In its own stylish and amplified way, "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" tells the story of the Magic Johnson-led Laker era from the '80s. Hailing from producer Adam McKay, who is no stranger to elevating real-life stories in his previous projects "The Big Short" and "Vice," the HBO series embellishes the high-stakes journey of the Lakers basketball team at its lowest with the help of Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) and newly-drafted Johnson (Quincy Isaiah). Based on the best-selling non-fiction book "Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s," the Emmy-nominated show gives insight into the personal trials and tribulations the basketball stars and the team's front office go through to achieve championship-level success.
"Winning Time" does not present itself as a documentary-like recounting of what occurred during the "Showtime" era. In essence, most of the story is true — the...
"Winning Time" does not present itself as a documentary-like recounting of what occurred during the "Showtime" era. In essence, most of the story is true — the...
- 8/24/2022
- by Marcos Melendez
- Slash Film
This article contains spoilers for “Winning Time” Episode 5.
If you’ve been keeping up with HBO’s “Winning Time: Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” you know it’s been a bumpy ride for Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) and the Los Angeles Lakers. As the first four episodes have shown, the path to greatness is strewn with roadblocks: shaky financing, rivalries between teammates, the last-minute resignation of the head coach and the murder-driven dropout of his replacement.
In Episode 5, titled “Pieces of a Man,” Buss’ “Showtime” strategy – a revamped Forum, new Laker Girls, and most importantly, Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) – plus Jack McKinney’s (Tracy Letts) fast-break offense are finally put to the test. Their first game against the then-San Diego Clippers shows promise, but things really pick up with their first home game of the 1979-1980 season. Of course, the Lakers’ early victories are not without their fair share of drama,...
If you’ve been keeping up with HBO’s “Winning Time: Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” you know it’s been a bumpy ride for Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) and the Los Angeles Lakers. As the first four episodes have shown, the path to greatness is strewn with roadblocks: shaky financing, rivalries between teammates, the last-minute resignation of the head coach and the murder-driven dropout of his replacement.
In Episode 5, titled “Pieces of a Man,” Buss’ “Showtime” strategy – a revamped Forum, new Laker Girls, and most importantly, Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) – plus Jack McKinney’s (Tracy Letts) fast-break offense are finally put to the test. Their first game against the then-San Diego Clippers shows promise, but things really pick up with their first home game of the 1979-1980 season. Of course, the Lakers’ early victories are not without their fair share of drama,...
- 4/4/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
"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
Adam McKay‘s upcoming L.A. Lakers drama on HBO has cast some pivotal players in the series. Mike Epps (The Upshaws), Carina Conti (The Last Tycoon), Max E. Williams (Dreamland), and Mariama Diallo (Random Acts of Flyness) have all scored recurring roles on the show that will be based on Jeff Pearlman‘s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, […]
The post HBO’s LA Lakers Drama Series Just Cast Actors as Richard Pryor and Jack Nicholson appeared first on /Film.
The post HBO’s LA Lakers Drama Series Just Cast Actors as Richard Pryor and Jack Nicholson appeared first on /Film.
- 6/23/2021
- by Marisa Mirabal
- Slash Film
Exclusive: Adam McKay’s HBO L.A. Lakers drama series is rounding out its cast. Mike Epps (The Upshaws), Carina Conti (The Last Tycoon), Max E. Williams (Dreamland) and Mariama Diallo (Random Acts of Flyness) will recur in the series based on Jeff Pearlman’s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s. McKay’s Hyperobject Industries is producing.
Written by Max Borenstein, the fast-break series chronicles the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Lakers, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that defined its era both on and off the court.
Epps plays Richard Pryor, the prolific and boundary-breaking comedian who lived the Hollywood dream, sometimes in excess.
Conti portrays Paula Abdul. Before she was a decade-defining pop star, Paula Abdul was just a high school student from the San Fernando Valley, moonlighting as the innovative choreographer for the Laker Girls.
Written by Max Borenstein, the fast-break series chronicles the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Lakers, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that defined its era both on and off the court.
Epps plays Richard Pryor, the prolific and boundary-breaking comedian who lived the Hollywood dream, sometimes in excess.
Conti portrays Paula Abdul. Before she was a decade-defining pop star, Paula Abdul was just a high school student from the San Fernando Valley, moonlighting as the innovative choreographer for the Laker Girls.
- 6/21/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
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