Having Adam McKay (“The Big Short,” “Vice,” and lately “Don’t Look Up”) on board to direct and executive produce the series was a huge get, but “Winning Time” boasts a ridiculously impressive cast. In addition to Reilly and Isaiah, the show also features Jason Clarke, Adrien Brody, Gaby Hoffmann, Tracy Letts, Jason Segel, Julianne Nicholson, Hadley Robinson, DeVaughn Nixon, Solomon Hughes, Tamera Tomakili, Brett Cullen, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Spencer Garrett, Sarah Ramos, Molly Gordon, Joey Brooks, Delante Desouza, Jimel Atkins, Austin Aaron, Jon Young, Rob Morgan, and Sally Field.
As much as “Winning Time” is a celebration of the glory days of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, it’s also a telling expose of the socially acceptable ways of behavior that have aged horrifically. Credit to the creative team is due for their refusal to glorify the toxic traits of so many celebrities of this era, instead presenting them as both complex human beings deserving of empathy and unrelatable megastars thrust into a world so many of us will never experience firsthand.
The first season of “Winning Time” is currently underway on HBO with new episodes available on Sundays.
