A riveting locker room speech can be the difference maker in truly selling the emotion of a sports TV show or movie. And Adrien Brody delivers an exquisite amount of them to the Los Angeles Lakers in his turn as real-life coach Pat Riley on HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. The series depicts the legendary Showtime era of the LA Lakers, which saw players like Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes), Norm Nixon, and more. Plus, Celtics icon Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small) makes multiple appearances. And Brody’s Riley is at the center of it all. To celebrate his triumphant ability to gas up, grill, or simply get his guys into grind mode, TV Insider caught up with Brody to look back at one of those scenes and learn a bit more about what went into his performance for TV Insider’s Scene Study series.
- 6/3/2024
- TV Insider
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
This post contains spoilers for the Season Two finale of HBO’s Winning Time, now streaming on Max.
Winning Time, the HBO drama about the Los Angeles Lakers’ Showtime dynasty in the Eighties, has been accused by members of those teams of rewriting history. With what unexpectedly turned out to be a series, and not season, finale, the show had to rewrite its own past, as well as its future.
Early in the summer, critics were given screeners of all seven episodes of this abbreviated second season. The version of...
Winning Time, the HBO drama about the Los Angeles Lakers’ Showtime dynasty in the Eighties, has been accused by members of those teams of rewriting history. With what unexpectedly turned out to be a series, and not season, finale, the show had to rewrite its own past, as well as its future.
Early in the summer, critics were given screeners of all seven episodes of this abbreviated second season. The version of...
- 9/18/2023
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty has come to an end.
After the second season finale Sunday, Creator Max Borenstein confirmed the news on X. “Not the ending that we had in mind,” he wrote. “But nothing but gratitude and love.”
Director Salli Richardson followed up on Instagram with “When you give it everything you’ve got, you can have no regrets. I hope you enjoy the last episode of @winningtimehbo I am sure I will do many more hours of TV and hopefully many features in my future, but I can say that at this moment in time I am most proud of the work we did on this masterful show.”
Added co-creator/executive producer Jim Hecht on X, “9.5 years. We made the show of my dreams. That wasn’t the ending we hoped for but very grateful to everyone who watched and for trusting me with his genius book.
After the second season finale Sunday, Creator Max Borenstein confirmed the news on X. “Not the ending that we had in mind,” he wrote. “But nothing but gratitude and love.”
Director Salli Richardson followed up on Instagram with “When you give it everything you’ve got, you can have no regrets. I hope you enjoy the last episode of @winningtimehbo I am sure I will do many more hours of TV and hopefully many features in my future, but I can say that at this moment in time I am most proud of the work we did on this masterful show.”
Added co-creator/executive producer Jim Hecht on X, “9.5 years. We made the show of my dreams. That wasn’t the ending we hoped for but very grateful to everyone who watched and for trusting me with his genius book.
- 9/18/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Season 2 of “Winning Time” concluded Sunday evening with the Lakers’ devastating loss to the Celtics during the 1984 NBA finals, and as it turns out the episode serves as the series finale for the HBO series — the network announced Sunday night that it would not be moving forward with more seasons.
But that’s not to say future seasons weren’t already in mind for the show’s creators.
“In real life, the Lakers come back and beat the Celtics the next year. So that would absolutely be at the heart of any Season 3,” executive producer Kevin Messick told TheWrap during an interview conducted before the show’s fate had been determined. “In terms of the longevity of the show, there’s a lot more Laker stories to tell, a lot more characters, larger than life, as big and bigger than Magic [Johnson] and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] that have yet to enter onto the stage.
But that’s not to say future seasons weren’t already in mind for the show’s creators.
“In real life, the Lakers come back and beat the Celtics the next year. So that would absolutely be at the heart of any Season 3,” executive producer Kevin Messick told TheWrap during an interview conducted before the show’s fate had been determined. “In terms of the longevity of the show, there’s a lot more Laker stories to tell, a lot more characters, larger than life, as big and bigger than Magic [Johnson] and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] that have yet to enter onto the stage.
- 9/18/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Spoiler Alert: This article includes details about the Season 2 finale of “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” now streaming on Max.
The show may have been called “Winning Time,” but it’s ending with a historic loss. HBO has confirmed to Variety that Sunday’s Season 2 finale is the last episode of the basketball series.
