‘Legacy’ vs. ‘Winning Time’: Biggest differences between Lakers shows on Hulu and HBO

We can never too many Hollywood productions about the Lakers, right?

Fans in Lakerland might not have been too entertained by the on-court product this past season, but the last year has brought about a few Lakers-related productions capable of reminding fans of better times, complete with plenty of entertainment value.

In March of 2022, it was HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” a dramatized version of the events that birthed the “Showtime” era of the Lakers in the 1980s. In April, Apple TV+ released “They Call Me Magic,” a four-part documentary on Laker lifer Magic Johnson.

MORE: What is the Magic Johnson Trophy? How NBA is honoring all-time great

On Monday, Aug. 15, a new documentary will emerge when the first two episodes of “Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers” begin streaming on Hulu.

While “They Call Me Magic” is much more focused on one player, how similar will “Legacy” be to “Winning Time?”

Ahead of “Legacy’s” release, here’s a look at what we know will be similar — and different — between the two series.

“Legacy” vs. “Winning Time”: Biggest differences between Lakers shows on Hulu and HBO

Format

“Legacy”

“Legacy” is a 10-part documentary series that chronicles the happenings of the Lakers franchise through the voices of those that helped build it.

Among those featured in the documentary are current team president Jeanie Buss, former head coaches Phil Jackson and Pat Riley, former players like Magic Johnson, Metta Sandiford-Artest (formerly Ron Artest), Shaquille O’Neal and Byron Scott and current Lakers superstar LeBron James.

In addition to interviews, the documentary will feature classic footage of games, interviews, and moments from the lives of the Buss family, players and coaches off of the court.

“Winning Time”

“Winning Time” is a sports drama television series that begins in 1979, beginning with Jerry Buss’ purchase of the franchise and subsequent selection of Johnson with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft.

Within the dramatized re-telling of events, John C. Reilly portrays Jerry Buss, while Jeanie Buss is portrayed by Hadley Robinson.

The dynasty that changed it all pic.twitter.com/R0lktAK60N

— Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (@winningtimehbo) April 1, 2022

Among other notable roles are Quincy Isaiah playing Magic Johnson, Jason Clarke as Jerry West, Adrien Brody as Pat Riley and Solomon Hughes as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

While the first season of “Winning Time” consisted of 10 episodes, it has been renewed for a second season.

Time span

“Legacy”

Similar to “Winning Time,” “Legacy” will begin with Jerry Buss’ 1979 purchase of the Lakers franchise but will run chronologically through multiple eras, culminating with the team’s 2020 NBA title in which Jeanie Buss became the first female owner to win an NBA title.

“Winning Time”

Though there is some uncertainty surrounding how many seasons “Winning Time” will run, it is widely believed that the series will continue to document the 1980s era of “Showtime” Lakers basketball and end with Johnson’s HIV diagnosis.

As both pieces cover the “Showtime” era, expect to see some similarities in the coverage of Jerry Buss’ ingenuity in revolutionizing entertainment in the NBA with the presence of celebrities at The Forum and the introduction of The Laker Girls, who were prominently featured in “Winning Time.”

MORE: Origins of Laker Girls takes center stage with Paula Abdul on HBO’s ‘Winning Time’

Subject matter

“Legacy”

From Jeanie Buss to Abdul-Jabbar and West, a number of members of the Lakers family have objected to their depiction and the re-telling of events in “Winning Time.”

MORE: Jerry West slams depiction in ‘Winning Time,’ vows to take lawsuit to Supreme Court

With Buss serving as an executive producer of the project, she tabbed famed director Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day,” “The Equalizer”) to lead the way.

All signs indicate that “Legacy” will take a much different approach towards telling the same stories, a fact hinted at through an Instagram post shared by Buss in May. 

In the post, Jeanie Buss shares a clip of “Winning Time” that depicts her father interacting with Johnson, to which she says “to see the real story watch the Lakers docuseries coming to (Hulu) later this year,” though she did admit that the clip depicting the friendship between her father and Johnson was indeed accurate.

According to a review from the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver, the documentary “barely dabbles in salacious material” and is “less interested in sensationalism.”

“Winning Time”

Salacious material and sensationalism, you say? The show, which is based on Jeff Pearlman’s book “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s,” contains plenty of it.

MORE: Separating facts from fiction in HBO’s “Winning Time”

Part of the pushback from Laker legends comes from the amount of such material that was present in “Winning Time,” which does highlight controversies and the … human side of characters that could be viewed as their flaws.

While “Winning Time” is rooted in some truths, there are some factual details that are tweaked for the drama, while other stories have been debunked by those involved, such as Norm Nixon wearing a fur coat to a summer party hosted at the home of disgraced former owner Donald Sterling.

How to watch the Lakers documentary on Hulu

• Streaming service: Hulu
• No. of episodes: 10
• Premiere: Monday, August 15

“Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers” will premiere on Monday, August 15 with two episodes to kick off the documentary.

Single episodes will be released every Monday thereafter.

Trailer for Lakers documentary on Hulu