Running Point (2025)
Isla Gordon (Kate Hudson) is the sole girl in a family of boys, an overlooked daughter to (from all accounts) a not-so-nice (now deceased) father who prioritized his sons and his basketball franchise, The Los Angeles Waves, over her. But after the eldest son Cam Gordon (Justin Theroux) crashes out – quite literally- of the president position due to a car accident which ensued because he was trying to smoke a crack pipe behind the wheel, Isla finally gets a shot at the top job. Although the scenario that puts Cam in rehab sounds depressing, the show is actually a quick-witted comedy, with season one built en plein air (think Sex and the City [1998-2004] and And Just Like That… [2021- ] not sound stage), around ten, 30-minute episodes.
From the brilliant comedic mind of Mindy Kaling (alongside Ike Barinholtz, and Elain Ko), Running Point centres Isla’s hopeful transformation from underestimated sibling to the Gordon who finally gets a chance to plot the franchise’s trajectory as they rebuild towards what will hopefully be yet another winning season. At Isla’s side is the fantastic and foul-mouthed best friend and team executive, Ali Lee (Brendan Song) who is ever present with the sage advice, friendly hand, and the firm kick in the butt that Isla often needs. It is not that Isla does not possess business acumen and a high basketball IQ. She does! But her confidence is lacking largely due to the disdain with which her brothers have too often mistreated her.
Besides Cam, there’s Ness Gordon (Scott MacArthur) the only one of the siblings who possesses actual basketball playing talent. He’s an inconsiderate husband and brother who has both white bro energy and a surprisingly tender heart. Then there’s the youngest, Sandy Gordon (Drew Tarver), the out gay baby boy (or is he?) who for some reason chooses to keep his kind and attentive boyfriend Charlie (Scott Evans) away from his family. But the surprise sibling is the awkward and endearing Jackie Moreno (Fabrizio Guido) who accidentally discovers that he is the “love child” of the four white Gordon siblings’ wayward (meaning philandering) father.
The product of the elder Gordon’s affair with a housekeeper, Jackie, who was working as a food vendor in the stadium owned by his family, is an utter surprise to the four-some who, under Cam’s warped and selfish logic, initially scheme to shut him out of the family business and any legitimate inheritance by offering him a payout of $2 million dollars contingent upon him signing a non-disclosure agreement and agreeing never to meet them. But instead, Jackie forgoes the payout for a boardroom meeting and breaks through their defenses by being his kind, gentle, and awkward self. Hilariously it is Ness who breaks down first and runs to embrace Jackie promising to always protect him as he bursts into tears.
Rounding out this stellar cast is the subdued Buddhist coach Jay Brown (played by the talented African American Jay Ellis of the brilliant comedy series Insecure [2016-2021]), Travis Bugg (Chet Hanks) as the loose cannon, wanna be rapper, goof-off basketball star who has all the talent but none of the discipline to lead, Dyson Gibbs (Uche Agada) the walk-on prospect who is struggling to fit in with the high-flying baller lifestyle of his peers with his meager five-figure salary, and Marcus Winfield (Toby Sandeman) the soon to be hall of famer, who is more interested in retirement than clowning with unfocussed and childish teammates.
Meanwhile at home, Ness must make some drastic changes to satisfy his commanding Filipina wife, Sandy must stop the needless compartmentalization which keeps Charlie on the outside looking in, and Isla must recall if she did indeed make a drunken promise to her lovely fiancé of seven years, Lev Levenson (Max Greenfield of New Girl [2011-2018] and The Neighborhood [2018- ]) that she would convert to Judaism before they get married.
But the star of this punchy and hilarious show is Kate Hudson’s Isla, beautiful and intelligent, but too often thrown off course by the men in her life, from her plotting brothers (Ness and Sandy who call a secret board meeting to try to unseat her from her new role as team president) to the conniving male owners of the other franchises. Despite having the smarts and the skills, Isla lacks the conviction to follow her gut and stick to her vision. But hopefully with a few allies, like new little brother Jackie, Coach Brown, ready-to-step-up Marcus, and the ever-steady, ever-ready, ride-or-die, shrewd bestie Ali, the learning curve will be swift. Not just for sport’s fans, this show’s a slam dunk! See what we did there?