Quirky, retro, weird thus far. John C Reilly is great as Jerry Buss- IMO the only "accurate" portrayal thus far. Some observations:
- Whomever did this has an axe to grind with Jerry West. LOL. West was not a drunk off the hook insane asshole in real life. Yes the Celtics got to him, but he was not unhinged and vulgar as portrayed- not close
- The whole Tarkanian thing is wayyyy overblown/over sold
- Pat Riley was not some desperate, whiny, loser post playing career
- West loved magic's game- not the opposite as portrayed
- Magic is much more intelligent than portrayed thus far
- They did get Norm Nixon right
- Kareem's character is way off
I get the need for entertainment. But this is not a documentary.
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Benn very entertaining so far, would not go so far as to call it a documentary, I don't think they are calling it that either tho, just a drama series
I believe "Bio-epic" is the frequently used term
Yeah, drama series is what is says in the description.
This is next on my list after I finish Severance.
Eh...the West stuff might be more accurate than you think. Sure, a good chunk of it is played up for comedic effect, but a lot of it (as is most of the stories from the show) is pulled from Pearlman's book and from Jerry West's own book/recent interviews where he admits he was a vulgar asshole for a lot of his life because he didn't really understand how to process the trauma of his abusive dad (the show alludes to this a bit). Like he's fine in public appearances, but in day to day interactions he's "difficult".
Actually, I'd say most of the show does get the core of the people right. But its like cliche you hear in pro wrestling about how to make a character work; "take your personality and turn it up to 11". That's basically what's going on here. A lot of the behavior, character traits, and stories have basis in truth, but are turned up to 11 for entertainment value. Was Kareem a super closed off asshole? Yeah, he kinda was (but not as closed off as the show). Was West an asshole? Yeah, but not constantly throwing stuff around. Was Pat Riley kinda lost post playing career? Yeah, he said he was but I doubt he comically tore down a garage just trying to get some ivy off.
I watched/enjoyed the first 2 episodes on HBO at a hotel last week. Does anyone know how many are out currently and whether they are available for streaming? (I don't get HBO at home).
2 episodes out so far, all available for streaming on HBO Max
The Lakers/Celtics 3 part 30 for 30 is fantastic. Couldn't stop watching. Would watch it again just like the Last Dance. Watched that again and thought it was better the second time.
It's Adam McKay Anchorman, Step Brothers, The Other Guys, The Big Short, Succession