HBO's Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty breaks the fourth wall all the time, giving the show's storytelling another avenue for information and comedy. Based on the true story of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s, Winning Time episode 1 brought viewers back to this era of the California franchise and the NBA. The show's debut focused on Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) working a deal to buy the Lakers and draft Earvin 'Magic' Johnson (Quincy Isaiah). Winning Time is rather straightforward in its storytelling, although some viewers could be caught off-guard by its Deadpool-esque fourth wall breaks.
Created by Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht, Winning Time acts as a typical sports drama and prestige TV show for the majority of its runtime. This includes opening on Magic Johnson's life-changing doctor's appointment twelve years after his NBA career began. The biggest deviation included is Winning Time breaking the fourth wall. It happens a lot in the first episode, as Jerry Buss and Magic Johnson both speak directly to viewers early on. Several other characters also look directly into the camera to address what is happening in Winning Time episode 1.
Although movies, TV shows, and other forms of media have been breaking the fourth wall for decades, it is still not a common storytelling device. However, Winning Time's breaks are a bit less surprising considering Adam McKay directed the first episode. The versatile director decided to implement fourth wall breaks into his more dramatic movies previously, as The Big Short and Vice have moments where characters speak directly to viewers. The purposes of these scenes were to give audiences pieces of information that otherwise couldn't be included and deliver a few extra comedic moments. Winning Time breaking the fourth wall employs the same strategy.
Both purposes for the fourth wall breaks are shown early on in Winning Time episode 1. John C. Reilly's Jerry Buss has an entire monologue that breaks the fourth wall during his first appearance on screen. This allowed the show to quickly tell viewers who might not be NBA historians who Jerry Buss is, why he wanted to buy the Los Angeles Lakers, and provide an overview of the state of the NBA at the time. The scene acts as a big exposition dump for Winning Time's storytelling, but breaking the fourth wall makes it come across better. Meanwhile, Claire Rothman breaks the fourth wall later on to let viewers know she isn't the woman the current Lakers owner is talking about.
Winning Time breaking the fourth wall is very effective and seems to be a smart decision on the part of director Adam McKay and fellow showrunners. There is a lot of information about the Lakers, the NBA, and all of the real-life people in Winning Time to explore over ten episodes. Not breaking the fourth wall could mean important context is glossed over, while the series could also be a bit too dramatic without the moments of levity they often provide.
New episodes of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty drop Sundays on HBO Max.