Ballers

Ballers
Genre Comedy-drama[1]
Created by Stephen Levinson
Starring Dwayne Johnson
Rob Corddry
John David Washington
Omar Miller
Donovan W. Carter
Troy Garity
London Brown
Jazmyn Simon
Arielle Kebbel
Opening theme "Right Above It" by Lil Wayne feat. Drake
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 20 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Dwayne Johnson
Dany Garcia
Mark Wahlberg
Peter Berg
Evan Reilly
Stephen Levinson
Rob Weiss
Denis Biggs
Julian Farino
Producer(s) Bret Slater
Peter Sussman
David Levinson
Lori Jo Nemhauser
Karyn McKarthy
Neena Beber
Janace Tashjian
Location(s) Florida
New York
Cinematography Tobias Schliessler
Jamie Reynoso
Rodney Taylor
Editor(s) Colby Parker Jr.
Jeffrey M. Werner
Camera setup Single
Running time 27 minutes
Production company(s) Closest to the Hole Productions
Leverage Entertainment
Seven Bucks Entertainment
Film 44
Release
Original network HBO
Picture format 480i (SDTV)
1080i (HDTV)
Original release June 21, 2015 (2015-06-21) – present
External links
Website

Ballers is an American comedy-drama[1] television series created by Stephen Levinson and starring Dwayne Johnson.[2] The series premiered on the American cable television network HBO on June 21, 2015.[3] The pilot episode was written by Levinson and directed by Peter Berg.[2] On July 10, 2015, HBO announced the series would be renewed for a second season, which premiered on July 17, 2016.[4] On July 28, 2016, Ballers was renewed for a third season.[5]

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Broadcast

The series premiered in the U.S. on HBO on June 21, 2015;[7] in Canada on June 21, 2015 on HBO Canada; in Italy on September 4, 2015 on Sky Atlantic; in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2015 on Sky Atlantic;[8] and in Australia on September 15, 2015 on Showcase.[9]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
110June 21, 2015 (2015-06-21)August 23, 2015 (2015-08-23)
210July 17, 2016 (2016-07-17)September 25, 2016 (2016-09-25)

