Running Point Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot,” is a quintessential pilot with potential and a few rough edges. The episode, directed by James Ponsoldt, is a lot like The Waves in that sense. Thankfully, this show is not a lot like Ted Lasso. The shows can’t be more different. Whether it’s their tones or their central characters (Ted and Isla, respectively), they are, thankfully, two fundamentally divergent sports comedies. As it turns out, it’s for the best that there are multiple takes on the same subgenre. Admittedly, Running Point’s first outing is laden with exposition, but an exciting turn by the episode’s end helps it emerge from that pattern. Mostly, there’s a charm in the show finding its way while Isla Gordon does.
MORE: Check out more sports entertainment premiering in February here.
Meet Isla Gordon (and Her Brothers)
The “Pilot” spends most of its runtime explaining the Gordon family dynamics, hinging on the men of the family and Isla’s place among them. Though he has significantly less screen time in this episode, Justin Theroux eats up every second he gets as Isla’s older brother, Cam. He has some of the best line readings of the episode – transcribing them does them no justice. Otherwise, Running Point mainly gets to know Scott MacArthur’s Ness and Drew Tarver’s Sandy through Isla’s voiceover and quick exchanges when she’s not around.
The family’s late patriarch looms large, especially in a parallel that lingers between Isla and basketball – a door slamming in her face. Therefore, even though it is a bit gratuitous, it’s exciting for Isla to say that Running Point is about her, not her brothers, in the opening voiceover. It’s 2025, and it’s still rare to see women lead scripted sports TV shows. In the world of Running Point, it’s also rare for a woman to lead even a fictional franchise. Brenda Song’s Ali, who hopefully gets more to do than amplify Isla soon, makes that hard and sexist truth abundantly clear mere seconds after Isla takes the job.
MORE: Do you want more Running Point? Watch the show’s trailer here!
Are The LA Waves Crashing?
Despite public and private hesitation to any new leadership, the “Pilot” showcases that The Waves need change. Isla has been aware of the team’s shooting problems since 1995, and nothing has changed. Isla offers that in more ways than one, but she still has a lot to prove to the people – primarily men – around her. Running Point also finds an interesting angle in Isla’s belief in herself. It realistically ebbs – when she is at her lowest and Cam offers her a job – and flows – when she pulls off a fast-paced trade that may save the franchise.
Ultimately, the team needs all the help it can get – on the court and in Running Point. The “Pilot” only (barely) introduces Chet Hanks’s Travis Bugg and Toby Sandeman’s Marcus Winfield, who are all (very different) egos. Travis is rather unlikable but finds a saving grace in Isla, who sees similarities in their behavior. Otherwise, the team is a bit nebulous. Running Point gets a little more from Jay Ellis’s Jay Brown, The Waves’s head coach. It’s unfortunate that the team doesn’t take at least slightly more shape before the show introduces another character.
MORE: Read the latest on the Boston Celtics docuseries coming to Apple TV+.
A New Era for the Waves
Then again, Uche Agada’s Dyson Gibbs immediately adds a new, necessary energy to The Waves in just a few seconds of screen time. His addition from the developmental league is one addition to the team’s new era, but he’s far from the last. Running Point pulls off the fun device of revealing a twist to the audience but not the other characters. Jackie, still grieving his mother, learns that his biological father is also dead. Then, the “Pilot” compounds all that with his father being the owner of the Los Angeles Waves – the team Jackie loves so much that he takes a vending job at the franchise. It’s a lot, but it works.
Besides Isla, Fabrizio Guido’s Jackie Moreno is the most three-dimensional character in this first episode. He has significantly less screen time than Isla, but Running Point conveys a lot in that time. He loves the team with a magnitude that rivals the Gordons, and he has a connection to Isla through her work as the franchise’s charity coordinator. Thankfully, the show doesn’t underplay the significance of that department. Instead, it uses it to connect Isla and Jackie through basketball. It’s effective, as is the cliffhanger that Jackie is a part of the family business. The Los Angeles Waves are certainly changing now!
MORE: You can learn more about the creative team behind Running Point here.
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What did you think of Running Point Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot?” Let us know in the comments below!
Running Point Season 1 is streaming on Netflix now.
