Who wouldn’t be excited to see what a producing team, who gifted viewers with the much lauded Entourage, has in store for a show involving the game of good ole’ American football?
Ballers, the HBO half-hour series kicks off its ten-episode
run June 21, 10pm ET/PT.
The theme: Former football super legend, Spencer
Strassmore, (Dwayne Johnson) needs a new gig. He puts together a core team and
sets up shop as a financial advisor in the exciting, adventurous setting of Miami. What could go
wrong? Ha!
Sports, in particular football, is a major leisure national pastime. There have been few enough series to utilize
the subject as its foundation. Friday Night Lights, the most recent that
comes to mind, was a high school set football drama. It hung in for five
seasons due to, among other reasons, incredible scripting, directing and a
first-rate acting ensemble. It was given its due by critics and award
nominations, but developed more of a cult following that never caught hold on a
global scale. On the other end is Coach,
which used the half-hour situation comedy structure and was not only a critical
success—with multiple award noms and wins—but built and maintained a presence–
going strong for nine seasons—with its TV viewership.
Ballers, a series about reinventing oneself after a
life of fame, football and glamour, may just reinvent how we look at life in
and around football period. The creators are strong on drama, (Boardwalk
Empire, In Treatment), but may need to infuse a healthy dose of comedy into their latest venture to generate a worthy “gots-to-return-for-another-dose” audience. It does come with, however, the charm and gravitas of its star: Dwayne Johnson. There is that.
Here’s a quick look at Ballers:
Players include:
Spencer (Dwayne Johnson)
Ricky (John David Washington)
Charles (Omar Benson Miller)
Vernon (Donovan W. Carter)
Julie (Jazmyn Simon)
Joe (Rob Corddry)
Jason (Troy Garity)
Annabella (Annabelle Acosta)
Arielle (Tracy Legette)
Ballers, premieres June 21, 10pm ET/PT only on HBO and HBONow.
Find more Darwyn here; www.leonardmaltin.com/television, at www.thetvolution.com and follow her @bnoirlikeme.
