of events that would transform the organization into one of the best teams in the league.
John C. Reilly leads the ensemble as Buss, while real-life greats like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are portrayed by up-and-coming actors Quincy Isaiah and Sean Patrick Small, respectively.
The 10-episode first season concluded with a trip to the 1980 NBA Championship, and “Winning Time” Season 2 picks up where we left off. For those eager to see how things play out, we’ve got everything you need to know below.
When Did “Winning Time” Season 2 Premiere?
The first episode of “Winning Time...
John C. Reilly leads the ensemble as Buss, while real-life greats like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are portrayed by up-and-coming actors Quincy Isaiah and Sean Patrick Small, respectively.
The 10-episode first season concluded with a trip to the 1980 NBA Championship, and “Winning Time” Season 2 picks up where we left off. For those eager to see how things play out, we’ve got everything you need to know below.
When Did “Winning Time” Season 2 Premiere?
The first episode of “Winning Time...
- 8/20/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
In Episode 2 of HBO’s hit series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” Johnson returned to the court, but the team seemed to have found their own new tricks without the use of Magic.
It was a rocky return for Johnson, who struggled with getting back into his groove after his knee injury. And by the time he came back, the team had an entirely new synergy that Johnson seemingly couldn’t fit into. But that didn’t stop Johnson from making suggestions about the team’s roster, including saying it would be a good idea to trade Norm Nixon in for Nuggets star David “Skywalker” Thompson.
Between Johnson and Pat Riley’s secret practice sessions and Nixon talking crap about his teammates to the press, the second episode of “Winning Time” is just as drama-filled as its first.
Were the Lakers really out of sync once Earvin “Magic” Johnson made his return?...
It was a rocky return for Johnson, who struggled with getting back into his groove after his knee injury. And by the time he came back, the team had an entirely new synergy that Johnson seemingly couldn’t fit into. But that didn’t stop Johnson from making suggestions about the team’s roster, including saying it would be a good idea to trade Norm Nixon in for Nuggets star David “Skywalker” Thompson.
Between Johnson and Pat Riley’s secret practice sessions and Nixon talking crap about his teammates to the press, the second episode of “Winning Time” is just as drama-filled as its first.
Were the Lakers really out of sync once Earvin “Magic” Johnson made his return?...
- 8/15/2023
- by Raquel 'Rocky' Harris
- The Wrap
Magic Johnson and the L.A. Lakers were riding high last season on HBO’s basketball drama Winning Time, winning the NBA title in Magic’s first pro season. But as Season 2 opens, they’re learning it’s not so easy staying on top.
Sunday’s premiere opens with a jump ahead to the 1984 NBA Finals, with the Lakers taking on their hated rivals the Boston Celtics. The Lakers manage to win Game 1 in Boston in front of a very hostile crowd; the fans jeer and throw things at them as they run off the court. On the team bus,...
Sunday’s premiere opens with a jump ahead to the 1984 NBA Finals, with the Lakers taking on their hated rivals the Boston Celtics. The Lakers manage to win Game 1 in Boston in front of a very hostile crowd; the fans jeer and throw things at them as they run off the court. On the team bus,...
- 8/7/2023
- by Dave Nemetz
- TVLine.com
Throughout the Season Two premiere of HBO’s basketball drama Winning Time, various characters, from Lakers assistant coach Pat Riley (Adrien Brody) to Boston Celtics general manager Red Auerbach (Michael Chiklis) talk about how difficult it is to repeat as champions. The real Riley would eventually refer to this as “the disease of more,” where players who were willing to sacrifice for the good of the team in pursuit of a title now want more playing time, more of a role in the offense, and/or more money.
In Winning Time,...
In Winning Time,...
- 8/6/2023
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” is back for Season 2, and it’s still electric and a damn good time. The first season, mostly spanning the 1979-1980 NBA calendar, unpacked the origins of Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss (a crass but delightful John C. Reilly) and exhaustively detailed the origins of the dynasty that he would build behind teen megastar Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Quincy Isaiah). A more rapidly paced second season addresses the following years, leading up to the highly-anticipated 1984 NBA Finals that positioned the Lakers against long-time rivals the Boston Celtics, led by Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small).
Season 2 opens with the first game of that landmark championship series. It’s May 27, 1984, and a full-fledged mob scene is under way. Magic, the Lakers and their Armani-clad coach, Pat Riley (an exquisite Adrian Brody) — having just won Game 1 — race off the basketball court, through...
Season 2 opens with the first game of that landmark championship series. It’s May 27, 1984, and a full-fledged mob scene is under way. Magic, the Lakers and their Armani-clad coach, Pat Riley (an exquisite Adrian Brody) — having just won Game 1 — race off the basketball court, through...
- 8/4/2023
- by Aramide Tinubu
- Variety Film + TV
The escalating rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers’ Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and the Boston Celtics’ Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small) takes center stage in the trailer for the second season of HBO’s Winning Time.
In the footage released Monday from the basketball-centric series created by Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht, the Lakers are looking to build on the success of Johnson’s rookie season, which was the focus of the first season and culminated with the team winning the NBA title in May 1980. The second season debuts Aug. 6 on HBO and Max, and it spotlights the squad’s ups and down from 1980 to 1984.
“Ain’t nobody scared of Larry Bird,” Isaiah says as Johnson in the trailer.
Lakers coach Pat Riley (Adrien Brody) is a bit more concerned about the challenge posed by Bird and the Celtics: “They’re won their rings. We’ve won ours. None of...
In the footage released Monday from the basketball-centric series created by Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht, the Lakers are looking to build on the success of Johnson’s rookie season, which was the focus of the first season and culminated with the team winning the NBA title in May 1980. The second season debuts Aug. 6 on HBO and Max, and it spotlights the squad’s ups and down from 1980 to 1984.
“Ain’t nobody scared of Larry Bird,” Isaiah says as Johnson in the trailer.
