THE HBO series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty brought to life one of the most iconic eras in Los Angeles Lakers history.
The first two seasons of the show were a hit among fans, causing many to wonder if a third is in the works.
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When did Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty premiere on HBO?
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty brings viewers back in time to the 1980s, the start of "sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties."
It focused on the professional and personal lives of the Los Angeles Lakers players, including Magic Johnson.
The series premiered on March 6, 2022, with a star-studded lineup, led by John C. Reilly (Jerry Buss), Quincy Isaiah (Magic Johnson), and Jason Clarke (Jerry West).
Additional cast members included:
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- Adrien Brody as Pat Riley
- Gaby Hoffmann as Claire Rothman
- Tracy Letts as Jack McKinney
- Jason Segel as Paul Westhead
- Julianne Nicholson as Cranny McKinney
- Hadley Robinson as Jeanie Buss
- Solomon Hughes as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Tamera Tomakili as Earlitha “Cookie” Kelly
- Brett Cullen as Bill Sharman
- Stephen Adly Guirgis as Frank Mariani
- Joey Brooks as Lon Rosen
- Sarah Ramos as Cheryl Pistono
- Spencer Garrett as Chick Hearn
- Molly Gordon as Linda Zafrani
- DeVaughn Nixon as Norm Nixon
- Delante Desouza as Michael Cooper
- Jimel Atkins as Jamaal Wilkes
- Austin Aaron as Mark Landsberger
- Jon Young as Brad Holland
- Rob Morgan as Earvin Johnson Sr.
- Sally Field as Jessie Buss
- Kirk Bovill as Donald Sterling
- Michael Chiklis as Red Auerbach
- Carina Conti as Paula Abdul
- Mariama Diallo as Iman
- Mike Epps as Spencer Haywood
- Olli Haaskivi as Phil Knight
- LisaGay Hamilton as Christine Johnson
- Rachel Hilson as Cindy Day
- Andy Hirsch as David Stern
- Gillian Jacobs as Chris Riley
- Lola Kirke as Karen West
- Newton Mayenge as Jim Chones
- Sean Patrick Small as Larry Bird
- Max E. Williams as Jack Nicholson
Is Winning Time getting a third season?
Winning Time's debut drew in more than 900,000 viewers, which prompted the network to renew it for a second season just weeks after it began.
Despite the popularity, the season 2 debut only drew in 629,000 viewers across Max and telecasts, and a few weeks later, it was canceled by the network, according to Deadline.
The cancellation means that Winning Time will not be getting a third season.
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The second season premiered in August 2023, but unlike last time, it was canceled weeks later, meaning there will not be a third season.
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Why was Winning Time canceled?
Winning Time's creator Max Borenstein confirmed the show's cancellation on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Not the ending that we had in mind. But nothing but gratitude and love," he said.
Director Salli Richardson also touched upon it in an Instagram post, writing: "When you give it everything you’ve got, you can have no regrets.
"I hope you enjoy the last episode of @winningtimehbo I am sure I will do many more hours of TV and hopefully many features in my future, but I can say that at this moment in time I am most proud of the work we did on this masterful show.”
Despite confirming that the show was axed, a reason was not provided, but many assume it's related to the drop in viewership.
"Each show has a job to do, given the price tag that we give to it, and there’s a viewership. component, and there’s a critical response element to it and, of course, the buzz nature of a show. It’s those elements that we are always keeping in mind and discussing relative to whether or not a show will continue," Fracesca Orsi, HBO’s head of drama, told Deadline in May 2023.
"That factors in for Perry Mason, for Winning Time, for instance, for Gilded Age, so we have to play everything out and see how well they do.”
Perry Mason was also canceled in June 2023.
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