After a seven-game duel between the Lakers and the Celtics, Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small) and his Boston ballers sink a dagger into their West Coast rivals, claiming victory as the NBA champions of 1984. It’s an ugly defeat for Los Angeles, who are immediately greeted with a stampede of Celtics fans rushing the floor before they can sulk off the court. Boston uncorks the Champagne while Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) collapses in the locker room showers, his spirits cratering to a new low as Led Zeppelin’s “What Is and What Should...
The show may have been called “Winning Time,” but it’s ending with a historic loss. HBO has confirmed to Variety that Sunday’s Season 2 finale is the last episode of the basketball series.
After a seven-game duel between the Lakers and the Celtics, Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small) and his Boston ballers sink a dagger into their West Coast rivals, claiming victory as the NBA champions of 1984. It’s an ugly defeat for Los Angeles, who are immediately greeted with a stampede of Celtics fans rushing the floor before they can sulk off the court. Boston uncorks the Champagne while Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) collapses in the locker room showers, his spirits cratering to a new low as Led Zeppelin’s “What Is and What Should...
- 9/18/2023
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
The season finale of “Winning Time” Season 2 will see the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird comes to a head at the 1984 NBA Finals.
In an exclusive clip shared with TheWrap, the Lakers are celebrating their win for Game 1 of the championship. But as they are getting ready to leave, their bus is immediately ambushed by angry Celtics fans.
In addition to the game, the episode follows Lakers owner Jerry Buss as he fends off a potentially life-altering lawsuit. Meanwhile, Claire Rothman faces the possibility of yet another bankruptcy and Jeanie Buss questions her place in professional sports.
“Winning Time” stars Quincy Isaiah, Adrien Brody, Jason Clarke, John. C Reilly, Hadley Robinson, Gaby Hoffmann, Jason Segel, Sean Patrick Small, Michael Chiklis, DeVaughn Nixon, Solomon Hughes, Tamera Tomakili, Brett Cullen, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Spencer Garrett, Molly Gordon, Joey Brooks, Delante Desouza, Jimel Atkins, Austin Aaron, McCabe Slye, Thomas Mann, Gillian Jacobs and Rob Morgan.
In an exclusive clip shared with TheWrap, the Lakers are celebrating their win for Game 1 of the championship. But as they are getting ready to leave, their bus is immediately ambushed by angry Celtics fans.
In addition to the game, the episode follows Lakers owner Jerry Buss as he fends off a potentially life-altering lawsuit. Meanwhile, Claire Rothman faces the possibility of yet another bankruptcy and Jeanie Buss questions her place in professional sports.
“Winning Time” stars Quincy Isaiah, Adrien Brody, Jason Clarke, John. C Reilly, Hadley Robinson, Gaby Hoffmann, Jason Segel, Sean Patrick Small, Michael Chiklis, DeVaughn Nixon, Solomon Hughes, Tamera Tomakili, Brett Cullen, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Spencer Garrett, Molly Gordon, Joey Brooks, Delante Desouza, Jimel Atkins, Austin Aaron, McCabe Slye, Thomas Mann, Gillian Jacobs and Rob Morgan.
- 9/14/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Note: This interview was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike and contains spoilers for Winning Time Season 2, Episode 5
In Sunday’s episode of HBO’s “Winning Time,” Kareem Abdul-Jabarr (Solomon Hughes) confronts Lakers owner Jerry Buss in a roller rink, accusing him of taking advantage of Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah).
To prepare for the confrontation, Hughes told TheWrap that he would sneak onto set with the show’s basketball assistant director Derek Dibiagio to learn how to roller skate.
“He generously brought his skates to work just about every day and we would sneak onto the set and roller skate on the court and it was like a month of learning,” Hughes recalled. “I learned early on, ‘you’re gonna get this scene with John C. Reilly and by the way, you’re gonna be on roller skates’ and I’m like ‘Oh, ok. All right.’ So that was fun...
In Sunday’s episode of HBO’s “Winning Time,” Kareem Abdul-Jabarr (Solomon Hughes) confronts Lakers owner Jerry Buss in a roller rink, accusing him of taking advantage of Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah).