Lakers coach Pat Riley (Adrien Brody) is a bit more concerned about the challenge posed by Bird and the Celtics: “They’re won their rings. We’ve won ours. None of...
- 6/13/2023
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"The future of sports is purple and gold." HBO has revealed an official trailer for Season 2 of the acclaimed original sports series Winning Time, about the iconic Los Angeles Lakers basketball team in their prime-time. This grainy series is a fictional version of the actual story of the Lakers and their rise to prominence, kicking things off (in Season 1) focusing on the end of the 1970s to their big NBA World Champion win in 1980. A "controversial" time for the team with an honest depiction of events during this era. In Season 2, the story continues focusing on their years from 1980 to 1984, specifically the ongoing rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird (of the Boston Celtics). "New decade. New season." Adrien Brody, Jason Clarke (as Jerry West), Gaby Hoffmann, Jason Segel (as Paul Westhead), John C. Reilly (as Jerry Buss), Quincy Isaiah (as Magic Johnson), and Hadley Robinson all reprise their roles,...
- 6/12/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty season two’s first teaser trailer focuses on the rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. The network dropped the teaser along with a season two poster and the first photos from the upcoming season. HBO also confirmed the second season premieres on August 6, 2023.
New episodes of the seven-episode season will debut on Sundays at 9pm Et/Pt.
The second season stars John C. Reilly as Lakers owner Jerry Buss and Quincy Isaiah as Magic Johnson. Dr. Solomon Hughes plays Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jason Clarke is Gm Jerry West, DeVaughn Nixon is Norm Nixon, and Hadley Robinson as Jeanie Buss. Gaby Hoffman is Claire Rothman, Adrien Brody is Lakers Coach Pat Riley, Jason Segel is Paul Westhead, Tamera Tomakili is Earlitha “Cookie” Kelly, and Rob Morgan is Earvin Johnson Sr.
The cast also includes Brett Cullen, Stephen Adly Guirgis,...
New episodes of the seven-episode season will debut on Sundays at 9pm Et/Pt.
The second season stars John C. Reilly as Lakers owner Jerry Buss and Quincy Isaiah as Magic Johnson. Dr. Solomon Hughes plays Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jason Clarke is Gm Jerry West, DeVaughn Nixon is Norm Nixon, and Hadley Robinson as Jeanie Buss. Gaby Hoffman is Claire Rothman, Adrien Brody is Lakers Coach Pat Riley, Jason Segel is Paul Westhead, Tamera Tomakili is Earlitha “Cookie” Kelly, and Rob Morgan is Earvin Johnson Sr.
The cast also includes Brett Cullen, Stephen Adly Guirgis,...
- 6/12/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Fear not, TV Fanatics, summer is shaping up to have a decent array of programming, all things considered.
HBO's original series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty returns this summer.
The premium cabler announced the hit drama will premiere the first of seven new episodes on Sunday, August 6, at 9:00 p.m. Et/Pt.
After the success of Winning Time Season 1 in 2022, there are high hopes for the follow-up.
Will it continue to be criticized for historical inaccuracies? We don't know, but hey, we know certain things are manipulated from fiction to face, or else we wouldn't have so many projects based on true stories.
Winning Time Season 2 "continues to explore the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers," HBO teases.
"This season hones in on the period just after the Finals in 1980 through 1984, culminating in the first professional rematch of the era's greatest stars: Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
HBO's original series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty returns this summer.
The premium cabler announced the hit drama will premiere the first of seven new episodes on Sunday, August 6, at 9:00 p.m. Et/Pt.
After the success of Winning Time Season 1 in 2022, there are high hopes for the follow-up.
Will it continue to be criticized for historical inaccuracies? We don't know, but hey, we know certain things are manipulated from fiction to face, or else we wouldn't have so many projects based on true stories.
Winning Time Season 2 "continues to explore the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers," HBO teases.
"This season hones in on the period just after the Finals in 1980 through 1984, culminating in the first professional rematch of the era's greatest stars: Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
- 6/12/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
Season 2 of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty is set for tip-off on Sunday, Aug. 6 at 9/8c.
Watch a first teaser trailer above, and check out the Season 2 poster below.
More from TVLineFoundation: It's the Attack of the Clone in Full Season 2 Trailer -- WatchThe Idol: How Did Ratings Hold Up in Week 2? Plus, Premiere Now Outpacing Euphoria, White LotusSuccession Star Kieran Culkin Sees a Grim Future for Roman After the Series Finale: 'He's Very Much Alone'
The seven-episode second season will continue to explore the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers,...
Watch a first teaser trailer above, and check out the Season 2 poster below.
More from TVLineFoundation: It's the Attack of the Clone in Full Season 2 Trailer -- WatchThe Idol: How Did Ratings Hold Up in Week 2? Plus, Premiere Now Outpacing Euphoria, White LotusSuccession Star Kieran Culkin Sees a Grim Future for Roman After the Series Finale: 'He's Very Much Alone'
The seven-episode second season will continue to explore the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers,...
- 6/12/2023
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
After buying the Los Angeles Lakers, Dr. Jerry Buss made it his goal to turn them into Hollywood’s team, all based around a philosophy known to every basketball fan as “Showtime.” Antoine Fuqua’s new Hulu docuseries “Legacy” explores how Buss accomplished that goal and in doing so brought another part of Hollywood to the NBA: endless gossip.
“When you’re the team on top, everyone wants a piece of you,” Robert Horry, a six-time NBA champion who won three rings with the Lakers, told TheWrap. “And when you have a history of consistently winning, they always want a piece even when you’re not on top.”
Some attention is paid to the on-court success of the Lakers; but “Legacy,” which was made with the full support of the team and has its CEO Jeanie Buss as executive producer, is more interested in the drama that unfolded in the...
“When you’re the team on top, everyone wants a piece of you,” Robert Horry, a six-time NBA champion who won three rings with the Lakers, told TheWrap. “And when you have a history of consistently winning, they always want a piece even when you’re not on top.”
