The problem with sports dramas at heart, whether big or small, is that they just can’t compete with the real thing.
The sheer thrill of a goal or touchdown at the last minute is impossible to recreate when much of the audience knows it’s coming.
That’s why the best movies and shows of recent years focus on off-field, court or diamond events. Aaron Sorkin’s brilliant drama Moneyball is not about introducing a statistically based approach to choosing baseball players, but about a man against the system.
Apple TV Plus’s giant hit Ted Lasso is not really about football (soccer). In fact, the scenes in which the characters have to play are the most horrible parts for anyone accustomed to the strength, pace and finesse of the Premier League.
Ted Lasso is a show for the triumph against the odds and does not give up, the action on the field is at best accidental.
With all this in mind, this makes HBO’s new drama, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, even more remarkable.
Why? Because the players on the court are crucial to the story as well as how they play, but even a complete basketball novice like me finds the show completely captivating.
Dream hoop
Winning Time describes the showtime era of the 1980s on the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.
It starts with the eccentric playboy Jerry Buss, who raises money to buy the team, hires young Magic Johnson (even I’ve heard of him) and finds a coach to guide his team, which has struggled to win over crowds, no matter win everything. in force in the NBA.
As the show continued, the Lakers’ style of play, which became known as Showtime for its relentless pursuit of points and fast style, began to pay dividends, taking the team to the highest heights.
Filmed in a grainy style on a video camera from the 80s of the last century, the casting of the show is perfect. John C. Riley is the biggest of Buss’ lives, newcomer Quincy Isaiah is in great shape as an arrogant, constantly grinning Johnson, while everyone like Jason Siegel, Gabby Hoffman, Jason Clark, Tracy Lets and Sally Field are great in key supporting roles.
All-star team
Adam McKay, who watched the series as well as directed the pilot, is one of the key people here and Winning Time borrows from McKay’s hugely successful financial drama The Big Short in his storytelling.
The characters constantly break down the fourth wall, addressing the camera and the audience directly to explain the move they will make. It’s not permanent, maybe once or twice an episode, and is often limited to Riley and Isaiah’s characters, but it really works here.
The drama on the court combines perfectly with the drama off the court. The whole series has a real drive, and the Lakers season really feels like it could fall apart at any moment.
Fatal accidents, near financial ruin, constant crime and battles between players, it’s all there.
Winning Time captures absolutely what is brilliant in watching a team, no matter what sport they play.
It shows the great characters in the locker room and the boardroom, how giant egos clash, but somehow they are drawn in the same direction.
This is a series of 10 episodes and I overcame it in no time. Each episode was followed by a good 15-minute Google of the Lakers and their opponents. It was just as nice.
Even if you can’t stand sports of any kind, there are many things to love in Winning Time and worth a try, especially after the second season next year.
Of course, one of the worst things about enjoying the show is the immediate search for a new drama to get into. We really want to help solve this, so we’ve put together some of the best Netflix shows and the best Hulu shows for you – we (pretty much) make sure your new favorite is there.