# Running Point

Running Point is an American sports comedy series created by Elaine Ko, Mindy Kaling, Ike Barinholtz, and David Stassen, and starring Kate Hudson. The series premiered on Netflix on February 27, 2025. In March 2025, the series was renewed for a second season.

## Synopsis

Isla Gordon, a reformed party girl gets the shot of a lifetime to prove herself as she's left in charge of her family's pro basketball team, but she soon quickly learns that running a basketball team comes with its own set of problems and surprises both on and off the court.

## Cast
### Main

* Kate Hudson as Isla Gordon, the former coordinator of charitable endeavors who recently became the president of the Los Angeles Waves
* Drew Tarver as Alexander "Sandy" Gordon, Isla's younger half-brother who is the chief financial officer of the Waves
* Scott MacArthur as Ness Gordon, Isla's older brother who is the general manager of the Waves
* Brenda Song as Ali Lee, Isla's best friend and chief of staff for the Waves
* Fabrizio Guido as Jackie Moreno, the younger half-brother recently discovered by the Gordon siblings
* Chet Hanks as Travis Bugg, the problematic point guard of the Waves
* Toby Sandeman as Marcus Winfield, the long-time star player of the Waves

### Recurring

* Jay Ellis as Jay Brown, the head coach of the Waves
* Dane DiLiegro as Badrag Knauss, a Waves player from Slovenia
* Jon Glaser as Sean Murphy
* Keyla Monterroso Mejia as Ana Moreno, Jackie's cousin who is a lawyer
* Uche Agada as Dyson Gibbs, the rookie player of the Waves who was drafted from the D-League
* Roberto Sanchez as Stephen Ramirez, the chairman of the board of the Waves
* Justin Theroux as Cam Gordon, Isla's eldest brother who recently temporarily stepped down as the president of the Waves and named Isla as his successor
* Max Greenfield as Lev Levenson, Isla's fiancé who is a pediatrician
* Scott Evans as Charlie, Sandy's boyfriend who is a dog groomer

## Production
### Development

In June 2021, it was announced that Netflix had given a straight-to-series order to an untitled Los Angeles Lakers themed comedy series created by Mindy Kaling. The Los Angeles Lakers controlling owner and president, Jeanie Buss, will co-executive produce the series with Kaling. The series was initially going to be written, executive produced, and showrun by Elaine Ko.
In January 2024, it was reported that the series had a new creative team, with Ko leaving the series, and Kaling now co-writing and executive producing the series with Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen. Stassen will also serve as the series showrunner. In May 2024, the untitled series was given the name, Running Point. The series is executive produced by Mindy Kaling, Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen, Jeanie Buss, Linda Rambis, Howard Klein, and Kate Hudson, and produced by Jordan Rambis. Production companies involved with the series are Kaling's Kaling International, 3 Arts Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Television Studios. In March 2025, Netflix renewed the series for a second season.

### Casting

In January 2024, it was announced that Kate Hudson had joined the series as the protagonist, Isla Gordon, and also as an executive producer. In February 2024, it was announced that Brenda Song had joined the series as Ali Lee, Drew Tarver as Sandy Gordon, and Scott MacArthur as Ness Gordon. Also in February 2024, it was announced that Chet Hanks had joined the series as Travis Bugg, Keyla Monterroso Mejia as Ana Moreno, Fabrizio Guido as Jackie Moreno, Toby Sandeman as Marcus Winfield, and Roberto Sanchez as Stephen Ramirez.
In March 2024, it was announced that Max Greenfield had joined the series as Lev Levy, Dane DiLiegro as Badrag Knauss, and Uche Agada as Dyson Gibbs. In May 2024, Jay Ellis joined the series as Jay Brown. In June 2024, Scott Evans joined the series as Charlie.

### Filming

The series began filming in February 2024, in Los Angeles. The outside of the Los Angeles Waves basketball stadium is the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.

