Netflix fans already know the real story behind what could become one of the ‘best comfort shows’ soon to be available on the streaming platform.
The streaming giant has revealed an upcoming comedy series titled Running Point. The new show is co-created by Mindy Kaling, renowned for writing and starring in episodes of shows like The Office and The Mindy Project.
Kate Hudson will take the lead role as Isla Gordon, a Los Angeles executive who unexpectedly becomes the head of her family business, which happens to be one of the most famous professional basketball franchises in the country.
In Netflix’s announcement, their synopsis for the series reveals that Isla, the only sister among brothers, is ambitious yet often overlooked. However, when her brother is compelled to step down from his position as president of the Los Angeles Waves, she’s appointed in his stead.
After stepping into the family business, she’ll need to convince her doubtful brothers, the board, and the wider sports community that she was the right choice for the job. Throughout the series, she sets out to do just that – particularly in the unpredictable, male-dominated world of sports, reports Surrey Live.
The cast also features New Girl’s Max Greenfield as her fiancé and Brenda Song as a tough chief of staff. A report by Netflix news website Tudum has compiled a range of details about the highly anticipated new show, although it stops short of confirming any real-life inspiration.
Nonetheless, fans are convinced that the series is modelled after the life and career of Jeanie Buss, the current part owner and president of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers.
Interestingly, the show will centre around a team known as Wave, not the Lakers themselves. Buss assumed control of the real team soon after her father died in 2013. The same Tudum piece names Jeanie Buss and Linda Rambis, the Lakers’ manager of special projects, as executive producers of the upcoming series, sharing credits with Hudson and Howard Klein. Jordan Rambis is on board as a producer.
While the show may draw from Jeanie Buss’s professional journey, it diverges significantly from a traditional biopic format. This isn’t the first occasion when the Buss family has been the muse for TV drama. HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty dramatises how Jerry Buss acquired the team and their subsequent golden era under his stewardship.
Eager fans have taken to social media to express their excitement for the show and its speculated muse. A fan commented on platform X: “Finally some decent news in this dumpster fire of a week. Mindy always makes the best comfort shows”. Another chimed in: “This looks like a game-changer! Excited to see Kate Hudson in action!”
A third individual remarked: “Jeanie and Linda Rambis being some of the executive producers for the show and Linda’s son Jordan is a producer of the show… Interesting.”
Meanwhile, another person highlighted the front cover of the book ‘Laker Girl’, featuring Jeanie Buss, which bears a notable similarity to one of the promotional images of Kate Hudson circulated by Netflix.
Running Point is streaming on Netflix from February 27