Hoops (TV series)

Hoops is an American adult animated sitcom created by Ben Hoffman for Netflix that was released on August 21, 2020.[1][2] In December 2020, the series was canceled after one season.[3]

Hoops
Genre
Created byBen Hoffman
Voices of
Music byScott Hoffman
Opening themeBen & Scott Hoffman
Ending themeBen & Scott Hoffman
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Aubrey Davis Lee
  • James Merrill
EditorAmy Blaisdell
Running time23–26 minutes
Production companies
DistributorDisney-ABC Domestic Television
Release
Original networkNetflix
Picture formatHDTV 1080p
Audio formatStereo
Original releaseAugust 21, 2020 (2020-08-21)

Premise

Hoops follows Ben Hopkins, "a hot-headed, foul-mouthed high school basketball coach who thinks turning around his God-awful team will take him to the 'big leagues' and turn his miserable life around."[4]

Cast and characters

Main
  • Jake Johnson as Coach Ben Hopkins, a quick-tempered foul-mouthed basketball coach at Lenwood High School
  • Ron Funches as Ron, Lenwood High's assistant basketball coach and Ben's best friend who is dating Ben's estranged wife
  • Cleo King as Opal Lowry, the principal at Lenwood High and Ben's boss
  • Natasha Leggero as Shannon, Ben's estranged wife
  • A. D. Miles as Matty Atkins, a 7-foot tall 16-year-old who is on Lenwood High's basketball team
  • Rob Riggle as Barry Hopkins, a legendary former basketball player who is now the owner of Hopkins Steakhouse and Ben's father

Recurring

Guests

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release dateProd.
code
1"The Pilot"Pablo SolisBen HoffmanAugust 21, 2020 (2020-08-21)1AZB01
Ben Hopkins coaches a basketball team made up of a below-average-height group of teenagers at Lenwood High School. After suffering a mental breakdown at his latest game, Ben is told by principal Opal that he must win his next game or risk being fired. Because of this, Ben attempts to recruit Matty, a 7-foot tall 16-year-old teen into joining his team. After attempting to pay a hooker to sleep with Matty, Ben is arrested. On the day of the game, Ben is released from prison and learns that Matty joined the team. The team loses the game but Ben congratulates Matty as they only lost by 16 points.
2"My Two Dads"Ron RubioAnnabel SeymourAugust 21, 2020 (2020-08-21)1AZB02
Believing to have seen his ex-wife Shannon cheating on his best friend Ron, Ben decides to investigate. He finds out that Shannon has been hanging out with his dad, Barry, as her "second dad." The trio attends a wedding, where Ben reveals he himself got a second dad, a random old man he found in Shannon's old home. After the old man dies, Ben and Barry attend his funeral. Meanwhile, the basketball team attempts to bond with Matty and successfully do so after getting drunk in his basement.
3"Ethics"James KimAri BerkowitzAugust 21, 2020 (2020-08-21)1AZB03
After learning that he won't be able to play basketball if he doesn't pass his ethics class, Matty informs Ben about his situation. After multiple failed attempts to pass Matty, Ben decides to frame Matty's ethics teacher, Mr. Lonnie, with false claims about child abduction. As Matty declares that this would be unethical, Lonnie catches Ben in the act, and surprised that Matty said no to Ben, passes Matty in his class, allowing him to play in his team's next game.
4"The Sponsor"Mollie HelmsEvan Mann & Gareth ReynoldsAugust 21, 2020 (2020-08-21)1AZB04
Opal informs Ben that his basketball team received a sponsor, only to learn that it was from his dad's restaurant. At his next game, Ben is informed that Barry promised to give everyone in the stadium free steaks if Ben's team won the game. Using their individual hate for their own dads, the team manage to win the game, to the surprise of Barry.
5"Matty Gets a Girlfriend"Pablo SolisMike GibbonsAugust 21, 2020 (2020-08-21)1AZB05
After Ben causes Matty to break up with his girlfriend Wendy, Ben and Matty visit Shannon's house to watch a tape of Ben's "proposal" to Shannon. To get even with Matty, Ben decides to use his persona, Pill Ben (which he can only access by going to sleep using sleeping pills) to get Matty back with Wendy. This results in Pill Ben entering Wendy's house and vandalizing it. Meanwhile, the rest of the basketball team attempt to get girlfriends themselves by driving a Bang Bus-themed van around town. In the end, Ben, Matty, and the rest of the group all end up in jail. After all of their charges are dropped, Wendy and Matty get back together; Matty having made a "proposal" video similar to Ben's.
6"Zen"Ron RubioBen HoffmanAugust 21, 2020 (2020-08-21)1AZB06
After Ben causes an opponent's team mascot to fall down a flight of stairs, he is advised to visit an anger management therapist. He manages to pass the therapy class after getting high on frog poison. After the experience, Ben changes behavior and begins to act calm with the people he talks to, surprising almost everyone. Meanwhile, one of Ben's players, Scott, is bullied for being gay (though he is teased by the Gay Mafia and called straight). This causes Ben to snap, come back to normal, and yell at the Gay Mafia.
7"The Strike"Mollie HelmsSteven J. MurphyAugust 21, 2020 (2020-08-21)1AZB07
Ben prepares his team to face Coach Chapman, a rival he has played against for several years. Finding out that his chances of winning the game are slim to none, Ben is advised to join a team of teachers going on strike so he won't have to attend the game. In the end, Ben manages to lose any possibility of the teachers getting their demands and his team loses the game, causing him to get a tattoo of the lyrics to All Star on his back after making a bet with Chapman prior to the game.
8"Death"James KimEvan Mann & Gareth ReynoldsAugust 21, 2020 (2020-08-21)1AZB08
After the deaths of a teacher and a food delivery guy, Opal hires a grief counselor, Dr. Brooks, to help students and teachers mourn the tragedy. Multiple flashbacks show Ben meeting Shannon for the first time, Ron proudly killing people in the Iraq War, Shannon deciding to divorce Ben, Barry raising Ben as a single father, Opal working as an flight attendant before becoming a school principal, and Dr. Brooks meeting her husband. In the present, Dr. Brooks dies in a car crash while talking with Ben and Shannon.
9"The Road Game"Pablo SolisM. DicksonAugust 21, 2020 (2020-08-21)1AZB09
After his team is invited to a prestigious basketball tournament in Cincinnati, Ben declares that anyone not present at the school the day of the trip will be left behind. After oversleeping on said day, Ben decides to drive to the tournament with Shannon. During the drive, Ben and Shannon decide to stay together. Meanwhile, in Cincinnati, the rest of the basketball group accidentally cause the tournament to get canceled after filing up a pool with foam made-up of poisonous chemicals.
10"The Scout"Ron RubioCharla LauristonAugust 21, 2020 (2020-08-21)1AZB10
After a few days of breaking up with Ron, Shannon breaks up with Ben. At school, Ben learns that Matty is being given an offer to play basketball at a prestigious prep school, and after a failed attempt to convince Matty not to leave Lenwood High, Ben is also given a similar offer to coach at the school. While driving Matty to the college, Ben's car gets a flat tire, leaving the pair stranded on the road.

