Running Point
(2025)
RUNNING POINT 🏀
Beside every great woman is her drug-addicted older brother, a closeted gay stepbrother, and the brother she never knew she had.
That’s how the saying goes, right?
Well, that’s how it is for Isla Gordon (Kate Hudson—How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Almost Famous), the only girl in the Gordon family, who has now been appointed by her rehab-entering brother (Justin Theroux—The Leftovers, Mulholland Drive, American Psycho) to be the next president of the family’s major league basketball team—the Los Angeles Waves.
As a woman entering a male-dominated field, it’s not going to be easy, but after years of being on the sidelines, Isla is ready to take on a role she’s been dreaming of her whole life.
If this sounds familiar, it’s probably because it’s inspired by and “loosely” based on the current, real-life owner of the LA Lakers, Jeanie Buss. I’m not sure if they’re promoting it that way, but the parallels to the real-life figure have an uncanny comedic resemblance to certain situations Jeannie Buss has found herself in, and it’s hilarious.
That’s just a small part of what was one of the most enjoyable sitcoms I’ve seen in a very long time.
It probably helps that I’m a diehard basketball fan, but even without that, it has all the hallmarks of your quintessential sitcom series. In a way it feels cut from the same cloth as Ted Lasso with less southern hospitality and more f*ck you energy, which I loved. Ted Lasso was endearing because there was a misunderstanding of the English and soccer culture. RUNNING POINT is more of a brash take on learning on the fly with a “I may not know this now, but when I do, you’ll need all the luck you can get.” kind of vibe.
What I appreciated about this was that Isla can shoot the shit; she’s not complaining about the men are trash of it all (which she has every right to in hilarious fashion), but she’s just steadfast on knowing her environment and maximizing the opportunity she’s been given, with some trip-ups along the way.
None of this series works without the guiding light that is Kate Hudson’s tremendous comedic performance. This whole world of basketball gravitates around her, from the on-the-court issues with players not competing at the level that’s expected of them to the off-court sponsors that are eyeing the families tattered reputation and the media coverage that’s been less than favourable.
She is able to play and mingle with the many different aspects of what being the president of basketball operations entails while never losing sight of the main objective—winning.
This reminded me a lot of how great Kate Hudson was in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and how surprising it is she’s not cast in more comedic roles.
To a lesser degree, another highlight performance from the series is Chet Hanks. It still blows my mind that he’s Tom Hanks's son, but what RUNNING POINT is able to do with Chet by taking what’s made his online presence so… captivating (?) is magnified and used to perfection throughout the entire series.
RUNNING POINT delivers full-court hilarity through a heartwarming story of reclaiming one’s family while navigating the slips and trips that come with newly bestowed upon power. This is as binge-worthy as a show can be, and I will be eagerly awaiting that second season.
Enjoy!
8.25/10 🍿 🎥
Runtime: 30mins
Episodes: 10
Where: Now Streaming on Netflix
Running Point Review (2025) The Richmond Reviewer - February 28th, 2025
www.netflix.com/RunningPoint
#Netflix #RunningPoint #KateHudson #BrendaSong #Comedy #ChetHanks #Basketball