Season 1 (2015)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
11"Pilot"Peter BergStephen LevinsonJune 21, 2015 (2015-06-21)2.16[7]
Former Miami Dolphins stand-out Spencer Strasmore and his friend Charles Greane must cope with the realities of life after football. Spencer starts working for a financial advisor, helping sign and mentor his younger friends still in the NFL, while Charles gets a job at a car dealership. Meanwhile, a mistake may cost Green Bay Packers wide receiver Ricky Jerret his roster spot when he's involved in an altercation at a nightclub.
22"Raise Up"Julian FarinoEvan ReillyJune 28, 2015 (2015-06-28)1.85[10]
Spencer struggles to sign Vinnie Vialonga as a client when he clashes with his childhood friend Reggie who handles all his money. Meanwhile, Jason works to renegotiate a contract extension for Vernon with the Dallas Cowboys, but has difficulties. During practice with his new Dolphins team, Ricky discovers that a teammate is not only unfriendly with him but is wearing his number. Now a struggling car salesman, Charles begins to wonder if he retired too early.
33"Move the Chains"Julian FarinoEvan ReillyJuly 5, 2015 (2015-07-05)1.70[11]
Spencer and Joe ask their boss, Mr. Anderson for permission to use his yacht to host a corporate event to entice potential clients. After a locker room prank goes too far, Ricky discovers the real reason his teammate, Alonzo, has it out for him. Charles grows bored with retirement and remembers his gridiron glory days. Meanwhile at the party, Spencer and Reggie's rivalry reaches a boiling point when he tries to ruin his hospitality by insulting Spencer's upbringing of being adopted.
44"Heads Will Roll"Julian FarinoRob WeissJuly 12, 2015 (2015-07-12)1.59[12]
In the aftermath of the corporate party, Joe struggles with a hangover and attempting to woo new clients on Mr. Anderson's yacht. Spencer is pressured to see a neurologist regarding his recurrent episodes from a TBI, while handling the conflict Reggie generates around Vernon's contract negotiations. Jason's dealings with the Dallas Cowboys bring in impressive figures that aren't enough for Reggie, and Vernon's inflated ego, and this puts Spencer on the line with their business and personal relationships. Also, Charles is bombarded by constant "sexting" from a woman he doesn't remember from the party.
55"Machete Charge"Seith MannSteve SharletJuly 19, 2015 (2015-07-19)1.64[13]
Spencer begrudgingly comes to Vernon's aid when he is targeted by a woman looking to blackmail him with some incriminating photos during the corporate event. However, her lawyer Maximo Gomez tells Joe his client wants a half million dollar pay-off. Meanwhile, Charles' marriage is on the rocks after Julie finds a picture of a nude woman on his cell phone, which he emailed to himself. On the advice of Annabella, Ricky tries to find common ground with Alonzo by taking him and his brothers to a strip club—his treat. But their spending gets out of hand and he comes up with a crazy plan to put a stop to it.
66"Everything Is Everything"John FortenberryEvan ReillyJuly 26, 2015 (2015-07-26)1.81[14]
Dealing with his own mental and financial problems, Spencer tries to balance Vernon and Ricky's issues, while Charles goes to Ricky's "funhouse" to escape the stress of his marriage. In order to drive Maximo's client, Angela Lee's price down, Joe negotiates with him on common ground at a horseracing track. Also, Ricky bears it all about the story behind his jersey number and his non-existent father during an interview with TV host Jay Glazer. Later, Spencer finally gives in to Tracy's concerns and gets an MRI.
77"Ends"Simon Cellan JonesRob WeissAugust 2, 2015 (2015-08-02)1.56[15]
Spencer decides to take the hit for Vernon by offering up his own money to pay off Angela Lee into not releasing the photos. But when he and Joe meet Maximo to hand him the money, there's a catch. Life without Annabella is hard on Ricky, who flies off the handle in public again. Jason meets his mother's new young golfer boyfriend and thinks he is scamming her in order to represent him as his agent. Later, Spencer and Charles say goodbye to Rodney and spread his ashes onto his high school's football field.
88"Gaslighting"Simon Cellan JonesEvan ReillyAugust 9, 2015 (2015-08-09)1.71[16]
Spencer must face up to his past with Angela Lee in order to save Vernon's future, and agrees to meet with her. Seeing the error of his promiscuous ways, Ricky tries to win back Bella, thinking a $400,000 "I'm sorry" ring will do it. Meanwhile, Charles puts his football skills to work at the car dealership when co-workers and customers bet he can't move an SUV in neutral. Also, Mr. Anderson gets a hold of the corporate event video and suspends Joe, who makes a permanent commitment to start his own financial firm.
99"Head-On"Julian FarinoSteve SharletAugust 16, 2015 (2015-08-16)1.57[17]
As Vernon's scandal gets cleared up, he learns about a negative incident involving Reggie. Joe reaches out to Mr. Anderson in vain and thinks he and Spencer should walk out on him. Spencer wrecks his car to try to make amends with a former player from his past. Ricky has a motivational video made for Charles, causing him to get back into football.
1010"Flamingos"Julian FarinoStephen Levinson & Evan ReillyAugust 23, 2015 (2015-08-23)1.40[18]
Spencer walks into his office finding his co-workers swarming, Joe's office destroyed (by Joe himself), and his office emptied. Spencer then is introduced to his new and considerably better office by Mr. Anderson. Mr. Anderson offers Spencer the lead role in the office's sports division, which has received a hefty 5 million dollar upgrade. Spencer feels odd because he doesn't want to turn on Joe but is given no choice but to accept. Vernon turns down the offer to his mega deal. Ricky's father approaches Ricky at camp. Spencer talks to Joe about Mr. Anderson firing Joe, and about running a company with him. Charles prepares for the new baby and gets called saying he will be a member of the Dolphins this season. Ricky talks to his father about life. Vernon is found by Spencer and Jason taking pictures of Flamingos where they talk about the deal Vernon did not want, but now gets excited about it and Spencer feels it's done. Spencer talks to Mr. Anderson about firing Joe. Charles witnesses the Dolphins camp entrance and gets sick. Ricky enters extravagantly. Spencer meets Joe in Coral Gables. Joe introduces Spencer many ideas of a new company involving the two. Spencer tells Joe he can't do it. Charles and Ricky enter camp as good teammates but are still unproven. Spencer tells Mr. Anderson he can't work with him without Joe. Spencer tells Joe about the meeting, Joe joins in with Spencer. Reggie apologizes to Spencer. Spencer, Joe, Vernon, Reggie, and Jason celebrate Vernon's contract.

