Comedy series “Running Point” returned to Netflix for its second season last Thursday, arriving at a “real-life inflection point” for Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss and the team, according to Emmanuel Morgan of the N.Y. TIMES. The Buss family owned the Lakers since Jeanie’s father, Jerry, bought them in 1979 until the family in October sold a majority stake of the team to Mark Walter. Buss “chuckled when asked about the timing for the second season” of the show, executive produced by Buss and loosely inspired by her life, saying that “it was a coincidence.” The show is part of a lineup of streaming sports comedies. Netflix VP/Comedy Original Series, UCAN & UK Tracey Pakosta said, “Sports and comedy seem to have a lot in common.” Actress and producer Mindy Kaling, who co-created the show, said that the second season was “already in production when news of the Lakers sale was announced, so the creators did not use it as direct inspiration.” The creators “made periodic trips” to the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo, Calif., to meet with Buss and Lakers Exec Dir of Special Projects Linda Rambis, who is “Buss’s close friend” and an executive producer of the series. Kaling said that there was “no outreach to Buss’s siblings to hear their perspectives.” Buss said that she believed “‘Running Point’ could reach new fans who didn’t particularly care about NBA championships, sports-talk shows or business news” (N.Y. TIMES, 4/28).
‘Running Point’ returns at inflection point for Buss, Lakers
