As the NBA offseason draws to a close, Los Angeles Lakers fans have been itching for some basketball to watch. In the meantime, fans have been able to enjoy HBO’s “Winning Time,” a show on the Showtime era Lakers that is currently in its second season.
Unfortunately, the second season will be the show’s last as HBO confirmed after Sunday night’s Season 2 finale that it will not be a renewed for a third season.
This doesn’t come as a huge surprise as people working on the show, including Jeff Pearlman, the author of the book the show is based on “Showtime,” have pleaded for fans to watch to avoid this happening. Unfortunately though, due to the ongoing writer’s strike, networks have had to cut costs and Winning Time is a casualty for HBO.
Perhaps the most unfortunate part is that the story of the Showtime Lakers and Lakers organization in general is a much longer one and will not get to be told.
Season 2 ends with the 1984 NBA Finals when the Lakers were defeated by the Boston Celtics in seven games. The Lakers came back and beat the Celtics in 1985 and 1987 to get their revenge, but that will never be seen in Winning Time.
Other highlights of Season 2 include the rise of Pat Riley, played by Adrien Brody, to head coach and someone Dr. Jerry Buss, played by John C. Reilly could trust. It also showed Jeanie’s continued involvement, and the Lakers governor herself recently said that she liked how Hadley Robinson was portraying her. All of those dynamics would have continued to grow in future seasons.
Jeanie has enjoyed Season 2 of Winning Time
Because of her lack of involvement in the project, Jeanie was originally against Winning Time when it first came out.
She has done a complete 180 in Season 2, however, recently doing an interview on the show’s official podcast to discuss how much she has enjoyed certain aspects of it. With Buss herself now involved and enjoying it, the show’s cancelation is that much more tough.
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