The HBO show continues to blend breezy entertainment with Johnson’s charisma
There’s a certain flashy allure to Ballers, and not just because of its lead. It’s a window into the lives of NFL players, their hanger-ons, their agents, and all the scheming and indulgence that comes with it. In my reviews of season one and two, I spoke about its appeal and how it leaned into its Entourage-y roots, but kept the douchey vibes largely at bay by introducing a host of likable yet severely flawed characters. With the finale last year shaking things up for Johnson’s NFL agent Spencer Strasmore, Season 3 capitalized on it to inject fresh energy and direction into his character and the show too.
Season 3 synopsis:
This season, Spencer, along with longtime colleague Joe Krutel (Rob Corddry), return with a new outlook and fresh goals, hoping to forge bonds with new players across the country while improving his relationships with existing clients. In an ever-changing business where the shelf life for stardom and multi-million-dollar contracts are short, Spencer is intent on proving that the key to successful sports management isn’t just about making money and having fun — it’s about delivering on the promises you make. John David Washington, Donovan Carter, and Omar Miller also return this season, with guest appearances by sports stars Stephen Curry and Eddie George.
As ever, the show encircles the travails of one Spencer Strasmore. This time out he’s dealing with starting up his own agency business, his issues with his oft erratic business partner Joe Krutel (the ever hilarious Rob Corddry), as well as those of his personal life. Despite the setback of being fired last year, the pair’s aspirations soar higher as they hit Las Vegas, in an attempt to bring an NFL franchise to Sin City. It’s the overarching story that propels the season forward. Through watching their attempts to woo a franchise to the city we see agent machinations, the wheeling and dealing of the business, the wining and dining, along with the more unscrupulous practices. In all this, the show delivers entertainment to a multitude of fan bases, for NFL fans, trashy drama watchers, bro-mance aficionados, and at the center of it all, the alluring Dwayne Johnson himself.
It’s an interesting (ongoing) project for Johnson, outside his burgeoning big-budget movie career, to carve out a niche like this on HBO. There’s an enthusiasm to his craft that is infectious, but Ballers seems to be something that he connects with a little more, or he is reveling in the greater time a TV show affords his work. He builds genuine sympathy for this retired footballer, one who lost his money due to bad representation and is trying his hand at the same game. While his intentions are to do better by his charges than his past representation, the murky work of professional football keeps threatening his integrity and success. It’s a nice little moral quandary, one that Johnson has slowly but surely been mining to add substance to his affable presence.
In previous seasons the show has seen storylines intermingling to give the show momentum: the powerful businessmen at the top, the players being moved around in a game, and these agents scurrying to try and get a piece of the action. This time out, the safety net that seemed present for Strasmore & Krutel is gone, adding a slight element of uncertainty proceedings. This aside, it’s more of the same, showing the success and more amusingly the failures of these rich, famous, and powerful types whose world circles the NFL.
The Package
Ballers is a flashy show, in terms of locales, lifestyles, and personalities. The release does this colorful nature justice, with natural skin tones, vivid colors, and superb detail. HBO usually delivers visually on home releases, and Ballers S3 is top tier for sure in that regard.
The release contains all 10 episodes of season 3 on one disc. In terms of extras there is surprisingly, and disappointingly, nothing included. No commentaries, featurettes, nothing. A digital download code is included though.
The Bottom Line
Ballers continues to deliver a fast paced dramedy, one filled with incidents, quips, colorful characters and locations. Its breezy style of entertainment also compliments the charisma of its lead Dwayne Johnson while offering him the chance to flex more than his muscles.
Ballers Season 3 is available on HBO Blu-ray from April 3rd, 2018.
