''Ballers'' is an American

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

comedy drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple co ...

television series created by Stephen Levinson and starring

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the developm ...

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 Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...

network

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

on June 21, 2015, with a pilot episode written by Stephen Levinson and directed by

Peter Berg Peter Berg (born March 11, 1964) is an American director, producer, writer, and actor. His directorial film works include the black comedy ''Very Bad Things'' (1998), the action comedy ''The Rundown'' (2003), the sports drama '' Friday Night Lig ...

. The fifth and final season premiered on August 25, 2019, and concluded on October 13, 2019.

Cast and characters

Main

as Spencer Strasmore, a retired NFL player turned financial manager. He eventually becomes owner and general manager of the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

Rob Corddry Robert William Corddry (born February 4, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a correspondent on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' (2002–2006) and for his starring role in the film ''Hot Tub Time Machine''. He ...

as Joe Krutel, a

financial advisor A financial adviser or financial advisor is a professional who provides financial services to clients based on their financial situation. In many countries, financial advisors must complete specific training and be registered with a regulatory ...

at Anderson Financial who eventually opens his own sports entertainment firm *

John David Washington John David Washington (born July 28, 1984) is an American actor and former professional football player. He played college football at Morehouse College and signed with the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Professionally, Wash ...

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 The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

after a stint with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

* Donovan W. Carter as Vernon Littlefield, a deeply family-oriented defensive end of the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

Troy Garity Troy Garity (born July 7, 1973) is an American film actor. He is primarily known for his role as Isaac in the ''Barbershop'' film series and as Barry Winchell in the television movie ''Soldier's Girl'' (2003), where he was nominated for a Golden ...

as Jason Antolotti, a top-tier sports agent *

London Brown London Brown is an American actor, dancer, comedian, radio host, and impressionist. Born in Los Angeles, California, Brown is best known for his appearance on the HBO series " Ballers" (2015–2019). As of 2021 Brown currently stars in STARZ Pow ...

as Reggie, Vernon's childhood friend who handles his money *

Jazmyn Simon Jazmyn Simon (born December 30, 1980) is an American actress known for '' Ballers'', ''Raising Dion ''Raising Dion'' is an American superhero drama streaming television series that premiered on October 4, 2019 on Netflix. It is based on the 20 ...

as Julie Greane, wife of ex–NFL player Charles Greane *

Arielle Kebbel Arielle Caroline Kebbel (born February 19, 1985) is an American actress and model. She has appeared in various television series, including ''Gilmore Girls'' (2003–2004), ''The Vampire Diaries'' (2009–2017), ''Life Unexpected'' (2010), ''90 ...

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 Karim Dulé Hill (; born May 3, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as personal presidential aide and Deputy Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff Charlie Young on the NBC drama television series ''The West Wing'', for whi ...

as Larry Siefert, the GM for the

Christopher McDonald Christopher McDonald (born February 15, 1955) is an American film, television, theatre and voice actor. McDonald is best known for playing the villainous professional golfer Shooter McGavin in the 1996 comedy ''Happy Gilmore''. Other notable ...

as "Boss Man," an owner of the

Anabelle Acosta Anabelle Acosta is a Cuban-born American actress. She played Annabella in the HBO television series ''Ballers'' and Natalie Vasquez in the ABC television series '' Quantico''. Career In 2015, Acosta played the recurring role of Annabella ...

as Annabella Ruiz, girlfriend of Ricky Jerret *

Taylor Cole Taylor Cole (born April 29, 1984) is an American actress and former fashion model. Early life and modeling Cole was born in Arlington, Tarrant County, Texas. Cole attended Mirabeau B. Lamar High School, where she traveled with the Junior Ol ...

as Stephanie Michaels, an

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

sideline reporter who is romantically involved with Spencer *

LeToya Luckett LeToya Nicole Luckett (born March 11, 1981) is an American R&B singer and actress. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a founding member of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. As a me ...

as Tina, widow to one of Spencer's closest friends *

Ella Thomas Ella A. Thomas (born 1981) is an Eritrean American actress, model and producer. Biography Thomas was born to an Eritrean mother from Asmara and an American Air Force officer, who was stationed in Eritrea. When she was still a child, Thoma ...

