The original post: /r/television by /u/eggflip1020 on 2025-03-01 04:10:41.
So Running Points a new half hour comedy on Netflix presented by Mindy Kailing and co.
Running Points is fictional satire series seemingly based the family of this Dr. Jess Buss family, who owns the famed Los Angeles Lakers. The show stars Kate Hudson as a satirical and fictional Isla Gordon, based ostensibly on Jeanie Buss, much in the same way that the HBO Series Entourage’s Vinny Chase was LOOSELY based on the early acting career of Marky Mark Wahlberg.
The glaring difference is that Running Points being a somewhat “Grrl Power” show displays signals that the instincts of the writers are to portray all men as adolescent and hapless nincompoops before banking a turn out of that motif barely in time, but it’s there. To be clear, I don’t have a problem with the overtly feminist tone nearly as much as I at times was dismayed by the repugnant toxic masculinity sometimes on display in Entourage. The writing here so far is pretty solid and hey! This is actually a show that acknowledges the fact that the Covid 19 Pandemic occurred, unlike many modern series and films that at most vaguely reference “Oh hey those few years were weird…” if not ignore the phenomenon wholesale.
While Kate Hudson delivers a great performance, the glaring transgression of this show is that they completely betray and forsake the best performance and character of the show, Justin Theroux. The actor is giving a huge performance in a HUGE character actor role and yet they all but disavow him in an egregious yet baffling way.
All things being equal, this show is at worst utterly watchable to laughing out loud funny. The snappy pacing and half hour format lend to this being completely binge-able in a single evening with ease.