Running Point
Netflix has once again found an instant hit on its hands in the form a new series with solid critic scores and perhaps more importantly, incredible audience scores that are paired with a #1 debut in the top 10 list. That would be an 80% critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes, and a stellar 98% audience score.
That show is Running Point, the new Mindy Kaling comedy starring Kate Hudson in her first TV role in four years, and really only her second major TV starring role ever. And clearly it’s working out in this new comedy from The Office writer and star of The Mindy Project. Kaling seems to have another win on her hands.
As you might guess from the title, the series is sports themed, and while it may sound like a romcom that Hudson may have starred in 15 years ago, it’s not that. Rather, it’s a comedy about her ascent in the business of running a team. Here’s the synopsis:
“When a scandal forces her brother to resign, Isla Gordon is appointed president of the Los Angeles Waves, one of the most storied professional basketball franchises, and her family business. Ambitious and often overlooked, Isla will have to prove to her skeptical brothers, the board, and the larger sports community that she was the right choice for the job.”
Running Point
Netflix can still produce high level hits amidst its mass shotgun blast of content it shoots out every month, but I’ve found that it has trouble producing good comedies as of late, and some of its best ones have now ended (Sex Education) and only rarely finds a big comedy movie hit (Hit Man). Most of its original comedy offerings, especially on the film side, are busts. And overall there are just not all that many high profile comedies on the TV side. Here’s what some critics are saying about the series so far:
- TIME – “Running Point, like most successful comedies, gives us characters that draw on recognizable archetypes but come across as layered people.”
- Variety – “Running Point weds a shiny — if not totally unique in recent history — hook to a reliable setup and charismatic cast. I can’t speak to the level of basketball knowledge at work, but the TV expertise is obvious enough.”
Running Point seems to have the great writing of a Kaling project, combined with the star power of Hudson, and the appeal of some level of sports fans at the same time. I predict this is going to be a big one. We’ll see how it pans out over time, but barring any huge new series, I think this is going to stay on top for a good long while
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
