Big Shot (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The school's gym was named after Louise Gruzinsky's family.
• Nick Russo's family went bankrupt due to the embezzling of Louise's father, Larry Gruzinski.

Cast and characters

John Stamos portrays Marvyn Korn, a temperamental basketball coach who coaches at Westbrook School for Girls in San Diego, California. Jessalyn Gilsig plays Holly Barrett, the good-natured assistant coach and a biology teacher at the school. Richard Robichaux appears as George Pappas (season 1), the school counselor. Sophia Mitri Schloss plays Emma Korn, Marvyn's teenage daughter. Nell Verlaque portrays Louise Gruzinsky, the star point guard; the school's gym is named after her family. Tiana Le plays Destiny Winters, a power forward who bonds with Coach Korn after losing her father. Monique Green appears as Olive Cooper (season 1), a player obsessed with social media. Tisha Custodio plays Carolyn "Mouse" Smith, a player from a military background. Cricket Wampler portrays Samantha Finkman, the shooting guard. Yvette Nicole Brown plays Sherilyn Thomas, the no-nonsense dean. Sara Echeagaray appears as Ava (season 2), a former star volleyball player. Toks Olagundoye plays Terri Grint (season 1), a political science teacher. Emery Kelly appears as Dylan (season 1), Louise's best friend. Darcy Rose Byrnes plays Harper Schapira, an intense journalist and Mouse's love interest. Dale Whibley plays Lucas Gruzinsky, Louise's older brother. Kathleen Rose Perkins appears as Miss Goodwyn (season 1), the drama teacher. Daisha Graf plays Angel (season 1), Destiny's aunt who is secretly her biological mother. Damian Alonso appears as Jake Matthews (season 1), a Carlsbad Cobras player. Camryn Manheim plays Coach McCarthy, head coach of the rival team. Keala Settle plays Christina Winters (season 1), Destiny's mother who is actually her aunt. Charlie Hall appears as Nick Russo (season 2), Louise and Ava's love interest. Samuel-Taylor plays Trevor Thomas (season 2), Sherilyn's son. Stony Blyden plays Jackson Hoover (season 2), Emma's love interest who is a bad influence.

Production

In October 2019, Disney+ ordered a ten-episode hour-long comedy-drama based on an original idea by Brad Garrett, who pitched it to David E. Kelley and developed it with Dean Lorey. The trio executive produced alongside Bill D'Elia, with ABC Signature as the production house. Lorey wrote the script and D'Elia directed the first episode. John Stamos was cast in the lead role upon the series announcement. In late October 2019, Shiri Appleby was attached as assistant coach and Yvette Nicole Brown as dean, along with Richard Robichaux, Sophia Mitri Schloss, Nell Verlaque, Tiana Le, Monique Green, Tisha Custodio, and Cricket Wampler. In late January 2020, Jessalyn Gilsig replaced Shiri Appleby as Holly. Keala Settle and Emery Kelly were cast in recurring roles on November 19, 2020. Camryn Manheim, Daisha Graf, and Dale Whibley were cast in recurring roles on April 30, 2021. Darcy Rose Byrnes was set to recur and Marla Gibbs to guest star on May 13, 2021. Charlie Hall joined in a recurring capacity for the second season on August 15, 2022. Principal photography began in November 2019 in Los Angeles. Production was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It shut down for a day in November after a negative COVID-19 test, and for the rest of 2020 in December after a positive test. Filming resumed in early January 2021 but paused again at the end of the month after a second positive test, then resumed two weeks later. Production for the second season began in early 2022. Disney+ renewed the series for a second season on September 2, 2021, and cancelled it on February 17, 2023.

Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 78% based on 23 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The critics consensus stated that the series "struggles to find much new to say, but it boasts strong performances, a sweet disposition, and, with a little perseverance, could become a show worth rooting for." Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 65 out of 100 based on 11 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Jen Chaney of Vulture appreciated the depiction of a basketball team composed of female players and complimented the performances, especially John Stamos and Tiana Le. Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter praised the avoidance of easy punchlines and the characterization of Stamos' character, but noted that some characters are not developed enough. Joel Keller of Decider praised the cast performances, particularly Stamos, and said the series stays well written despite being predictable. Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media rated the series 4 out of 5 stars, praising positive messages and role models. Pradeep Menon of Firstpost rated it 3 out of 5 stars, finding the show refreshing for quick resolution of dramatic moments and appreciating the depiction of same-sex romance. Kristen Lopez of IndieWire gave the show a C+ rating, praising performances and avoidance of clichés, but found the script sometimes old-fashioned.