Some attention is paid to the on-court success of the Lakers; but “Legacy,” which was made with the full support of the team and has its CEO Jeanie Buss as executive producer, is more interested in the drama that unfolded in the...
- 8/11/2022
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Winning Time co-creator Max Borenstein is staying in business with HBO. The writer, producer and showrunner has renewed his overall deal for an additional three years, under which he will develop new content for the network.
Borenstein is the co-creator and showrunner of HBO’s drama series, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, which was recently renewed for a second season.
Based on Jeff Pearlman’s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980, season 1 of Winning Time followed Dr. Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) as he took control of the team financially, reshaped the way NBA games were presented, and created a dynamic squad featuring old and new blood (Magic Johnson as played by Quincy Isaiah), while rolling the dice on such coaches as Pat Riley (Adrien Brody), Jack McKinney (Tracy Letts) and Paul Westhead (Jason Segel...
Borenstein is the co-creator and showrunner of HBO’s drama series, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, which was recently renewed for a second season.
Based on Jeff Pearlman’s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980, season 1 of Winning Time followed Dr. Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) as he took control of the team financially, reshaped the way NBA games were presented, and created a dynamic squad featuring old and new blood (Magic Johnson as played by Quincy Isaiah), while rolling the dice on such coaches as Pat Riley (Adrien Brody), Jack McKinney (Tracy Letts) and Paul Westhead (Jason Segel...
- 7/11/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Beyond scoring big at the box office, breaking streaming viewership records or enchanting critics, several of this summer’s hottest projects have one thing in common: oiled-up, skin-baring scenes.
Top Gun: Maverick took its own approach to the famous beach volleyball scene of the original, staging an oil-heavy game of beach football with Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Glen Powell and the rest of the pilot team — which Teller’s close friend Shailene Woodley even gushed about on Instagram. Fire Island featured throngs of gay men shimmering in the clubs, while Minx’s cover models got camera ready. Physical and Winning Time took more active, sweaty approaches to their shirtless moments. And just what went into making these half (or in some cases, fully) nude stars glow onscreen? Turns out it’s a lot more than meets the eye.
“It was avocado oil and...
Beyond scoring big at the box office, breaking streaming viewership records or enchanting critics, several of this summer’s hottest projects have one thing in common: oiled-up, skin-baring scenes.
Top Gun: Maverick took its own approach to the famous beach volleyball scene of the original, staging an oil-heavy game of beach football with Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Glen Powell and the rest of the pilot team — which Teller’s close friend Shailene Woodley even gushed about on Instagram. Fire Island featured throngs of gay men shimmering in the clubs, while Minx’s cover models got camera ready. Physical and Winning Time took more active, sweaty approaches to their shirtless moments. And just what went into making these half (or in some cases, fully) nude stars glow onscreen? Turns out it’s a lot more than meets the eye.
“It was avocado oil and...
- 6/29/2022
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Before Legendary Entertainment Godzilla franchise scribe Max Borenstein became attached as showrunner to Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty series, it took co-creator Jim Hecht some years after optioning Jeff Pearlman’s 2014 book, Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, to get HBO to sign on.
And that’s because there hadn’t been a series quite like it before.
Sure, there were sports dramas like Friday Night Lights; football always is an easy sell to a home or theatrical audience. But as far as detailing the rise of a notable NBA team, told against the shifting racial and gender politics of the 1980s era and featuring its gambler owner Dr. Jerry Buss (played by John C. Reilly) and underdog coaches, Winning Time was a TV show anomaly.
“No one has taken a dynasty sports team and given it a treatment of an ongoing drama,...
And that’s because there hadn’t been a series quite like it before.
Sure, there were sports dramas like Friday Night Lights; football always is an easy sell to a home or theatrical audience. But as far as detailing the rise of a notable NBA team, told against the shifting racial and gender politics of the 1980s era and featuring its gambler owner Dr. Jerry Buss (played by John C. Reilly) and underdog coaches, Winning Time was a TV show anomaly.
“No one has taken a dynasty sports team and given it a treatment of an ongoing drama,...
- 6/22/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Who could have imagined that the dramatization of the Los Angeles Lakers’ ’79-’80 NBA Championship season known as ‘Showtime’ would interest anyone other than die-hard hoop fans?
Basing the narrative on Jeff Pearlman’s book, and every news report and book written by members of the Lakers, and taking more than a few creative liberties, Adam McKay, Max Borenstein and their creative cohorts took basketball’s perfect storm pivotal moment when the NBA transformed from a regional sport into a global juggernaut—and made it into broadly appealing television with Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.
There’s poker player/chemist Jerry Buss putting all his real estate chips on the table to buy the team and choosing Michigan State star Magic Johnson as his first draft pick, despite already having a gifted point guard in Norm Nixon. Then there’s incoming genius commissioner David Stern seizing on...
Basing the narrative on Jeff Pearlman’s book, and every news report and book written by members of the Lakers, and taking more than a few creative liberties, Adam McKay, Max Borenstein and their creative cohorts took basketball’s perfect storm pivotal moment when the NBA transformed from a regional sport into a global juggernaut—and made it into broadly appealing television with Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.
There’s poker player/chemist Jerry Buss putting all his real estate chips on the table to buy the team and choosing Michigan State star Magic Johnson as his first draft pick, despite already having a gifted point guard in Norm Nixon. Then there’s incoming genius commissioner David Stern seizing on...
- 6/16/2022
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Few coaches in the history of the NBA were as successful as Pat Riley. He ranks fifth on the all-time wins list for coaches and won five titles as a sideline leader – including four as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Riley’s dominance with the team during the 1980s made him into a bonafide star. By the end of the decade, Riley was such a recognizable public figure – known for his Armani suits and slicked-back hair – that he even appeared on the cover of GQ, an honor not normally bestowed upon basketball coaches.
