Lakers News: Upon Being Canceled Before Finale, “Winning Time” Swapped Out Its Ending

Something seems a little off here..

Just after the season two finale of HBO’s Winning Time aired, it was announced that the show was being canceled. After just two seasons, the hit TV show was over, but it was reported that the show was actually canceled prior to the finale being broadcast.

This meant that the producers created an alternative ending to what was planned, changing everything. The original episode was supposed to be of former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Earvin “Magic” Johnson reeling from the bitter NBA Finals loss to the Boston Celtics. But the new version saw late Lakers owner Jerry Buss speaking with his daughter Jeanie about the franchise.

“Even though the cancellation was not entirely unexpected, the modified episode made for a pretty abrupt ending to what once was viewed as HBO’s next big prestige show”

Per Jen Chaney and Nicholas Quah of Vulture.com

There had been talk about the show not getting renewed for a third season, but the hope was that viewership would improve as time went on. This second season had a lower rating than the first did, and multiple members of the time period came out against this show for how they were being portrayed.

This includes Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West among others. This likely contributed to the overall decline in ratings for this season, and ultimately the cancellation of the series.

“As a wrap-up to the series, the Jerry and Jeanie scene was a sweet moment, but yeah, given the cancellation and the overarching shape of the show, which was clearly gunning to span Magic’s whole career, there’s no way that ending was going to be anything other than jarring.”

Per Jen Chaney and Nicholas Quah of Vulture.com

Fans have been critical of the show's cancellation, especially due to where it left things off. The show was supposed to go through the entire 1980s dynasty of the Lakers, but now it leaves with the arch-rival Celtics winning the NBA Championship over the Lakers in 1984.

While this seems like the end for this show, there is still a slight possibility that another network could pick up the series. It remains unlikely, but you can never really say never. If done correctly, this show could do numbers, and the support it has received since the cancellation could warrant something happening down the line.

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