Ballers

''Ballers'' is an American sports comedy drama television series created by Stephen Levinson and starring Dwayne Johnson as Spencer Strasmore, a retired NFL player who must navigate his new career of choice as the financial manager of other NFL players. The series premiered on the American cable television network HBO on June 21, 2015, with a pilot episode written by Stephen Levinson and directed by Peter Berg. The fifth and final season premiered on August 25, 2019, and concluded on October 13, 2019.

Cast and characters

Main

* Dwayne Johnson as Spencer Strasmore, a retired NFL player turned financial manager. He eventually becomes owner and general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs
* Rob Corddry as Joe Krutel, a financial advisor at Anderson Financial who eventually opens his own sports entertainment firm
* John David Washington as Ricky Jerret, a highly competitive and spiritual NFL player
* Omar Miller as Charles Greane, an affable former NFL player who is searching for his next career. He later becomes President and general manager of the Los Angeles Rams after a stint with the Miami Dolphins
* Donovan W. Carter as Vernon Littlefield, a deeply family-oriented defensive end of the Dallas Cowboys
* Troy Garity as Jason Antolotti, a top-tier sports agent
* London Brown as Reggie, Vernon's childhood friend who handles his money
* Jazmyn Simon as Julie Greane, wife of ex–NFL player Charles Greane
* Arielle Kebbel as Tracy Legette (season 2; recurring, season 1 and 5), a sportscaster for a local TV station who is intimately involved with Spencer
* Brittany S. Hall as Amber, Ricky Jerret's past fling who later becomes his live in girlfriend and child's mother. (season 4–5; recurring season 3)

Recurring

* Carl McDowell as TTD, Ricky's friend, confidant and assistant.
* Dulé Hill as Larry Siefert, the GM for the Miami Dolphins
* Christopher McDonald as "Boss Man," an owner of the Dallas Cowboys
* Anabelle Acosta as Annabella Ruiz, girlfriend of Ricky Jerret
* Taylor Cole as Stephanie Michaels, an ESPN sideline reporter who is romantically involved with Spencer
* LeToya Luckett as Tina, widow to one of Spencer's closest friends
* Ella Thomas as Kara Cooley, Alonzo Cooley's mother, and an interior decorator to the pro athletes who is also involved with Ricky
* Emayatzy Corinealdi as Candace Brewer, high-powered sports executive who goes toe to toe with Spencer.
* Antoine Harris as Alonzo Cooley, Ricky's passive-aggressive teammate
* Taylour Paige as Theresa, Julie's sister
* Sanai L. Johnson as Bey, daughter of Theresa
* Richard Schiff as Brett Anderson, a.k.a. "The Old Man", owner of Anderson Financial Management
* Clifton Collins, Jr. as Maximo Gomez, Angela Lee's lawyer
* Angelina Assereto as Angela Lee, Maximo's client who was briefly involved with Spencer
* Robert Wisdom as Dennis Jerret, Ricky's estranged father who was a tight end on the '85 Bears
* Michael Cudlitz as Dan Balsamo, owner of Dan's Auto Collision and former Buffalo Bills running back who got hurt from Spencer's hard hit
* Christine Allocca as Kerri Balsamo, Dan's wife
* Carmelo "Q" Oquendo as NFL Prospect
* Stephanie Sandri as herself, Jarrod Sandri's wife
*Robert Crayton as Nick Kovack player cut from the team
* Terrell Suggs as himself
* Jay Glazer as a fictional version of himself
* Serinda Swan as Chloe Day, a smart hotel management executive
* Andy García as money management titan Andre Allen, who has bad blood with Spencer
* Steve Guttenberg as Wayne Hastings Jr.
* Lisa Arturo as Nancy
* Peter Berg as a fictional version of himself; Head Coach of the Miami Dolphins (seasons 1–3)
* Kristopher Lofton as Kisan Teague, a talented NFL Running Back whose off-field antics and entourage keep getting him in trouble (seasons 3–5)
*Russell Brand as Lance Klians, CEO of SportsX (season 4–5)
* Catherine Haena Kim as Kate, Creative Director of SportsX & Joe's love interest (season 5)
* Amanda Rea as Donna, love interest of Jason Antolotti, whom he ends up proposing to. (Season 3-5)

Episodes

Season 1 (2015)

Season 2 (2016)

Season 3 (2017)

Season 4 (2018)

Season 5 (2019)

Ratings

Broadcast

The series premiered in the U.S. on HBO on June 21, 2015, in Canada on June 21, 2015 on HBO Canada, in India on June 22, 2015 on HBO Defined, in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2015 on Sky Atlantic, and in Australia on September 15, 2015 on Showcase.

The second season premiered on July 17, 2016 and a third on July 23, 2017. On August 8, 2017, HBO picked up ''Ballers'' for a fourth season, which premiered on August 12, 2018. On September 6, 2018, HBO renewed the series for a fifth season.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 81% based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 6.43/10. 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." On Metacritic, the season has a score of 65 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

On Rotten Tomatoes season 2 has a rating of 70% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 6.65/10. On Metacritic, the season has a score of 63 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has a rating of 60%, based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10.

Home media

The series has been released on Blu-ray and DVD; season 1 on June 14, 2016, Season 2 on January 31, 2017, Season 3 on April 3, 2018, and Season 4 on January 29, 2019. Season 5's DVD and manufacture on demand Blu-ray was released on January 28, 2020 by Warner Home Entertainment and Warner Archive Collection respectively. In addition, the complete series box set was released on DVD the same day.

References

External links

*
*
*

{{Miami Dolphins

2010s American comedy-drama television series
2015 American television series debuts
2019 American television series endings
English-language television shows
HBO original programming
Serial drama television series
Television shows filmed in Miami
Television shows set in Miami
American sports television series
National Football League television series
Miami Dolphins