To prepare for the confrontation, Hughes told TheWrap that he would sneak onto set with the show’s basketball assistant director Derek Dibiagio to learn how to roller skate.
“He generously brought his skates to work just about every day and we would sneak onto the set and roller skate on the court and it was like a month of learning,” Hughes recalled. “I learned early on, ‘you’re gonna get this scene with John C. Reilly and by the way, you’re gonna be on roller skates’ and I’m like ‘Oh, ok. All right.’ So that was fun...
- 9/5/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
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
In the first episode of “Winning Time” Season 2, audiences see Lakers owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) flipping through a scrapbook of his love interests just moments after a heated exchange with his kids — in which they call him out for ditching them for “p–y and fun.” He’s later seen wooing an old flame named Honey with a lavish date in Episode 2, and she’s even invited to the family’s game night in Sunday’s latest episode.
Buss, who is often seen in the HBO drama series with a drink and cigarette in his hand, was known for hosting extravagant parties at the Pickfair mansion, which he purchased in 1980 and is showcased throughout “Winning Time.”
Actor John C. Reilly, who plays Buss on “Winning Time,” said his “appetites” were the most surprising thing he learned while preparing for the role.
“If I had the kind of partying weekend that Jerry Buss had,...
Buss, who is often seen in the HBO drama series with a drink and cigarette in his hand, was known for hosting extravagant parties at the Pickfair mansion, which he purchased in 1980 and is showcased throughout “Winning Time.”
Actor John C. Reilly, who plays Buss on “Winning Time,” said his “appetites” were the most surprising thing he learned while preparing for the role.
“If I had the kind of partying weekend that Jerry Buss had,...
- 8/21/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
For Sean Patrick Small, playing Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird in the HBO drama series “Winning Time” was a “dream come true.”
“I get to act, play basketball and get paid to do so, while being one of, if not the, greatest [basketball players] of all time,” he told TheWrap in an interview conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Small’s preparation for the role unknowingly started in 2014, as he worked on a miniseries focused on Bird’s life from his senior year of high school to his senior year of college.
“His whole back story really surprised me because he was at Indiana University for a short amount of time, dropped out, didn’t ever think he was going to go back to college. Was working for the county, picking garbage up weekly and painting park benches and loving it with his friends… and his father tragically passing, all this type...
“I get to act, play basketball and get paid to do so, while being one of, if not the, greatest [basketball players] of all time,” he told TheWrap in an interview conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Small’s preparation for the role unknowingly started in 2014, as he worked on a miniseries focused on Bird’s life from his senior year of high school to his senior year of college.
“His whole back story really surprised me because he was at Indiana University for a short amount of time, dropped out, didn’t ever think he was going to go back to college. Was working for the county, picking garbage up weekly and painting park benches and loving it with his friends… and his father tragically passing, all this type...
- 8/21/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Spoiler Alert: This article discusses the Episode 3 of HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” Season 2, now streaming on Max.
After being unceremoniously bounced in the first round of the 1981 NBA playoffs, the spirits of the Los Angeles Lakers sink even further in the cold open of this week’s “Winning Time.” Unable to defend the championship, the team can only seethe in their living rooms as they watch the dreaded Boston Celtics take home gold.
But the indignity doesn’t stop there. The newly crowned champs don’t just snag the title from the Lakers; they practically hijack the HBO series for an episode. While the Los Angeles organization licks its wounds, a series of flashbacks interrupt the aftermath, stretching the frame to widescreen and sending viewers to 1970s Indiana, telling the story of a young man named Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small) who went up...
After being unceremoniously bounced in the first round of the 1981 NBA playoffs, the spirits of the Los Angeles Lakers sink even further in the cold open of this week’s “Winning Time.” Unable to defend the championship, the team can only seethe in their living rooms as they watch the dreaded Boston Celtics take home gold.
But the indignity doesn’t stop there. The newly crowned champs don’t just snag the title from the Lakers; they practically hijack the HBO series for an episode. While the Los Angeles organization licks its wounds, a series of flashbacks interrupt the aftermath, stretching the frame to widescreen and sending viewers to 1970s Indiana, telling the story of a young man named Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small) who went up...
