On Friday, HBO dropped the star-studded trailer for Adam McKay’s hotly anticipated series about the L.A. Lakers’ famous “Showtime” era of the 1980s. Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty depicts the Lakers’ transformation from basketball team to cultural phenomenon under the leadership of visionary owner Jerry Buss, with Step Brothers star John C. Reilly donning Buss’ signature tinted sunglasses and chest hair-baring shirts.
The colorful, sun-soaked trailer is all vintage vibes and Hollywood glamor, down to the retro yellow and purple lettering heralding “the story of an American dynasty.” There’s basketball, sure, but there’s also turquoise swimming pools, shiny convertibles, and flashing cameras.
As the larger-than-life Buss, Reilly strives to make Lakers games the ultimate spectacle. “I don’t care who you are. If you’re a human being with two eyes and a heart, this game, this industry, makes you feel good!” he says. The industry in question? “Show business!”
To bring show biz to basketball, the new Lakers will have celebrity spectators instead of regular fans, and dancers instead of cheerleaders, explains Gaby Hoffmann as arena president Claire Rothman. And thus, the iconic Laker Girls were born.
The real climax of the trailer, though, is the introduction of up-and-coming star Magic Johnson, who’s played with swaggering charisma by newcomer Quincy Isaiah. “Mama, she say magic’s the Devil’s work,” he teases with a grin. “Devil can’t hoop like me, though.” The team’s other star, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, is played by Solomon Hughes.
The rest of the Winning Time cast roster reads like an invite list to Vanity Fair’s Oscar party: Adrien Brody as Pat Riley, Jason Clarke as Jerry West, Sally Field as Jessie Buss, Tracy Letts as Jack McKinney, and Jason Segel as Paul Westhead.
Based on the book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, the series is perhaps McKay’s opportunity to redeem himself after his last film, Don’t Look Up, received a lukewarm reception from critics. (The climate change satire did, however, earn an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.)
But the lead-up to Winning Time has not been without its share of drama–McKay had a heavily publicized friend breakup with Will Ferrell after casting Reilly as Buss instead of his creative partner of over a decade. It was a bitter end (or maybe just a pause?) to the prolific partnership that yielded hit comedy films like Anchorman, Step Brothers, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
Co-created by Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht, the ten-episode series premieres on HBO on March 6.