But that’s not the Riley who gets introduced on the HBO series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.” Like many of the other future legends who are depicted in the hit drama – including Quincy Isaiah as Earvin “Magic” Johnson – “Winning Time” starts with Riley at a crossroads, retired from the NBA after a successful playing career,...
But that’s not the Riley who gets introduced on the HBO series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.” Like many of the other future legends who are depicted in the hit drama – including Quincy Isaiah as Earvin “Magic” Johnson – “Winning Time” starts with Riley at a crossroads, retired from the NBA after a successful playing career,...
- 6/13/2022
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
In 1980, Texas homemaker Candy Montgomery was accused of murdering Betty Gore, the wife of the man she was involved with. It was a crime no one saw coming, and that was part of the reason Jessica Biel was drawn to play the role in Hulu’s limited series “Candy.”
Starring opposite Melanie Lynskey and Pablo Schreiber, Biel completely transformed — wig, glasses and all — into the character. She also worked double duty as an executive producer on the gory project.
On this edition of the “Variety Awards Circuit Podcast,” we talk to “Candy” star and executive producer Jessica Biel about adapting the real-life true crime story. After that, we chat with “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” star Adrien Brody about playing iconic Los Angeles Lakers coach Pat Riley. Listen below!
Variety’s Emily Longeretta sat down with Biel to talk about starring and executive producing “Candy” and what...
Starring opposite Melanie Lynskey and Pablo Schreiber, Biel completely transformed — wig, glasses and all — into the character. She also worked double duty as an executive producer on the gory project.
On this edition of the “Variety Awards Circuit Podcast,” we talk to “Candy” star and executive producer Jessica Biel about adapting the real-life true crime story. After that, we chat with “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” star Adrien Brody about playing iconic Los Angeles Lakers coach Pat Riley. Listen below!
Variety’s Emily Longeretta sat down with Biel to talk about starring and executive producing “Candy” and what...
- 6/1/2022
- by Emily Longeretta
- Variety Film + TV
This article contains spoilers for “Winning Time” Episodes 9 and 10.
After nine episodes of ups and downs, the season finale of “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” finally showed us what the title is all about. The show began with the Lakers drafting Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) before the start of the 1979 season, so it’s only natural that it ends with the 1980 NBA championships.
With the coaching drama between Jack McKinney (Tracy Letts), Paul Westhead (Jason Segel) and Pat Riley (Adrien Brody) resolved at last (for now – “Winning Time” has already been renewed for a second season), the focus of the final episode rests on the Lakers’ last two games against the Philadelphia 76ers.
While “Winning Time” has been always been liberal with dramatic license, the season finale reflects just how theatrical Games 5 and 6 actually were. Like Magic said after winning the championship, “It’s unbelievable” – at least it would be,...
After nine episodes of ups and downs, the season finale of “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” finally showed us what the title is all about. The show began with the Lakers drafting Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) before the start of the 1979 season, so it’s only natural that it ends with the 1980 NBA championships.
With the coaching drama between Jack McKinney (Tracy Letts), Paul Westhead (Jason Segel) and Pat Riley (Adrien Brody) resolved at last (for now – “Winning Time” has already been renewed for a second season), the focus of the final episode rests on the Lakers’ last two games against the Philadelphia 76ers.
While “Winning Time” has been always been liberal with dramatic license, the season finale reflects just how theatrical Games 5 and 6 actually were. Like Magic said after winning the championship, “It’s unbelievable” – at least it would be,...
- 5/10/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
‘Winning Time’ Season Finale Delivers Another Series High With 1.6M Viewers Across All HBO Platforms
HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty scored yet another series high with its freshman season finale on Sunday. The season ender, which featured tense moments from the ’79-’80 NBA finals, drew in 1.6 million total viewers across both HBO and HBO Max.
The finale was up 73 from the season premiere’s original viewership. The debut brought in approximately 900,000 viewers and has since grown to nearly 8 million. In linear viewing, the finale earned 534,000 viewers, more than double than that of the premiere.
Episodes are currently averaging 6 million viewers. Sunday’s also episode marked the seventh week of consecutive viewership growth for the sports series.
Winning Time‘s season finale featured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s ankle injury, Jerry Buss coping with his mother’s death, a contentious Rookie of The Year decision and more. Read Deadline’s full recap here. Series showrunner and executive producer Max Borenstein told Deadline where Winning Time,...
The finale was up 73 from the season premiere’s original viewership. The debut brought in approximately 900,000 viewers and has since grown to nearly 8 million. In linear viewing, the finale earned 534,000 viewers, more than double than that of the premiere.
Episodes are currently averaging 6 million viewers. Sunday’s also episode marked the seventh week of consecutive viewership growth for the sports series.
Winning Time‘s season finale featured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s ankle injury, Jerry Buss coping with his mother’s death, a contentious Rookie of The Year decision and more. Read Deadline’s full recap here. Series showrunner and executive producer Max Borenstein told Deadline where Winning Time,...
- 5/9/2022
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
Tonight’s tenth and final episode of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty begins with the kind of adversity the team and owner Jerry Buss have overcome all through this charmed ’79-’80 NBA season. In the final moments of Game 5 of the finals, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar launches his patented sky hook, only to land wrong and severely sprain his ankle. The Hof center, dominant to this point, shrugs off the pain and wills the Lakers to being a win away from the NBA title. Magic Johnson, meanwhile, learns he has lost Rookie of the Year to his rival Larry Bird, who materializes in Magic’s apartment in a vision, meant to tear away at the Laker star’s confidence.
And Jerry Buss, fresh from burying his mother, tells long suffering daughter Jeanie that he needs a favor from her in working up a succession plan. He wants...
And Jerry Buss, fresh from burying his mother, tells long suffering daughter Jeanie that he needs a favor from her in working up a succession plan. He wants...
- 5/9/2022
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
A review of the Winning Time season finale, “Promised Land,” coming up just as soon as I get you on a last-minute helicopter to Philadelphia…
A surprising thing happens right after the opening credits to the finale: Jerry Buss begins talking directly to the audience. This is the first time he, or any Winning Time character, has addressed us in quite some time, and it’s a bit unnerving to be reminded of how frequently it happened at the beginning of the season. It’s not that the show completely calmed down in recent episodes,...
