The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most storied franchises in the history of sports and the ‘Showtime’ era of the 1980s may be its peak. Led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with head coach Pat Riley and of course the late, great Dr. Jerry Buss as the owner, it makes sense that a television series could be made about that period, and HBO is doing exactly that with ‘Winning Time.’
The scripted drama is based on the book ‘Showtime’ by Jeff Pearlman and will be directed by Adam McKay, who is known for his work on the likes of Vice, The Big Short, and Anchorman. John C. Reilly, known for his work on Talladega Nights, Boogie Nights and Step Brothers, will be playing the role of Dr. Buss in the show.
For those not quite sure what to expect from such a show, HBO recently released a full trailer for the show on its Twitter page, giving fans a peek of what’s to come:
Style. Pizzazz. Basketball.#WinningTime, a new @HBO original series from Adam McKay, comes to @HBOMax in March. pic.twitter.com/1Rc3A362Nb
— HBO (@HBO) December 9, 2021
The show definitely has the look and feel of something that was made during that time and looks to be picking up in 1979 right as the Lakers were set to take Magic Johnson with the top pick in the draft. The trailer also shows the people such as Abdul-Jabbar, Riley, Jerry West, Norm Nixon and Jeanie Buss as well as many others all being represented in the show. Needless to say, the drama will be covering the Lakers from all sides.
While it is based on a non-fiction work, it is still a scripted drama, meaning the show could exaggerate on certain things and not every single aspect of the show will be 100 percent true. Nonetheless, it will be appointment viewing when it finally debuts on HBO Max next March.
Netflix releasing 10 episode Lakers workplace comedy involving Jeanie Buss
This drama isn’t the only Lakers media to be coming soon as Netflix has given the green light to a ten-episode workplace comedy inspired by the front office of the franchise. The project involves Mindy Kaling of The Office fame, and Elaine Ko from Modern Family, two of the best modern television comedies in recent years.
Lakers owner and governor Jeanie Buss is also a part of the project and unlike the HBO series in which actors will be playing the parts of real people, this comedy will follow a fictional character, Eliza Reed, as the Lakers governor.
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