Production

Development

On October 3, 2018, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The series was created by Ben Hoffman who was also expected to executive produce alongside Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Seth Cohen, M. Dickson and Jake Johnson. Production companies involved with the series were slated to be Bento Box Entertainment and 20th Television.[4] The series premiered on August 21, 2020.[1] The official series trailer was released on August 6, 2020.[5] On December 8, 2020, Netflix canceled the show after one season.[3]

Casting

Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Jake Johnson was set to star in the series.[4] In July 2020, it was announced that Natasha Leggero, Rob Riggle, Ron Funches, Cleo King and A. D. Miles were cast in starring roles.[1]

Reception

Hoops received negative reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 14% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 3.71/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Crude, rude, and aimless, Hoops's first season throws nothing but bricks."[6] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 35 out of 100 based on 9 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[7]

Caroline Framke of Variety described the series "isn't half the joke machine it would need to be in order to justify its total lack of nuance".[8] Stuart Jeffries of The Guardian described it as a "puerile comedy ... perfect for Trump's America" that is more "toxically retrograde" than Love Thy Neighbour, noting its sexualized portrayal of women, an overabundance of penis jokes, and a cast of mostly stereotypical token characters.[9]

References
  1. Pedersen, Erik (July 20, 2020). "'Hoops': Premiere Date & Teaser For Netflix's Adult Toon Series; Ron Riggle & Others Join Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  2. Evershed, John (2020). Adult Animation Finally Breaking Free of its Comedy Shackles (PDF) (Report). High Concentrate, LLC in Squarespace. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  3. Otterson, Joe (December 8, 2020). "'Hoops' Canceled at Netflix After One Season (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  4. Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (October 3, 2018). "Netflix Orders 'Hoops' Adult Animated Series Starring Jake Johnson From Ben Hoffman, Phil Lord, Chris Miller & 20th TV". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  5. Adams, Tim (August 6, 2020). "Hoops: New Girl Cast Reunites in Foul-Mouthed Trailer for Netflix Adult Animated Comedy". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  6. "Hoops: Season 1 (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  7. "Hoops: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  8. Framke, Caroline (August 20, 2020). "'Hoops' Review: Netflix's Unabashedly Ridiculous Cartoon Wastes Jake Johnson's Comedic Voice". Variety. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  9. Jeffries, Stuart (21 August 2020). "Hoops review – puerile animation is perfect for Trump's America". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
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