A surprising thing happens right after the opening credits to the finale: Jerry Buss begins talking directly to the audience. This is the first time he, or any Winning Time character, has addressed us in quite some time, and it’s a bit unnerving to be reminded of how frequently it happened at the beginning of the season. It’s not that the show completely calmed down in recent episodes,...
- 5/9/2022
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
A review of this week’s Winning Time, “Acceptable Loss,” coming up just as soon as I wear some pants with my suit…
The season finale is called “Promised Land,” and its penultimate episode this week takes the Lakers all the way to the brink of such a place. They are four wins away from the NBA championship that would rescue Jerry Buss’ financially strapped operation and legitimize everything he and his brain trust have done to shake up the league in the past year.
Not everyone gets to make it to the promised land,...
The season finale is called “Promised Land,” and its penultimate episode this week takes the Lakers all the way to the brink of such a place. They are four wins away from the NBA championship that would rescue Jerry Buss’ financially strapped operation and legitimize everything he and his brain trust have done to shake up the league in the past year.
Not everyone gets to make it to the promised land,...
- 5/2/2022
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
One week ago, NBA legend and Los Angeles Lakers icon Jerry West employed his legal representation to send a letter to HBO, Warner Bros. Discovery and Adam McKay demanding a legal retraction for his portrayal on HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.” The correspondence included testimony by former members of the Lakers organization, including retired ballplayer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to reinforce its argument of the show creating “a deliberately false characterization.” Weeks before, Earvin “Magic” Johnson himself voiced his criticism of the series to Variety, saying “You can’t do a story about the Lakers without the Lakers… the real Lakers.”
Author Jeff Pearlman, whose book “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s” has been adapted to the HBO series, gets where they’re coming from.
“I don’t get mad when people are talking about that. Obviously, people have a right,...
Author Jeff Pearlman, whose book “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s” has been adapted to the HBO series, gets where they’re coming from.
“I don’t get mad when people are talking about that. Obviously, people have a right,...
- 4/26/2022
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
A review of this week’s Winning Time, “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” coming up just as soon as I’m the guy without the catheter for once…
Winning Time Season One heads into the home stretch(*) with the Lakers on the verge of the playoffs, and playing a style and caliber of basketball that could make them look like obvious favorites to win the title. It’s not impossible to tell a dramatically interesting story about a dominant team or competitor, but it’s more complicated. Which...
Winning Time Season One heads into the home stretch(*) with the Lakers on the verge of the playoffs, and playing a style and caliber of basketball that could make them look like obvious favorites to win the title. It’s not impossible to tell a dramatically interesting story about a dominant team or competitor, but it’s more complicated. Which...
- 4/25/2022
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
The seventh episode of "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" continues to depict one of the all-time great rivalries between Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small). Both athletes played against each other in college, but their games in the NBA, of course, remain legendary. A major game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics is the focus of episode 7, "Invisible Man."
The stakes are high for the all-star players, untested coach Paul Westhead (Jason Segel), uncertain new assistant coach Pat Riley (Adrien Brody), and the fiscally drowning owner, Dr. Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly). They all go to...
The post Winning Time Creator Max Borenstein on Accuracy Vs. Drama, Larry Bird, and More [Interview] appeared first on /Film.
The stakes are high for the all-star players, untested coach Paul Westhead (Jason Segel), uncertain new assistant coach Pat Riley (Adrien Brody), and the fiscally drowning owner, Dr. Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly). They all go to...
The post Winning Time Creator Max Borenstein on Accuracy Vs. Drama, Larry Bird, and More [Interview] appeared first on /Film.
- 4/19/2022
- by Jack Giroux
- Slash Film
A review of this week’s Winning Time, “Invisible Man,” coming up just as soon as I blame the dramatist in me…
“Invisible Man” takes its title from a conversation Magic and Kareem have prior to the Lakers’ season-defining road game against their arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics. Magic has spent much of the hour seething at the pedestal upon which sports reporters and fans have placed Boston’s star rookie, Larry Bird (played by Sean Patrick Small). Everything Bird does is a credit to his brains, his work ethic, and his will to win,...
“Invisible Man” takes its title from a conversation Magic and Kareem have prior to the Lakers’ season-defining road game against their arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics. Magic has spent much of the hour seething at the pedestal upon which sports reporters and fans have placed Boston’s star rookie, Larry Bird (played by Sean Patrick Small). Everything Bird does is a credit to his brains, his work ethic, and his will to win,...
- 4/18/2022
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
There are some rivalries so ingrained in sports history that their names roll off the tongue: Borg-McEnroe, Federer-Nadal, Sharapova-s. Williams, Ali vs. Frazier. When it comes to the NBA, no pair tops Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small), the rookies of their respective teams in the 1979-1980 season.
Up until Episode 7: “Invisible Man,” Bird’s presence in “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” has been limited to a couple seconds at a time. As 1979 draws to a close, it’s time for Johnson and Bird to pick up what they started at March’s NCAA championship game, where the former’s team Michigan State famously defeated the latter’s team, Indiana State.
However, the rivalry goes beyond these two individuals. From Lakers owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) and Celtics general manager Red Auerbach’s (Michael Chiklis’) contentious first meeting, their teams have...
Up until Episode 7: “Invisible Man,” Bird’s presence in “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” has been limited to a couple seconds at a time. As 1979 draws to a close, it’s time for Johnson and Bird to pick up what they started at March’s NCAA championship game, where the former’s team Michigan State famously defeated the latter’s team, Indiana State.
However, the rivalry goes beyond these two individuals. From Lakers owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) and Celtics general manager Red Auerbach’s (Michael Chiklis’) contentious first meeting, their teams have...
