This big, fun, quickfire series shows a team transcending their sport to become an entire cultural epoch. So why does it feel sluggish?
This brash new show (Sky Atlantic) sets out its stall right away, announcing that it will be “a dramatisation of certain facts and events”, while making it clear that it is allowing plenty of wiggle room for interpretation. Those certain facts and events involve the rise and rise, in the 1980s, of the LA Lakers and its star players, who came to define not just basketball but an entire cultural epoch. It is big and showy, though its garish style is not yet matched by the substance it needs to balance out its exhibitionistic streak.
Even the most sport-averse viewers should be familiar with the superstar appeal of Earvin “Magic” Johnson, played here with ample charm by newcomer Quincy Isaiah. The first two episodes detail the NBA’s first ever taste of Johnson, and the purchase, in 1979, of the Lakers by the late Jerry Buss, who would go on to turn their fortunes around. Anyone expecting actual basketball may be left disappointed, as it’s very much a behind-the-scenes approach, detailing the gutsy financials and macho wheeling and dealing far more than the sport. It’s a workplace drama, though you might expect a bit more oomph from a workplace such as the LA Lakers.
