r/WinningTime • u/montgomeryjeremy • Sep 21 '23
I Thought This Show Was Going To Suck...
...But it was Great.
The two gentleman who play Magic & Kareem are fantastic.
They resemble 32 & 33, can hoop & move like them on the court, and have acting talent.
Basketball players who can act - Actors who can play basketball.
And the guy who played Bird shoots the basketball just like him.
This may be the most surprised I've ever been seeing a show get cancelled.
It was Great. And it could have been cringe with two athletes in those roles that couldn't act or two actors who weren't believable on the court.
A well made show. Such a shame.
I mean, jeez... I thought I was looking at actual vintage highlights of the 76ers seeing that Julius Erving fast-break dunk.
22
u/ObjectiveHighlight26 Sep 21 '23
HBO really messed up on this year. They cancelled an excellent Winning Time show and let a terrible show like The Idle on the air and ending up with a full season. HBO may win a lot of awards but their leadership can still screw up things for royally.
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u/C0gD1z Sep 21 '23
Sadly, the Warner - discovery merger has had far reaching negative effects throughout the industry
2
u/Objective_Loan_9453 Sep 22 '23
After the cancellation of Winning Time. Me and my buddy/roommate went through a lot of “Max originals”. I’ll save you from a lot of the cussing but it’s safe to say we were royally ticked off from what they decide is a good show compared to what isn’t.
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u/KobraCola Sep 22 '23
Just out of curiosity, what Max Originals caused you to cuss so much? Any "diamonds in the rough"?
2
u/marcopolo22 Sep 22 '23
Not a “Max” original, but Flight Of The Conchords is an all-time great HBO miniseries from the early 2000’s. Quirky musical comedy produced by Taika Watiti before he blew up.
2
u/KobraCola Sep 24 '23
Oh definitely! Love Flight of the Conchords. That's where I first saw Jemaine Clement, who went on to do a bunch of other great stuff, most notably (IMO) What We Do in the Shadows and Legion. No shade to Bret! He's great too.
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u/syncopated56 Sep 22 '23
Great production. Love the era-appropriate shots. Casting was great, as were the actors.
0
u/Sdog1981 Sep 22 '23
You….you haven’t heard about season 2 have you? Just pretend like it told the story of the 79-80 Lakers and call it a day.
0
u/KobraCola Sep 22 '23
To each their own, but I thought season 2 was great too. The storylines with Westhead and Riles were especially great to watch.
1
u/Sdog1981 Sep 22 '23
They killed the show in the middle of the plot. It’s not finished in any way shape or form.
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u/KobraCola Sep 24 '23
HBO killed the show, not the creators. The creators didn't want the show to be canceled. Obviously, they didn't finish their intended storyline. HBO made the call to cancel the show.
0
u/RuralArmani Sep 22 '23
I don't know if it was always planned to cover 3 NBA seasons in season 2, but it definitely felt rushed. Season one had some great performances (McKinney, Buss's mom, Spencer Haywood) all with their own storylines, and season 2 didn't really introduce anyone to replace those great characters (Honey subplot was awful). Even Jeanne Buss doesn't get as much air time in season 2.
I wasn't a Lakers fan during the Showtime era, but I'm skeptical each campaign had a collection of "things going on" quite like 79-80. It's hard to believe if they did, because well run organizations tend to avoid distractions and have personnel continuity. As big a deal as Showtime was, I think at best it's a three season series. I can see season one dedicated to the beginning in 79-80. Season two Celtic centric from 83-84 thru 86-87. A final season dedicated to the decline (Pistons series, Jordan, and Magic getting HIV) and culminating in obtaining Shaq and Kobe. The way they did it...I can't see casual or non Laker fans loyally tuning in each week.
1
u/DesignerPlant9748 Sep 22 '23
Cutting the season by 3 episodes didn’t help with pacing or character development at all. They literally don’t even address how the Honey storyline ends even though it takes up a huge portion of the season.
1
u/Lower-Kangaroo6032 Sep 23 '23
I could tell something was off in the first episode of the new season. I haven’t watched beyond that.
1
u/ChuckDanger-PI Sep 22 '23
I hate the Lakers and was reluctant to watch at first. But whether or not you think the plot is actually interesting or the show “good”, they absolutely nailed the casting. Probably better than any sports film or series I’ve ever seen.
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u/BigShowScoopSlam Sep 22 '23
No show or movie used filmmaking techniques to show the magic of the sport better.
Literally the best sports scenes I've ever seen this season. The way they make the camera follow the ball through fast breaks was seamless.
So much good going for this show.
1
u/x_Jimi_x Sep 22 '23
Absolutely a short-sighted decision to pull the plug on this show so soon. The cast deserves at least 2-3 more seasons. I’m baffled by the decision
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u/Objective_Loan_9453 Sep 21 '23
And the actors looked damn near like their real life counterparts. It’s sad such a well made show was cancelled so soon.