- 4/18/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
It’s not too often that married couples earn his and hers nominations in the same year, but it could very well happen at this year’s Emmy Awards. Actors Tracy Letts and Carrie Coon, who wed in 2013, both star in new HBO dramas that premiered earlier this year, and both give memorable performances that could have them popping two bottles of champagne come July.
Letts, who also appears in this spring’s “Deep Water,” has a supporting role as the late basketball coach Jack McKinney in the sports drama “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” which depicts the famed Showtime era led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who are portrayed on the show by Solomon Hughes and Quincy Isaiah, respectively. The real McKinney suffered a near-fatal bicycle accident that cut short his career with the Lakers after introducing the up-tempo style that came to define Showtime.
Letts, who also appears in this spring’s “Deep Water,” has a supporting role as the late basketball coach Jack McKinney in the sports drama “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” which depicts the famed Showtime era led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who are portrayed on the show by Solomon Hughes and Quincy Isaiah, respectively. The real McKinney suffered a near-fatal bicycle accident that cut short his career with the Lakers after introducing the up-tempo style that came to define Showtime.
- 4/15/2022
- by Kaitlin Thomas
- Gold Derby
A review of this week’s Winning Time, “Memento Mori,” coming up just as soon as I ask not to be buzzard fucked…
Two of the three main stories of “Memento Mori” involve making the best of a bad situation in the moment, while the third seems to involve someone taking advantage of a great situation and instead making the worst possible choice.
The hour is primarily concerned, unsurprisingly, with the aftermath of Jack McKinney’s brutal bicycle accident from the end of “Pieces of a Man.” Though Jack looked...
Two of the three main stories of “Memento Mori” involve making the best of a bad situation in the moment, while the third seems to involve someone taking advantage of a great situation and instead making the worst possible choice.
The hour is primarily concerned, unsurprisingly, with the aftermath of Jack McKinney’s brutal bicycle accident from the end of “Pieces of a Man.” Though Jack looked...
- 4/11/2022
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for “Memento Mori,” the April 10 episode of “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” which is now streaming on HBO Max.
The Los Angeles Lakers are starting to turn over a new leaf on Episode 6 of “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.” Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes) are proving to be a formidable offensive duo, owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) has launched his basketball Mecca in a revamped Inglewood Forum and the team is even stringing together a few wins as it heads into the 1980s. Oh, and head coach Jack McKinney (Tracy Letts) has suffered a near-fatal bicycle accident, putting himself in a coma and leaving the team without a courtside leader.
Suddenly, assistant coach Paul Westhead (Jason Segel) finds himself in the hot seat, asked to take the helm of an organization that...
The Los Angeles Lakers are starting to turn over a new leaf on Episode 6 of “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.” Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes) are proving to be a formidable offensive duo, owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) has launched his basketball Mecca in a revamped Inglewood Forum and the team is even stringing together a few wins as it heads into the 1980s. Oh, and head coach Jack McKinney (Tracy Letts) has suffered a near-fatal bicycle accident, putting himself in a coma and leaving the team without a courtside leader.
Suddenly, assistant coach Paul Westhead (Jason Segel) finds himself in the hot seat, asked to take the helm of an organization that...
- 4/11/2022
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
[Warning: The below contains spoilers from Season 1, Episode 6, “Memento Mori”] Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Out of tragedy comes opportunity for Jason Segel’s Paul Westhead on Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. The Los Angeles assistant coach finds himself stepping in for head coach Jack McKinney (Tracy Letts), who is clinging to life in an ICU bed after a devastating bicycle accident. With the schedule in full swing and the NBA team’s hope to keep McKinney’s health status out of the headlines, Westhead is thrust into the spotlight as the interim man in charge. The proverbial student must now become the teacher while also managing the clash of personalities between Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes). Not to mention owner Dr. Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) putting the pressure on Westhead to win with literally everything on the line. Who said basketball was just a game? Here Segel sits...
- 4/11/2022
- TV Insider
Jason Segel only met Kobe Bryant once, but he remembers it “very vividly.” As he told Jimmy Kimmel Thursday night, the legendary late Lakers star inadvertently helped him land a film role at a time he wasn’t well known.
At the time, Segel had just made 2008’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” and was not a studio head’s first pick for an upcoming movie. His agent had arranged for Segel to sit next to the unnamed film executive at a Lakers game by separately handing them tickets for adjoining seats, in the “crazy story” he told Kimmel, which starts at 9:16 in the clip from Thursday’s episode.
“He had no idea who I was,” said Segel of the lukewarm exec. ‘I don’t think he even saw [‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’].”
That all changed when Bryant spotted him and raced over. “[Kobe] ran over and gave me a hug and he said,...
At the time, Segel had just made 2008’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” and was not a studio head’s first pick for an upcoming movie. His agent had arranged for Segel to sit next to the unnamed film executive at a Lakers game by separately handing them tickets for adjoining seats, in the “crazy story” he told Kimmel, which starts at 9:16 in the clip from Thursday’s episode.
“He had no idea who I was,” said Segel of the lukewarm exec. ‘I don’t think he even saw [‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’].”
That all changed when Bryant spotted him and raced over. “[Kobe] ran over and gave me a hug and he said,...
- 4/8/2022
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
A review of this week’s Winning Time, “Pieces of a Man,” coming up just as soon as my weasel watches this…
Though Magic Johnson was the flashy new addition to this Lakers roster, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the face of the team. He was perhaps the greatest college basketball player ever, was the first overall pick in the draft a decade before Magic, had already won an NBA title in Milwaukee, and had been in Los Angeles since 1975. He sparred with Bruce Lee both in real life and on the big screen,...
Though Magic Johnson was the flashy new addition to this Lakers roster, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the face of the team. He was perhaps the greatest college basketball player ever, was the first overall pick in the draft a decade before Magic, had already won an NBA title in Milwaukee, and had been in Los Angeles since 1975. He sparred with Bruce Lee both in real life and on the big screen,...
