Hoops (TV series)
A crude adult animated sitcom about a foul-mouthed basketball coach.
Ben Hoffman created the adult animated sitcom Hoops for Netflix. The series debuted on August 21, 2020, and was met with highly unfavorable reviews. Netflix ended the show after a single season in December 2020.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Animated sitcom
- Adult animation
- Sports
- Creator
- Ben Hoffman
- Voices
- Jake Johnson
- Ron Funches
- Cleo King
- Natasha Leggero
- A. D. Miles
- Rob Riggle
- Music
- Scott Hoffman
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 10
Facts from the source article.
Cast and characters
Jake Johnson voices Coach Ben Hopkins, a rude and bad-tempered basketball coach at Lenwood High School who is Shannon's ex-husband, Ron's best friend, and Barry's estranged son. Ben aims to turn his team's poor reputation around, but his attempts often end in disaster, except in "The Sponsor" where he encourages each team member to treat competition like their respective father, leading to a rare victory. He also wants to rekindle his relationship with Shannon and is obsessed with the 1991 film Little Man Tate. Ron Funches plays Ron, the assistant coach and Ben's best friend who is dating Shannon. Cleo King portrays Opal Lowry, the principal and Ben's boss. Natasha Leggero plays Shannon, Ben's estranged wife. A. D. Miles is Matty Atkins, a seven-foot-tall 16-year-old on the team. Rob Riggle voices Barry Hopkins, a legendary former basketball player and Ben's father who owns Hopkins Steakhouse. Nick Swardson plays Scott, a gay teenager on the team. Sam Richardson is Marcus, the only African-American player and the team's voice of reason. Ben Hoffman voices Time Bomb, a redneck player implied to be from an inbred family. Eric Edelstein plays Kirk, one of Ben's friends. Mary Holland is Connie, a prostitute Ben knows. Gil Ozeri voices Isaac, a Jewish player. Steve Berg plays DJ, an overweight player with orange-lensed goggles and a lisp. Max Greenfield is Lonnie Seymour, an ethics teacher who dislikes Ben. Guy Fieri appears as himself. Damon Wayans Jr. plays Damian Chapman. Hannah Simone is Dr. Brooks. Will Forte voices Dawa, an anger management therapist and Zen master who helps Ben control his temper in "Zen", though it reappears later. Justin Roiland plays Gunnar, a kid believed to be Ben's illegitimate son.
Production
Netflix ordered a ten-episode first season of the animated series on October 3, 2018. Ben Hoffman created the show and executive produced it with Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Seth Cohen, M. Dickson, and Jake Johnson. Bento Box Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television handled production. Jake Johnson also starred. In July 2020, Natasha Leggero, Rob Riggle, Ron Funches, Cleo King, and A. D. Miles joined the main cast. The trailer dropped on August 6, 2020, and the series debuted on August 21, 2020. It holds the distinction of being the final show released under the 20th Century Fox Television banner, which rebranded to 20th Television that same month. Netflix pulled the plug on December 8, 2020, after just one season. Before landing at Netflix, the series had been rejected by MTV, Fox, FX, Comedy Central, HBO, and Adult Swim.
Reception
Critics were not kind to Hoops. On Rotten Tomatoes, the show holds a 14% approval rating from 14 reviews, averaging 3.50 out of 10. The site’s consensus calls it “crude, rude, and aimless,” adding that its first season “throws nothing but bricks.” Metacritic gives it a weighted score of 35 out of 100 from 9 reviews, which falls under “generally unfavorable reviews.” Variety’s Caroline Framke said the series “isn’t half the joke machine it would need to be in order to justify its total lack of nuance.” The Guardian’s Stuart Jeffries labeled it a “puerile comedy ... perfect for Trump’s America,” finding it even more “toxically retrograde” than Love Thy Neighbour. He pointed to its sexualized female characters, an excess of penis jokes, and a cast filled with stereotypical token figures.
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