‘Ballers’ is an American comedy and drama series that airs on HBO. It first premiered on June 21, 2015. The show has been created by Stephen Levinson and among the co-executive producers is Mark Wahlberg, famous for films like ‘The Departed‘ and ‘The Fighter‘.
Success hits hard. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars in this series as a retired football superstar trying to reinvent himself as a financial manager for current players in sun-soaked Miami. This is how HBO describes ‘Ballers’. The way Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s movies were conquering Box Office, it was a matter of time that he would also conquer TV. The HBO show starring Dwayne Johnson is the second most-watched show on the network. It’s easily one of the highest rated shows on HBO, only behind ratings-monster ‘Game of Thrones’. In fact, it was the highest rated half-hour show on HBO since ‘Entourage‘. ‘Ballers’ also peaked to HBO’s second most-watched original series currently airing on the channel, behind ‘Game of Thrones’ with ‘Westworld’ close behind.
The story of ‘Ballers’ is centered around, a Former NFL player Spencer Strathmore(Dwayne Johnson) who moved into the corporate world of sports management after retiring due to injuries, who is trying to balance his lifestyle while working as a Financial Manager. He is determined to succeed in this new chapter in his life, he begins to get clients by reaching out to friends of his who are still playing and offering them financial and personal guidance. As we earlier outlined, the show already has a massive fan following, which is largely due to Johnson’s star power. Critics too have praised the show saying that it might not be original, but it definitely can be well-liked thanks to the charm and depth Johnson brings to the table.
Ballers Cast: Who is in it?
The main cast of ‘Ballers’ includes Dwayne Johnson, who appears as Spencer Strasmore, a retired NFL player turned financial manager. Other members include Rob Corddry as Joe Krutel, an advisor at Anderson Financial. We see him trying hard to fit in.
John David Washington, who rappeared in Spike Lee’s ‘BlacKkKlansman‘, plays the role of Ricky Jerret, a very spiritual and competitive NFL player. Omar Miller is seen playing Charles Greane, an affable former NFL player who happens to be looking for his next career. Donovan W. Carter appears as Vernon Littlefield, an extremely family oriented NFL player, while Troy Garity is seen as Jason Antolotti, a top tier sports agent.
London Brown is Reggie, a childhood friend of Vernon, who handles his money. Arielle Kebbel appears as Tracy Legette, a sportscaster at a local tv station, and who happens to be intimately involved with Spencer.
There are several recurring cast members of note, including Christopher McDonald of ‘Requiem for a Dream‘ and ‘ Thelma & Louise’ fame, and Andy García, who is famous for his roles in several films like ‘The Godfather III‘, ‘The Untouchables‘, and the Ocean’s trilogy. All of them together make the show a very enjoyable experience.
In the upcoming season, most of the main cast is expected to return, and we hope some new characters are thrown into the mix as well to keep things interesting.
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Ballers Plot: What is it about?
The main plot of ‘Ballers’ is about a group of football players, their handlers, and their friends and family members.
Variety has summed up the show rather well, saying, ” ‘Entourage’ is currently back and in theaters, which makes ‘Ballers’— the sports-world version of the show — feel even more superfluous. Capitalizing on the mix of money and groupies that surround major sports in the same way they do Hollywood, this series created by an alum of that aforementioned HBO franchise, Stephen Levinson, is perhaps most notable for bringing Dwayne Johnson to TV (outside of the wresting ring), in a role that capitalizes on his football-playing past and knack for comedy. Still, he’s mostly the straight man in these opening episodes, in what could easily be marketed as “?‘Entourage’ … with balls.”
We are introduced to the show, seeing Johnson as Spencer, trying to make it as a financial manager, while his boss lets him know that he only got the gig after his career because of his access to top players since he was an NFL star himself. The players are shown to face a common array of problems, that is juggling wives and girlfriends, dodging the paparazzi, and being too extravagant. Spencer often has to act as the voice of reason for people who all have big egos since they are stars. While Johnson’s performance is certainly appreciable, the show could have gone into more critical questions like agents and managers exploiting the players. However, we see nothing of the sort here. It is merely a peek into the life of top-notch players, and the lavish lifestyles they lead.
Hopefully, in the upcoming season, we will see the show makers bringing their A game, since the series does have a lot of potential, and with the kind of star power that it boasts, it could be another big and successful show for HBO if they play their cards right.
Ballers Season 5 Release Date: When will it premiere?
‘Ballers’ Season 4 premiered on August 12, 2018. The good news for the fans is that the Network renewed the show for another season on September 6, 2018. HBO is clearly confident in the show, and for good reason. This series has not yet let down the network, and with ‘Game of Thrones‘ having ended recently, HBO needs some dependable shows to draw in viewers while they chalk out their plans for the future. While no official release date has been set for the next season, our best guess is that ‘Ballers’ Season 5 can release sometime in August, 2019. We will update this section as soon as we learn more.
Ballers Trailer:
While we wait for the release of ‘Ballers’ Season 5, check out the season 4 trailer to refresh your memories. If you haven’t seen the show yet head over to HBO to catch all the episodes of the previous seasons.
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