- 4/4/2022
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for “Who the F**k is Jack McKinney?,” the March 27 episode of “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” which is now streaming on HBO Max.
Like every other episode of HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” Sunday’s episode picks up with the Los Angeles Lakers organization pinned against a wall, this time scrummaging for a new head coach after the abrupt resignation of Jerry West (Jason Clarke). With a Palm Springs pre-season training camp on the horizon, the Lakers land on a man who might have more ideas than they’ve bargained for, leading owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) to bellow over the phone, “Who the fuck is Jack McKinney?”
Tracy Letts had the same question when he was asked to play the Lakers coach on the series. Although the actor, playwright and Chicago theater mainstay...
Like every other episode of HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” Sunday’s episode picks up with the Los Angeles Lakers organization pinned against a wall, this time scrummaging for a new head coach after the abrupt resignation of Jerry West (Jason Clarke). With a Palm Springs pre-season training camp on the horizon, the Lakers land on a man who might have more ideas than they’ve bargained for, leading owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) to bellow over the phone, “Who the fuck is Jack McKinney?”
Tracy Letts had the same question when he was asked to play the Lakers coach on the series. Although the actor, playwright and Chicago theater mainstay...
- 3/28/2022
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
HBO ushered viewers back to the starting days of the Los Angeles Lakers with new series Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty making its premiere on Sunday. The series from co-creators Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht debuted to just shy of 1 million viewers.
Per HBO, the series opened to approximately 900,000 viewers across linear viewing and HBO Max streaming. Winning Time filled the 9 p.m. Sunday slot previously belonging to Euphoria. To compare the dramas, Euphoria made its series premiere in June 2019 to 577,00 linear viewers and boosted up to 1 million viewers with viewing on HBO Go/Now, before HBO Max launched. The Euphoria season 2 premiere broke records for HBO and HBO Max with 2.4 million total viewers.
Winning Time is a ten-episode series about the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that defined an era, both on and off the court.
Per HBO, the series opened to approximately 900,000 viewers across linear viewing and HBO Max streaming. Winning Time filled the 9 p.m. Sunday slot previously belonging to Euphoria. To compare the dramas, Euphoria made its series premiere in June 2019 to 577,00 linear viewers and boosted up to 1 million viewers with viewing on HBO Go/Now, before HBO Max launched. The Euphoria season 2 premiere broke records for HBO and HBO Max with 2.4 million total viewers.
Winning Time is a ten-episode series about the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that defined an era, both on and off the court.
- 3/8/2022
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
“Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” HBO’s drama about the LA team’s rise to superstardom with their “showtime” style of play in the early ’80s, debuted on the premium cable network Sunday night, and inspired by the era in which the show is set, producers used some old-school technology to bring the series to life.
The series features grainy footage, not unlike video clips from the earyl 1980s, and there’s a reason for that — they used older camera techniques to shoot the show.
“Our incredible [Cinematographer] Todd Banhazl and his partner Mihai Malaimare [Jr.] devised — Todd devised this style on the pilot, working with Adam McKay, who directed the pilot, and it was really about finding a way to bring the feel, the layered feel of what we’re accustomed to seeing in a documentary into the world of a dramatic series so that we can take...
The series features grainy footage, not unlike video clips from the earyl 1980s, and there’s a reason for that — they used older camera techniques to shoot the show.
“Our incredible [Cinematographer] Todd Banhazl and his partner Mihai Malaimare [Jr.] devised — Todd devised this style on the pilot, working with Adam McKay, who directed the pilot, and it was really about finding a way to bring the feel, the layered feel of what we’re accustomed to seeing in a documentary into the world of a dramatic series so that we can take...
- 3/7/2022
- by Jolie Lash
- The Wrap
John C. Reilly first shows up in “Winning Time” post-coitally, musing about the ways in which his favorite activity has pleasures not unlike his second-favorite. “God damn,” he muses to his sleeping mistress, his gaze slightly tangent to the camera’s gaze. “Basketball. I mean, look at it. It’s like great sex: It’s moving, it’s rhythmic, it’s up close and personal.” He goes on to celebrate the sport as the camera pulls in, concluding, “If there’s two things that make me believe in God, it’s sex and basketball.”
The camera pulls back, to show us that he’s bored his mistress to sleep: We get a lengthy look at her nude body, roiling on the unsteady surface of a waterbed. Reilly gives up on her, and then looks into the camera to tell the audience directly that he plans to buy the Los Angeles Lakers.
The camera pulls back, to show us that he’s bored his mistress to sleep: We get a lengthy look at her nude body, roiling on the unsteady surface of a waterbed. Reilly gives up on her, and then looks into the camera to tell the audience directly that he plans to buy the Los Angeles Lakers.
- 3/3/2022
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
“The Shield” alum Michael Chiklis is playing legendary NBA Boston Celtics coach-turned-general manager Red Auerbach in HBO’s new series “Winning Time: The Rise of The Lakers Dynasty,” and TheWrap has an exclusive look at the actor in character.
In the new pic, Chiklis, as Auerbach, is seated at a table during what looks like the NBA draft.
“Red Auerbach was one of a kind,” Chiklis said in a statement to TheWrap. “A larger than life character and competitor. In a word…iconic. What a blast to slip into his jacket for a while as an actor and a guy from the Boston area.”
Here’s a description of Chiklis’ character, per HBO: As the coach of the Celtics, Red Auerbach won nine NBA championships. As general manager, he won seven more. When the Lakers’ rise threatens his Boston dynasty, Auerbach proves himself to be the basketball genius and cut-throat...
In the new pic, Chiklis, as Auerbach, is seated at a table during what looks like the NBA draft.
“Red Auerbach was one of a kind,” Chiklis said in a statement to TheWrap. “A larger than life character and competitor. In a word…iconic. What a blast to slip into his jacket for a while as an actor and a guy from the Boston area.”
