Ballers premieres tonight on HBO and the network hopes that with plenty of star power including mega-movie star Dwayne Johnson and several cameos from current NFL players, it will attract enough of an audience for a long run. HBO has a long history of sports-centric comedies including Arli$$ and Eastbound & Down as well as the upcoming 7 Days in Hell and with Ballers, it’s a return to a genre that has been missing from the HBO lineup since 2013.
In the days and weeks leading up to tonight’s premiere, there have been reviews and columns saying Ballers is the next Entourage for HBO and while Ballers is produced by some of the team responsible for Entourage, that comparison is too simplistic. And yes, like Entourage, there are cameos from real-life stars, that’s where the comparison ends.
Entorage was about an actor and his friends hoping to make it in Hollywood. Ballers is about a former NFL linebacker Spencer Strassmore (the aforementioned Johnson) hoping to make it as a financial advisor. And Johnson isn’t here for a paycheck. He does a really good job in making you believe that he played in the NFL and is struggling to transition to his next career.
As with other HBO series, the show has a very good supporting cast. Rob Corddry plays Joe, a financial advisor who hired Spencer for his access to the NFL and is hoping he “monetizes his friendships,” Omar Benson Miller portrays Charles Greane who misses his playing days and is struggling with his transition to retirement, John David Washington as Ricky Jerret, a talented, but misguided wide receiver and Donovan Carter is Vernon who plays for the Dallas Cowboys and uses his money to provide for his hanging-on family.
Other cast members include Troy Garity as Jason, a kind-hearted agent (is this cast against type? Are agents really kind-hearted?) and London Brown is Reggie, Vernon’s best friend who is suspicious of Spencer’s intentions and wants to get as much money as possible.
In the four episodes that were available for screening, the show tackles several issues including money, concussions, temptation and retirement. Spencer himself may have concussion issues and some money problems. And thus far, the women cast in the show are mostly window dressing or throwaway characters. Here’s hoping that changes as the season progresses.
I’ve been impressed with Johnson’s performance in the series. He makes Spencer likable as he hopes to advise players to do better with their money and transition to the next phases of their lives. Rob Corddry could be perceived as the Ari Gold of the series, but he doesn’t fall into the Jeremy Piven trap of acting as Jeremy Piven, meaning he’s not playing himself in each of his roles. Even as he’s in Mr. Selfridge, Piven is playing himself. Whom are we kidding, Jeremy?
Anyway, the four episodes that I screened have given the series very good potential to run long. And while the series base of Miami is a bit hackneyed (why couldn’t it have been in Buffalo or Baltimore?), it allows the show to use yachts and the weather as plot devices.
Yes, there’s also the use of NFL teams and logos without the NFL’s permission and while Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio like a gleeful third grader ratting out his fellow students to the teacher pointed this out, it gives the series more realism instead of creating a mythical football league and franchises. The series can utilize the logos as long as there is no disparaging of the intellectual property.
Another factor in Ballers survival is the contributions of actor/director Peter Berg. He helms the pilot creating the look of the series and he has experience in football-centric entertainment having directed Friday Night Lights both on the big screen and on TV. Berg also has a minor role in the series playing the coach of the Miami Dolphins.
The show also plucks current and past NFL players for cameos. Look for Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz as he and Rob Corddry are on a boat.
Overall, Ballers on the surface is a comedy, but it also delves into serious issues that confront today’s players. Thus far, I’ve liked what I’ve seen and the show hasn’t fallen into the Entourage trap of becoming a huge mess to the point of being unwatchable. Entourage was so unlikable that people started hate watching in droves. Let’s hope Ballers doesn’t fall into that rabbit hole.
In the first four episodes, the series doesn’t try to pack too many storylines and allows each standalone installment to breathe organically. It’s for this reason why I recommend the show and hope you’ll watch and enjoy it as much as I have.
