Write On: 'Running Point' Showrunner David Stassen

“It’s not ripped from the headlines. We’re not using any of [the
Buss family’s] real-life stories and putting them into our show.
Because Mindy [Kaling], Ike [Barinholtz], and I have so many
influences like Arrested Development, 30 Rock, The Office and
Succession, we’re coming up with our own fun stories and fun
situations to put this dysfunctional, very wealthy, successful
family into a blender and then have them going back and forth and
arguing and solving problems together and against each other,”
says David Stassen, showrunner of Running Point, about taking
inspiration from Los Angeles Lakers’ President, Jeannie Buss’s
family and turning it into a hit TV show.  


In this episode, we chat with David Stassen, showrunner and
co-creator of the Netflix show, Running Point, that’s just been
given the greenlight for Season 2. The show centers on Isla
Gordon (Kate Hudson), the daughter of a powerful basketball
magnate. She’s now taken the helm of the legendary team with the
help – or hindrance – of her four well-meaning but unpredictable
brothers.   


While firmly set in the brawny world of basketball, Stassen talks
about the true core of Running Point, which revolves around the
siblings trying to earn the love of their deceased father. To get
this particular narrative right, Stassen says the writers room
spent a lot of time focusing on the family dynamics and
differentiating each character’s struggles and traits. Much of
the comedy in the show comes from the clashes between the
siblings and their attempts to live up to their father’s fierce
expectations.


Stassen also talks about how the character Isla, a woman at the
center of a very male-dominated universe, relies on speeches from
gangster films to communicate with her basketball team. 


“Movies transcend our society. So, I think it’s a great way to
connect and even if you haven’t seen Casino, most people know
that Joe Pesci is viewed as a very scary person on film. We were
lucky enough to get the rights to show a scene. So even if you
didn’t know anything about it, you got to see the moment. It’s
just a fun thing to have this beautiful, airy Kate Hudson taking
on these roles of the tough Italian mobster or the contract
killer getting revenge for his dead dog, like John Wick. And I
guess it probably speaks to something bigger about this show –
about a woman in a man’s world. But at the same time, Isla is
powerful in her own way, right? She’s powerful 95% of the time
just being herself and standing up for herself. And then the fun
flourishes are maybe using a movie reference to illustrate a
point,” says Stassen. 


 


To hear more about Running Point and Stassen’s advice to TV
writers, listen to the podcast.