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 Antoine Glenn Harris (born April 8, 1982) is a former American football safety. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Louisville. Harris was also a member of the Atlanta Falcons ...

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 Richard Schiff (born May 27, 1955) is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on ''The West Wing'', a role for which he received an Emmy Award. Schiff made his directorial debut with ''The West Wing'', directing ...

as Brett Anderson, a.k.a. "The Old Man", owner of Anderson Financial Management *

Clifton Collins, Jr. Clifton Craig Collins Jr. is an American actor. After starting in 1990, with small roles in film and on television, Collins gained attention for his performance as Cpl. Ramon Aguilar, a prisoner "serving" under an imprisoned general played by R ...

as Maximo Gomez, Angela Lee's lawyer * Angelina Assereto as Angela Lee, Maximo's client who was briefly involved with Spencer *

Robert Wisdom Robert Ray Wisdom (born September 14, 1953) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Howard "Bunny" Colvin in ''The Wire,'' Norman "Lechero" St. John in ''Prison Break'', and Harold Conway in the 2021 Hulu movie ''Vacation Friends''. ...

as Dennis Jerret, Ricky's estranged father who was a tight end on the '85 Bears *

Michael Cudlitz Michael Cudlitz (born December 29, 1964) is an American actor known for portraying John Cooper in the NBC/ TNT drama series '' Southland'' for which he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2013 ...

as Dan Balsamo, owner of Dan's Auto Collision and former

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

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 Terrell Raymonn Suggs (born October 11, 1982), nicknamed "T-Sizzle", is an American former professional outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona State, and was recognized as a unanimous Al ...

as himself *

Jay Glazer Jason Charles "Jay" Glazer (born December 26, 1969) is a television personality and sports reporter. Since 2004, he has worked as an National Football League (NFL) insider for Fox Sports' NFL pregame studio show, '' FOX NFL Sunday'', on which he r ...

as a fictional version of himself *

Serinda Swan Serinda Swan (born July 11, 1984) is a Canadian actress best known for her work on television. In 2017, she starred in Marvel's ''Inhumans'' and HBO's '' Ballers'', and also portrayed Anne Bancroft in the first season of ''Feud'' (2017). Prev ...

as Chloe Day, a smart hotel management executive *

Andy García Andrés Arturo García Menéndez (born April 12, 1956), known professionally as Andy García, is a Cuban-born American actor, director and musician. He first rose to prominence acting in Brian De Palma's ''The Untouchables'' (1987) alongside ...

as money management titan Andre Allen, who has bad blood with Spencer *

Steve Guttenberg Steven Robert Guttenberg (born August 24, 1958) is an American actor, author, businessman, producer, and director. He is known for his lead roles in Hollywood films of the 1980s and 1990s, including '' Cocoon'', ''Police Academy'', ''Three Men a ...

as Wayne Hastings Jr. * Lisa Arturo as Nancy *

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 Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian and actor known for his flamboyant, loquacious style and manner. Brand has received three British Comedy Awards: Best Newcomer (2006), Best Live Stand-Up (2008), and the award for ...

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 Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

on June 21, 2015 on

HBO Canada HBO (previously known as HBO Canada, and still referred to as such on social media) is a Television in Canada, Canadian premium television network from Crave (TV network), Crave (formerly The Movie Network), which is owned by Bell Media. The chan ...

, in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

on June 22, 2015 on HBO Defined, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

on September 8, 2015 on

Sky Atlantic Sky Atlantic is a British pay television channel owned by Sky Group Limited broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel is primarily dedicated to imported programmes from the United States, and holds the domestic rights to HBO ...

, and in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

on September 15, 2015 on

Showcase Showcase or vitrine may refer to: *Cabinet (furniture) *Display case Music * ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961 * ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...

. 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

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, 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 An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to: Arts and entertainment * L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...

." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, 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 Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video ...

and

Warner Archive Collection The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...

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