Winning Time: Eras, Edginess, and Excellence
written by Devin Baron
The debut season of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty invites us to the birth of a basketball era while also inviting us to witness another magical era at its beginnings – the prestige sports television era. After watching Winning Time, you will be more excited about the next decade than a Lakers fan in 1980.
If you count Cobra Kai as a sports show, that’s fine. That will subtract a couple of years from the scoreboard. If you don’t include Cobra Kai, it feels like the void in quality sports television had existed since 2011, when Friday Night Lights ended. That is until 2020 blessed us with The Last Dance and Ted Lasso. Building off the praise and recognition that those series have received, Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht have created another lively sports show that will certainly acquire much acclaim.
Adam McKay directs the first episode and Jonah Hill the second. That should at least give you a glimpse of the vibes. From the biased still frames that give newly introduced characters blatantly subjective titles to the decision to juxtapose a pickup basketball scene with a dog getting f----- by another dog, the directing is nothing but in your face.
The cinematography and editing build onto the flamboyancy. Todd Banhazi and Mihai Malaimare Jr use the camera to constantly switch back and forth from the sexiness of LA to the graininess of the 80s. The editors’ use of jump cuts and split screens plays along perfectly, adding even more to the edginess throughout.
The craziest thing about the cast is that they found two actors who look identical to Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabar. Once you get past that amazingness, you’ll see a lineup brimming with terrific, heartfelt performances, as every character in the show seems to go through the high highs and the low lows. John C. Reilly and Quincy Isaiah lead the way in their roles as Jerry Buss and Magic Johnson, respectively, but the thoroughness of the secondary character storylines provides tremendous depth for the show if they ever need to rely more heavily on their bench in later seasons.
Winning Time confirms that the great sports television ride is now fully operational. If you haven’t experienced it yet, you should buy yourself a ticket! If you’re already on, then you better buckle up! It’s going to be one heck of a ride.