Season 2 (2016)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
111"Face of the Franchise"Julian FarinoEvan ReillyJuly 17, 2016 (2016-07-17)1.59[19]
122"Enter the Temple"Julian FarinoEvan ReillyJuly 24, 2016 (2016-07-24)1.28[20]
Spencer begins to implement his plans for revenge against his nemesis Andre Allen. However it seems he has another big issue to deal with, pain management and the possible drug addiction that it’s causing. Tracy, Ricky and Charles are also encountering some bumps along life’s little yellow brick road.
133"Elidee"Julian FarinoSteve SharletJuly 31, 2016 (2016-07-31)1.27[21]
After Spencer drew first blood in his effort to seek revenge against him now Andre is starting to fight back in a BIG way. An injured Vernon faces a moral dilemma that could impact his career, and Ricky looks for the ‘LOVE’ in the Big Easy. Ballers rolls on into week three of its new season
144"World of Hurt"Julian FarinoRob WeissAugust 7, 2016 (2016-08-07)1.14[22]
Jason heads to the Everglades to win a new client (Travis Mack). Tracy reveals to Spencer about a possible new job out of Florida. Charles receives bad, and good, news from Seifert. Ricky and his dad struggle in their relationship. Vernon sees his career in geopardy.
155"Most Guys"Simon Cellan JonesNeena Beber & Evan ReillyAugust 14, 2016 (2016-08-14)1.21[23]
Spencer and Ricky are haunted by events and people from their past and these experiences could have serious effects on future events. Meanwhile Charle’s strong personality and opinions place him in a unique situation and Reggie and Joe bond over a ‘wildlife’ experience.
166"Saturdaze"Simon Cellan JonesRob WeissAugust 21, 2016 (2016-08-21)1.32[24]
Things get real for Charles as he has to adjust to the duties of his new position in the front office. Ricky finds that his opinion about his career path differs from that of his father’s. Joe has a surprise meeting and Spencer and Jason continue with their efforts to educate Travis Mack.
177"Everybody Knows"Simon Cellan JonesRashard Mendenhall & Zach RobbinsAugust 28, 2016 (2016-08-28)1.01[25]
Ugly things from Spencer’s past surface to bite him in the ass big time this week on Ballers. Charles finds his groove in his new job, and things for Ricky continue to look up but not without complications.
188"Laying in the Weeds"Simon Cellan JonesSteve SharletSeptember 11, 2016 (2016-09-11)0.87[26]
199"Million Bucks in a Bag"Julian FarinoEvan Reilly & Steve SharletSeptember 18, 2016 (2016-09-18)1.00[27]
More details about Spencer’s past bad deal with Andre are revealed. Ricky gets closer to making a decision about his future, with some parental guidance. Vernon and Reggie offer to make a ‘charitable’ gesture. And Charles’ new job creates a possible threat to his happy home.
2010"Game Day"Julian FarinoEvan Reilly & Steve SharletSeptember 25, 2016 (2016-09-25)1.10[28]