- 8/21/2023
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
[This story contains spoilers from the third episode of season two of Winning Time, “The Second Coming.”]
Stepping into dictating the overall creative vision for the latest episode in season two of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty was “a natural progression” of the work Todd Banhazl has done on the sports drama about the emergence of the basketball franchise. So says the filmmaker who received an Emmy nomination for best cinematography for a single-camera series for his work on the HBO show in 2022. Yet when it comes to being the one who directed Sunday’s pivotal episode — which sets the stage for the decades-long rivalry between Lakers leading man Magic Johnson (played by Quincy Isaiah) and Boston Celtics’ Larry Bird (played by Sean Patrick Small) — Banhazl, says casually, “I think I got really lucky.”
“I think this whole season is building up towards this battle, right?” Banhazl tells The Hollywood Reporter in the chat below. “It’s like this Lord of the Rings...
Stepping into dictating the overall creative vision for the latest episode in season two of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty was “a natural progression” of the work Todd Banhazl has done on the sports drama about the emergence of the basketball franchise. So says the filmmaker who received an Emmy nomination for best cinematography for a single-camera series for his work on the HBO show in 2022. Yet when it comes to being the one who directed Sunday’s pivotal episode — which sets the stage for the decades-long rivalry between Lakers leading man Magic Johnson (played by Quincy Isaiah) and Boston Celtics’ Larry Bird (played by Sean Patrick Small) — Banhazl, says casually, “I think I got really lucky.”
“I think this whole season is building up towards this battle, right?” Banhazl tells The Hollywood Reporter in the chat below. “It’s like this Lord of the Rings...
- 8/21/2023
- by Brande Victorian
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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
Note: This interview was conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike.
In HBO’s “Winning Time,” Quincy Isaiah took on the “large task” of portraying Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. — often regarded as one of the greatest point guards of all time after helping the Lakers win five NBA championships across 13 seasons.
“I think being able to make it smaller, in terms of playing this person who just won a championship and who’s just dealing with life issues, I think that’s the way that I have to frame it… really taking this giant of a person and making him relatable to everyday people,” Isaiah told TheWrap. “The way that we are able to do that is with a great script and a great cast, but also just leaning into the humanity of these emotions that you see in Season 2.”
Johnson faces several challenges during the season, including a knee injury...
In HBO’s “Winning Time,” Quincy Isaiah took on the “large task” of portraying Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. — often regarded as one of the greatest point guards of all time after helping the Lakers win five NBA championships across 13 seasons.
“I think being able to make it smaller, in terms of playing this person who just won a championship and who’s just dealing with life issues, I think that’s the way that I have to frame it… really taking this giant of a person and making him relatable to everyday people,” Isaiah told TheWrap. “The way that we are able to do that is with a great script and a great cast, but also just leaning into the humanity of these emotions that you see in Season 2.”
Johnson faces several challenges during the season, including a knee injury...
- 8/14/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty returned to HBO on Sunday with 629,000 total viewers tuning in for the Season 2 premiere across Max and linear telecasts.
That’s a bit of a fall from grace, considering the 901,000 people who tuned in for the Season 1 debut in March 2022. By May of that year, Season 1 managed to amass 1.6M same-day viewers for the finale.
HBO generally banks on the growth potential from delayed viewing, as the network previously reported that new episodes of a series tend to only draw 10%-20% of their total viewership on Sunday nights.
Season 1 episodes of Winning Time went on to average about 1.2M viewers per episode on premiere nights, which grew to 6M viewers per episode over time.
That’s a bit of a fall from grace, considering the 901,000 people who tuned in for the Season 1 debut in March 2022. By May of that year, Season 1 managed to amass 1.6M same-day viewers for the finale.
HBO generally banks on the growth potential from delayed viewing, as the network previously reported that new episodes of a series tend to only draw 10%-20% of their total viewership on Sunday nights.
Season 1 episodes of Winning Time went on to average about 1.2M viewers per episode on premiere nights, which grew to 6M viewers per episode over time.