Here’s a description of Chiklis’ character, per HBO: As the coach of the Celtics, Red Auerbach won nine NBA championships. As general manager, he won seven more. When the Lakers’ rise threatens his Boston dynasty, Auerbach proves himself to be the basketball genius and cut-throat...
- 2/16/2022
- by Jolie Lash
- The Wrap
The Showtime Lakers will take center stage in HBO’s upcoming series Winning Time: The Rise of The Lakers Dynasty, but that’s the extent of their involvement. During the series’ Ctam session on Tuesday series co-creator Max Borenstein addressed reports about the lack of cooperation from the Lakers themselves and the Buss family.
“We made this show as fans with a tremendous amount of respect and love for all these characters of the NBA and Lakers and I think it hopefully shows on screen. I can only imagine how strange it must be to have a movie made about your life, or show made about any aspect fo your life so I never presume what people will or won’t do but on our end this was made with great love and appreciation.”
“A deep appreciation,” echoed executive producer Rodney.
Set to debut Sunday, March 6 Winning Time is a...
“We made this show as fans with a tremendous amount of respect and love for all these characters of the NBA and Lakers and I think it hopefully shows on screen. I can only imagine how strange it must be to have a movie made about your life, or show made about any aspect fo your life so I never presume what people will or won’t do but on our end this was made with great love and appreciation.”
“A deep appreciation,” echoed executive producer Rodney.
Set to debut Sunday, March 6 Winning Time is a...
- 2/15/2022
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
"From here on out, we are playing to win!" HBO has revealed the full-length official trailer for Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, a new series about the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. This is a dramatic series, not a doc, and is also the project that Will Ferrell and Adam McKay fought about. The first episode is directed by Adam McKay, who is (of course) a big time Lakers fan. The series tells the story of the rise of basketball Hall Of Famer Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and the lengths that one man, Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly), will go in pursuit of securing a basketball dynasty. The cast includes all kinds of fun names: Sean Patrick Small as Larry Bird, Sally Field as Jessie Buss, Adrien Brody as Pat Riley, Mike Epps as Pryor, Max E. Williams as Lakers fan Jack Nicholson, Carina Conti as Paula Adbul,...
- 2/14/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
“Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” directed by Adam McKay, is the new ten-episode drama series streaming March 4, 2022 on HBO Max:
“…the new series follows the professional and personal lives of the 1980’s ‘Los Angeles Lakers’, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that defined an era, both on and off the court…”
Cast includes John C. Reilly as ‘Jerry Buss’, Quincy Isaiah as ‘Magic Johnson’, Jason Clarke as ‘Jerry West’, Adrien Brody as ‘Pat Riley’, Gaby Hoffmann as ‘Claire Rothman’, Tracy Letts as ‘Jack McKinney’, Jason Segel as ‘Paul Westhead’, Julianne Nicholson as ‘Cranny McKinney’, Hadley Robinson as ‘Jeanie Buss’, DeVaughn Nixon as ‘Norm Nixon’, Solomon Hughes as ‘Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’, Tamera Tomakili as ‘Cookie Kelly’, Brett Cullen as ‘Bill Sharman’, Stephen Adly Guirgis as ‘Frank Mariani’, Spencer Garrett as ‘Chick Hearn’, Sarah Ramos as ‘Cheryl Pistono’, Molly Gordon as ‘Linda Zafrani’, Joey Brooks as...
“…the new series follows the professional and personal lives of the 1980’s ‘Los Angeles Lakers’, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that defined an era, both on and off the court…”
Cast includes John C. Reilly as ‘Jerry Buss’, Quincy Isaiah as ‘Magic Johnson’, Jason Clarke as ‘Jerry West’, Adrien Brody as ‘Pat Riley’, Gaby Hoffmann as ‘Claire Rothman’, Tracy Letts as ‘Jack McKinney’, Jason Segel as ‘Paul Westhead’, Julianne Nicholson as ‘Cranny McKinney’, Hadley Robinson as ‘Jeanie Buss’, DeVaughn Nixon as ‘Norm Nixon’, Solomon Hughes as ‘Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’, Tamera Tomakili as ‘Cookie Kelly’, Brett Cullen as ‘Bill Sharman’, Stephen Adly Guirgis as ‘Frank Mariani’, Spencer Garrett as ‘Chick Hearn’, Sarah Ramos as ‘Cheryl Pistono’, Molly Gordon as ‘Linda Zafrani’, Joey Brooks as...
- 2/14/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
The latest trailer for "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" is here, and it looks like a perfectly crafted piece of sports nostalgia. The 10-episode series will premiere on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, March 6, 2022 and stars John C. Reilly as Lakers owner Jerry Buss, along with Quincy Isaiah as Magic Johnson, Dr. Solomon Hughes as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jason Clarke as Lakers general manager Jerry West, and Jason Segel and Adrien Brody as coaches Paul Westhead and Pat Riley. Every episode was helmed by "Don't Look Up" director Adam McKay, hot off the success of his Oscar-nominated "Don't Look Up."
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The post Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Trailer: An Iconic Sports Tale Heads to HBO appeared first on /Film.
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The post Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Trailer: An Iconic Sports Tale Heads to HBO appeared first on /Film.
- 2/11/2022
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
You’ll be getting football and basketball on Super Bowl Sunday. HBO has released the official trailer for Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, which will run during the Big Game on NBC. “I don’t care who you are. If you’re a human being with two eyes and a heart, this game, this industry make you feel good,” Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) says, but Jessie (Sally Field) wants to know, “What industry? Sweat socks?” No, he’s talking about show business. Watch the trailer below to meet Quincy Isaiah’s Magic Johnson as the Lakers select him, the dynasty is built, and much more from the star-studded cast. The series also stars Jason Clarke as Jerry West, Adrien Brody as Pat Riley, Gaby Hoffmann as Claire Rothman, Tracy Letts as Jack McKinney, Jason Segel as Paul Westhead, Julianne Nicholson as Cranny McKinney, Hadley Robinson as Jeanie Buss,...
- 2/11/2022
- TV Insider
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