### Legal matter

In February 2025, Pepperdine University sued Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery for "alleged trademark infringement". The university claimed that the TV series used their team's logo, the Waves. Pepperdine University also accused Running Point for the use of their "basketball team's colors, orange and blue" and promoting the number 37 on a fictional basketball player.

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
| 1 | "Pilot" | James Ponsoldt | Teleplay by : Mindy Kaling & Ike Barinholtz & David Stassen Story by : Elaine Ko and Mindy Kaling & Ike Barinholtz & David Stassen | February 27, 2025 (2025-2-27) | T12.18101 |
| After years of being ignored by her brothers, Isla Gordon gets the chance to prove herself as she gets appointed as the president of her family's pro basketball team, the Los Angeles Waves. But her first day goes anything but smoothly. ||||||
| 2 | "Joe Pesci" | James Ponsoldt | Mindy Kaling | February 27, 2025 (2025-2-27) | T12.18102 |
| While Ness and Sandy team up to take down Isla as president, Isla begins the hunt for a new team sponsor. However, a secret from their late father's past could threaten it all. ||||||
| 3 | "The Travis Bugg Affair" | Michael Weaver | Ike Barinholtz & David Stassen | February 27, 2025 (2025-2-27) | T12.18103 |
| After Travis insults the team sponsor, Isla tried to work with him to help with damage control, but it ends up backfiring on her. Now a member of the family, Jackie tries to settle into his new position as Isla's assistant with the help of Ali. ||||||
| 4 | "Doljanchi" | Michael Weaver | Grace Edwards | February 27, 2025 (2025-2-27) | T12.18104 |
| While in Phoenix for a Leagues owner conference, Isla negotiates a game-changing deal. Back in LA, Ness is forced to move in with Sandy after getting kicked out by his wife. ||||||
| 5 | "Beshert" | Thembi Banks | Joe Mande | February 27, 2025 (2025-2-27) | T12.18105 |
| Isla and Lev's long awaited engagement party is full of unwanted surprises and confessions. Meanwhile, Jackie tries to switch up the halftime show. ||||||
| 6 | "The Yips" | Thembi Banks | Akshara Sekar | February 27, 2025 (2025-2-27) | T12.18106 |
| Isla tries to track down a rumor about trading Marcus. Meanwhile, as Dyson's free throws begin to drag down the team, he receives an unusual intervention. ||||||
| 7 | "A Special Place in Hell" | Michael Weaver | Brandon Childs | February 27, 2025 (2025-2-27) | T12.18107 |
| To stop Travis's overbearing mother, Isla creates a position to keep her busy. Meanwhile, Sandy and Jackie's messy love lives begins to bite them. ||||||
| 8 | "The Streak" | Michael Weaver | Michael Rodriguez | February 27, 2025 (2025-2-27) | T12.18108 |
| After Jay goes missing following an incident at a nightclub, Isla is forced to track him down. Taking advice from Ness, Sandy decided to casually date. ||||||
| 9 | "The Playoffs" | David Stassen | Michael Chung & Bronson Diallo | February 27, 2025 (2025-2-27) | T12.18109 |
| Having made the playoffs, Isla is confronted with a serious crisis involving one of the players that could jeopardize their career, and also could affect her relationship with Lev. Meanwhile, after learning Charlie is single, Sandy decides to win him back. ||||||
| 10 | "Game Seven" | David Stassen | Mindy Kaling and Ike Barinholtz & David Stassen | February 27, 2025 (2025-2-27) | T12.18110 |
| One month had passed since their split, Isla receives a sign to try and win Lev back. Jackie struggles with a big day, but has no one to celebrate it with. Meanwhile, the Waves are officially in the playoffs, however, a player makes a critical mistake that could ruin the chances of the Waves ending their season on a good note. ||||||

## Release

Running Point was released on Netflix on February 27, 2025.

## Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 78% approval rating with an average rating of 6.4/10, based on 45 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Kate Hudson continuously makes three-pointer shots with her dynamite charisma in Running Point, carrying this amusing series while it straightens out its game strategy." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 65 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.