- 8/8/2023
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
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
"They're the dynasty, we're the flash in the pan." HBO has unveiled their full trailer for Season 2 of their sports series Winning Time, about the iconic Los Angeles Lakers basketball team in their prime-time. We also posted the first teaser a month ago. 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) on the end of the 1970s to their big NBA World Champion win in 1980. In Season 2, the story continues with their years from 1980 to 1984, and the ongoing rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird (from the Boston Celtics). 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, with DeVaughn Nixon, Solomon Hughes, Brett Cullen, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Spencer Garrett, Molly Gordon,...
- 7/20/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
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
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
It’s showtime all over again.
On Monday, HBO announced the return of “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.”
The basketball drama about the Los Angeles Lakers and the team’s 1980s run through the NBA is set to debut new episodes on August 6.
Here’s the official logline for what to expect: “Season 2 continues to explore the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers. 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.”
Quincy Isaiah stars as Johnson while Sean Patrick Small plays Bird. The all-star cast of “Winning Time” includes John C. Reilly as Lakers owner Jerry Buss, Adrien Brody as Lakers coach Pat Riley, Jason Clarke as Lakers executive Jerry West, Gaby Hoffmann as Lakers executive Claire Rothman, Jason Segel as Lakers coach Paul Westphal,...
On Monday, HBO announced the return of “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.”
The basketball drama about the Los Angeles Lakers and the team’s 1980s run through the NBA is set to debut new episodes on August 6.
Here’s the official logline for what to expect: “Season 2 continues to explore the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers. 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.”
Quincy Isaiah stars as Johnson while Sean Patrick Small plays Bird. The all-star cast of “Winning Time” includes John C. Reilly as Lakers owner Jerry Buss, Adrien Brody as Lakers coach Pat Riley, Jason Clarke as Lakers executive Jerry West, Gaby Hoffmann as Lakers executive Claire Rothman, Jason Segel as Lakers coach Paul Westphal,...
- 6/12/2023
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
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
Not having NBA permission to use basketball archival footage turned out to be a blessing in the making of Adam McKay’s HBO series, “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” (releasing new episodes on Sundays). It compelled McKay (who directed Episode 1), co-cinematographers Todd Banhazl (“Hustlers”) and Mihai Malaimare Jr. (“The Harder They Fall”), and Oscar-nominated editor Hank Corwin (“Don’t Look Up”) to get creative in evoking the ’80s as a cultural snapshot filtered through the game-changing Los Angeles Lakers dynasty, led by charismatic phenom Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah). The drama is a surreal and often absurd variation on McKay’s “Succession,” with the Lakers’ glitzy, entertaining Showtime persona masking a dysfunctional family run by outlier owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly).
“The early conversations were that it would be shot on film because of the time period, and because Adam’s a film guy,” said Banhazl, who shot...
“The early conversations were that it would be shot on film because of the time period, and because Adam’s a film guy,” said Banhazl, who shot...
- 3/7/2022
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Sean Patrick Small has long been aware of the similarities between him and Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird.
Growing up as a 6’4 kid who played basketball, he took on Bird’s number 33 shirt as he was trying to perfect his own jump shot.
While it’s not a big jump for HBO to cast him in the Adam McKay-exec produced series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty as Magic Johnson’s rival – you just have to look at the pictures – the confluence of events that got him there is its own wild story.
Small transferred to USC after discovering a passion for acting and writing. “How can I try to combine these two things together in order to make my way? I’ve been told that I looked like Larry Bird, and I’m 6’4 and played basketball. Let’s see if this guy has a good enough story to write about,...
Growing up as a 6’4 kid who played basketball, he took on Bird’s number 33 shirt as he was trying to perfect his own jump shot.
While it’s not a big jump for HBO to cast him in the Adam McKay-exec produced series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty as Magic Johnson’s rival – you just have to look at the pictures – the confluence of events that got him there is its own wild story.
Small transferred to USC after discovering a passion for acting and writing. “How can I try to combine these two things together in order to make my way? I’ve been told that I looked like Larry Bird, and I’m 6’4 and played basketball. Let’s see if this guy has a good enough story to write about,...
- 2/23/2022
- by Peter White
- 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
It’s about to be the Magic hour.
Adam McKay’s new HBO series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” details the transformation of the Los Angeles Lakers under former owner Jerry Buss, played by John C. Reilly.
