John C. Reilly and Jason Segal will star in a new HBO drama series about the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, and the two were seen filming the show in Los Angeles. TMZ Sports obtained a video of Reilly and Segal filming a scene that shows theme celebrating. Reilly, who plays late Lakers owner Jerry Buss, is seen holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy, while Segal, who plays Lakers assistant coach Paul Westhead, is wearing a “Los Angeles Lakers World Champions 1980” shirt. Also in the scene were Solomon Hughes and Quincy Isaiah, who play Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, respectively.
The series is based on the book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s by Jeff Pearlman. The series, which is reportedly going to be called Showtime, doesn’t have a released state or an official name. Production of the series began in 2019, and Reilly was seen filming scenes for the series. Filming is set to conclude at the end of this month.
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Along with Reilly and Segel, the Lakers series will also include Jason Clarke (Jerry West), Sally Field (Jessie Buss), Adrien Brody (Pat Riley), Michael Chiklis (Red Auerbach) and Mike Epps (Richard Pryor). The series will take a look at the Lakers during the 1980s. The team was very dominant at the time, appearing in eight NBA Finals while winning five of them. In a 2014 interview with L.A. Taco, Pearlman talked about why he wanted to write the book.
“I’m a kid of the 1980s who loves nostalgia,” Pearlman said. “The Lakers were the 1980s. The flash. The big names. The excitement. I wanted to dive in. So that’s why, and that’s how. Both.” Pearlman also talked about which person from the “Showtime” Lakers was the most underrated.
“Underrated—Norm Nixon,” Pearlman said. “Because he was traded so early for Byron Scott, people tend to forget how insanely talented he was as a guard. Overrated: Can’t think of one. The team was one of bits and pieces and parts. Everyone played their roles.” The Lakers are arguably the most successful franchise in the NBA. They have won a total of 17 titles, with the last one coming in 2020 led by LeBron James.
