Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2: Sky release date, trailer, and cast with John C Reilly

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, a basketball drama charting the triumphs and defeats of one of history’s most successful sports teams, is returning for its second series this August.

The series, which stars John C Reilly and Jason Segel among others, covers the early 1980s, at a point when the team were first starting to turn things around after decades of sporting difficulty.

Here’s everything you need to know about Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.

What is it about?

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty is about the basketball team the LA Lakers – one of the most successful teams ever to play the game – during what’s often called their “showtime era”, 

According to the official HBO synopsis for Winning Time, Season 2 “continues to explore the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, honing in on the period just after the Finals in 1980 through 1984, culminating in the first professional rematch of the era’s greatest stars: Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.”

Who stars in Winning Time?

John C. Reilly stars as Jerry Buss, the new owner of the LA Lakers. Reilly is best known for a series of collaborations with Will Ferrell, including Talladega Nights and Stepbrothers; you might also recognise him from films like Chicago and The Thin Red Line, or from the television series Moonbase 8.  

Newcomers Quincy Isiah and Solomon Hughes play Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar respectively, who are each regarded as amongst the best basketball players in history. Sean Patrick Small appears as Larry Bird. 

The series also stars Adrian Brody (Poker Face) as coach Pat Riley, Jason Segel (Shrinking) as coach Paul Westhead, Michael Chiklis (The Shield) as executive Red Auerbach, and Tracy Letts (Lady Bird) as coach Jack McKinney among others.

Who writes and directs the series?

Max Borenstein (Godzilla), Rodney Barnes (Wu-Tang: An American Saga), Rebecca Bertuch (Worth), and Jim Hecht (Robots) are each credited with collaborating on the scripts for Winning Time Series 2.

Salli Elise Richardson-Whitfield, who previously directed two episodes of Winning Time’s first season, is lead director on Series 2. Richardson-Whitfield has also previously directed episodes of The Gilded Age, Altered Carbon, and Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD.

Is there a trailer?

Yes, there is. You can watch it right here.

When and how can I watch it?

In the UK, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2 will air on Sky Atlantic from Monday 7 August. It’ll first be simulcast with the HBO airing in the US, therefore broadcast at 2am, but there will be a subsequent repeat at 9pm also. New episodes will continue at the same time each week thereafter.

How many episodes are there?

Winning Time Season 2 is a seven-part drama, with each episode running to an hour (or longer). It's three episodes shorter than the first series, which was made up of ten installments.

Is it based on a true story?

Yes, Winning Time is based on a true story. It’s adapted from Jeff Pearlman’s book ‘Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s’.

Is there going to be a series 3?

At the moment, a third series hasn’t been confirmed. With the series only set to cover the early years of the 1980s, and HBO having optioned further books by Pearlman about the Lakers in the 90s and 00s, it certainly seems plausible – but it’s also worth keeping in mind the number of otherwise seemingly secure HBO and HBO Max shows that have been unexpectedly cancelled in recent months.

Why should I watch Winning Time?

It’s one to watch if you’re a basketball fan, or enjoy drama set in the 1980s.