HBO has ordered Adam McKay’s drama about the 1980s “Showtime” era Los Angeles Lakers to series.
Based on the Jeff Pearlman book “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s,” the untitled show will dramatize the professional and personal lives of the 1980s team, described in the series logline as “one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties-a team that defined its era, both on and off the court.”
Jason Clarke stars as Jerry West, the “cantankerous tortured genius of basketball” and one-time Lakers general manager. John C. Reilly will play former Lakers owner Jerry Buss, with Quincy Isaiah and Solomon Hughes as former Lakers legends Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, respectively.
Additional cast includes Hadley Robinson as Jeanie Buss, the daughter of Jerry and the current Lakers owner, Spencer Garrett as legendary Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn, Delante Desouza as Michael Cooper, and Kirk Bovill as former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
“Alongside Adam McKay and Max Borenstein, HBO couldn’t be more thrilled to examine one of professional sports’ most beloved empires,” Francesca Orsi, executive VP of HBO programming, said. “Across 1980s Los Angeles, we’ll experience the exhilarating ride of a team that dominated a decade of basketball, and watch them not only achieve iconic status but transform the sport in every way.”
McKay is director and executive producer on the series, which is written by Max Borenstein. Jim Hecht, Jason Shuman, and Kevin Messick of McKay’s production company also executive produce alongside Scott Stephens and co-EP Rodney Barnes.