THERE WON’T BE AN EPISODE 11 ON WINNING TIME SEASON 1 BUT MORE IS ON THE WAY.
HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty has been one of the surprise high points of the year’s TV calendar to date.
The Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht-created series details the rise of one of the most successful basketball teams in history as it explores the emergence of the Showtime era at the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, after episode 10 ended with the conclusion of the 1979/80 NBA season, fans have been left asking if Winning Time will be returning for episode 11 and beyond.
WINNING TIME EPISODE 10 RECAP
Episode 10 of Winning Time aired on HBO on Sunday, May 8th, 2022.
Titled Promised Land, the episode brought an end to the 1979/80 NBA season as the Lakers faced the Philadelphia 76ers in the historic Finals series that kick-started the Showtime era.
However, it wasn’t smooth sailing for the team as an injury to Karim Abdul-Jabbar left them without their best player for the crucial Game 6.
After struggling in the final game and finding themselves trailing to the 76ers, Johnson’s coaches inform him that Larry Bird won the Rookie of the Year award and this motivates him to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
Alongside a supporting cast of Norm Nixon, Michael Cooper and their teammates, the Lakers are able to win 126-103, winning the NBA title and kick-starting a sporting dynasty in the process.
WINNING TIME SEASON 1 WON’T FEATURE AN EPISODE 11
Sadly for Winning Time fans, The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty won’t feature an episode 11 in season 1.
That’s because the first season only consisted of 10 episodes and May 8th’s instalment was the final chapter.
On top of that, it makes sense to end the season where Winning Time did as it coincides with the culmination of the 1979/80 season, leaving the door wide open for the story to continue.
SEASON 2 IS CONFIRMED
While season 1 of Winning Time has ended, fans will be delighted to know that the HBO series has already been renewed for a second season.
The announcement from HBO came on April 7th after just five episodes of the show had aired.
According to the renewal announcement, viewing figures for episode 5 (which stood at 1.2 million on various platforms) were 37% higher than the opening episode, making renewal an easy choice, while almost every episode pulled in a bigger audience than the last, showing that Winning Time is a growing series.
In terms of season 2’s story, it could be a rocky one for the Lakers as they faced increased competition from the Boston Celtics and Larry Bird in the 1980/81 season.
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty concluded on HBO in the US on May 8th, 2022.
