HBO boss admits its Showtime Lakers drama wasn't titled "Showtime" to avoid "some marketplace confusion"

The Hollywood Reporter

When news broke three years ago that HBO was developing a TV series based on Jeff Pearlman's 1980s Lakers dynasty book, titled Showtime, the show was referred to as "Showtime." But ultimately HBO settled on Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty as the official title. "I think it’s fair to say there would be some marketplace confusion having a show called 'Showtime' on HBO," HBO and HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys tells The Hollywood Reporter. "The book obviously has it in the title. If there were not a pay cable or streaming platform called Showtime, maybe it was a different conversation. But I will say that 'Winning Time' is a Magic Johnson phrase." ALSO: Bloys says The Last of Us won't premiere in 2022.