Based on the book “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s,” the series follows the personal and professional lives of NBA legends Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes).
Both billed as newcomers, Isaiah and Hughes immediately wow in the trailer for the origin story set in the 1980s.
Sean Patrick Small stars as Celtics standout Larry Bird, Jason Clarke is Jerry West, Michael Chiklis plays executive Red Auerbach, Spencer Garrett is legendary Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn, Delante Desouza stars as Michael Cooper, Olli Haaskivi portrays Nike co-founder Phil Knightand, and Kirk Bovill is former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
Adam McKay’s new HBO series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” details the transformation of the Los Angeles Lakers under former owner Jerry Buss, played by John C. Reilly.
Based on the book “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s,” the series follows the personal and professional lives of NBA legends Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes).
Both billed as newcomers, Isaiah and Hughes immediately wow in the trailer for the origin story set in the 1980s.
Sean Patrick Small stars as Celtics standout Larry Bird, Jason Clarke is Jerry West, Michael Chiklis plays executive Red Auerbach, Spencer Garrett is legendary Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn, Delante Desouza stars as Michael Cooper, Olli Haaskivi portrays Nike co-founder Phil Knightand, and Kirk Bovill is former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
- 2/11/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
"I wanna build something special. A real dynasty." HBO has debuted the first teaser trailer for Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, a new series about the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. You might think this is a documentary, but it's not! It's actually a dramatic series, with actors playing many of the famous people and famous athletes from the 80s era of the Lakers. The first episode is even directed by Adam McKay, of Anchorman and The Big Short and this year's Don't Look Up. A story about the rise of basketball Hall Of Famer Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) and the lengths 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...
- 12/9/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
HBO has released the first teaser trailer for Adam McKay’s forthcoming Lakers scripted series, fresh with an official new title: “Winning Time: The Rise of The Lakers Dynasty.” Previously titled “Showtime” for the powerhouse team’s “showtime era,” during which they won five championships, the new title doesn’t pack quite the same punch but is perhaps less confusing considering it’s an HBO show. McKay is fresh on viewers’ minds right now as his star-studded satire “Don’t Look Up” hits theaters December 10 and Netflix December 24. Whether that momentum will propel him through a fruitful awards season is yet to be seen.
The teaser trailer offers an exciting look at the period sports drama, complete with a nostalgic 1980s palette and fashion sense. It also features newly revealed cast members Gaby Hoffmann, Jason Segel, Adrien Brody, Tamera Tomakili, Julianne Nicholson, Tracy Letts, and Rob Morgan. They join previously announced...
The teaser trailer offers an exciting look at the period sports drama, complete with a nostalgic 1980s palette and fashion sense. It also features newly revealed cast members Gaby Hoffmann, Jason Segel, Adrien Brody, Tamera Tomakili, Julianne Nicholson, Tracy Letts, and Rob Morgan. They join previously announced...
- 12/9/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
When he entered high school, Breland was a self-confessed shy kid. The New Jersey native had grown up harmonizing with his musical family in church, but wasn’t naturally inclined toward performing. He made a decision to reinvent himself.
“I was like, yo, no one here knows me at all,” he tells Rolling Stone. “I can legitimately be and do whoever and whatever I want. I started telling people I was an artist and that I wrote songs. It wasn’t really entirely true, but I just went for it...
“I was like, yo, no one here knows me at all,” he tells Rolling Stone. “I can legitimately be and do whoever and whatever I want. I started telling people I was an artist and that I wrote songs. It wasn’t really entirely true, but I just went for it...
- 2/26/2021
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
After hosting the ACM Awards this week and releasing a smoldering duet with Pink, Keith Urban drops his new album The Speed of Now Part 1. While Urban’s brand of up-tempo, rock-influenced country music is well-represented over the 16 songs, he’s not afraid to color way outside the genre’s lines — most notably in the record’s lead-off track, “Out the Cage.”
Written by Urban with Sam Sumser, Sean Small, and “My Truck” country rapper Breland, “Out the Cage” is a blast of banjos and programmed beats, with a vocal...
Written by Urban with Sam Sumser, Sean Small, and “My Truck” country rapper Breland, “Out the Cage” is a blast of banjos and programmed beats, with a vocal...
- 9/18/2020
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
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