Reception

Season 1

The first season of Ballers received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the season has a rating of 80%, based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Ballers may not be a game-changer, but it scores points with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, who brings charm and depth to the NFL version of Entourage."[29] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 65 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[30]

Season 2

On Rotten Tomatoes the season has a rating of 57%, based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10.[31] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 63 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[32]

References

  1. 1 2 "About - Ballers". HBO. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Andreeva, Nellie (February 13, 2014). "Dwayne Johnson's HBO Half-Hour Pilot 'Ballers' Picked Up To Series". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  3. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (April 9, 2015). "HBO Launching Comedies 'The Brink' & 'Ballers' With 'True Detective' In June". Deadline.com. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  4. ↑ Fowler, Matt (July 10, 2015). "Ballers Renewed for Season 2". IGN. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  5. ↑ Roots, Kimberly (July 28, 2016). "Ballers Renewed for Season 3 at HBO". TVLine. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Woman Crush Wednesday: Arielle Kebbel Plays A Badass Sportscaster On 'Ballers'". Decider - Where To Stream Movies & Shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant, HBO Go. 24 June 2015.
  7. 1 2 Bibel, Sara (June 23, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Detective' Wins Night, 'Ballers', 'Naked and Afraid', 'The Last Ship' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  8. ↑ "About Ballers". Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  9. ↑ Knox, David (27 August 2015). "Airdate: Ballers". TV Tonight. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  10. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 30, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: BET Awards Tops Night + 'True Detective', 'Ballers', 'Naked and Afraid' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  11. ↑ Bibel, Sara (July 8, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: Shark Week Wins Night, 'True Detective', ' Ballers', 'The Last Ship', 'Botched', 'Falling Skies' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  12. ↑ Bibel, Sara (July 14, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Naked and Afraid XL' Wins Night, 'True Detective', 'Basketball Wives', 'Ballers', 'The Strain' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  13. ↑ Bibel, Sara (July 21, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Naked and Afraid XL' Wins Night, 'True Detective', 'Ballers', 'The Strain', 'The Last Ship', 'Tut' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  14. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 28, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'I am Cait' Tops Night + 'Naked & Afraid XL', 'Rick & Morty', 'True Detective', NASCAR, 'Ballers' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  15. ↑ Bibel, Sara (August 4, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Rick and Morty' & 'Naked and Afraid XL', Win Night, 'True Detective', 'The Last Ship', 'Ballers', 'The Strain', 'Ray Donovan' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  16. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (August 11, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Detective' Tops Night + 'Naked and Afraid XL', 'Rick & Morty', 'Ballers', & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  17. ↑ Bibel, Sara (August 18, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Naked and Afraid XL' Wins Night, 'Rick & Morty', 'Ballers', 'The Last Ship', 'The Strain', 'Ray Donovan' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  18. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (August 25, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Fear the Walking Dead' Tops Night + 'Talking Dead', 'Naked & Afraid', 'Rick & Morty', & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  19. ↑ Porter, Rick (July 19, 2016). "Sunday cable ratings: 'Power' Season 3 premiere sets a record for Starz". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Sunday cable ratings: NASCAR races to No. 1, 'Power' stays strong". July 25, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  21. ↑ "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.31.2016 - Showbuzz Daily".
  22. ↑ Porter, Rick (August 9, 2016). "Sunday cable ratings: 'Power' and NASCAR share the top spot". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  23. ↑ Porter, Rick (August 16, 2016). "Sunday cable ratings: 'Power' improves and stays at No. 1". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  24. ↑ Porter, Rick (August 23, 2016). "Sunday cable ratings: 'Fear the Walking Dead' returns to series low". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  25. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (August 30, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.28.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  26. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (September 13, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.11.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  27. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (September 20, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.18.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  28. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (September 27, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.25.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Ballers (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Ballers: Season 1 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Ballers (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Ballers: Season 2 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
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