What to stream this week: Surprise, LeBron James isn't king of Netflix's 'Court of Gold'
Everyone is likely wrapped up in any number of compelling streaming choices that debuted after the holiday season. New high-profile streaming options aren't conspicuous with their presence this week. There are, however, a couple of entries from last week that deserve some attention, including a docuseries about Olympic hoop dreams with a local connection.
Streaming on Netflix
It might seem strange to local viewers that LeBron James isn't front and center in the Netflix docuseries 'Court of Gold,' which chronicles the quest for the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
After all, James was named the tournament MVP for averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.3 steals in six tournament games in Team USA wins.
Netflix is a global business, streaming in more than 190 countries, and with basketball being the most popular sport exported worldwide, the docuseries emphasizes this global reach by offering an in-depth look at the game from a global perspective.
It's a smart choice because there are tons of interesting storylines on the global stage and 'Court of Gold' explores them in depth.
The general perspective over its six-episodes: USA basketball remains king for now – especially after the Paris Olympics – but the rest of the world is catching up quickly.
The filmmakers construct a narrative from that viewpoint and do so through the current dominant international organizations in the sport – the United States, Canada, France and Serbia.
While the U.S. team is stocked with stars – so many of them that they all couldn't find a role on the team so they could get on the court during games those other teams have NBA stars of their own. Canada has at least four NBA players that includes current MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma Thunder.
For Serbia: there's three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic. And lastly, the French team had Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum.
That provides evidence that basketball is indeed a truly international sport and all of these teams in this series receive some shine. The beauty of the entire series: it reveals camaraderie on and off the court along with the tense locker room moments that are to be expected in competitive sports.
Streaming on Disney+
I'm old enough to remember when the release of any Pixar project came with significant amounts of hype – especially a Pixar 'first.' That's why it's surprising that the prestigious animation studio and Disney subsidiary's release of 'Win or Lose' hasn't been met with the requisite fanfare. Though it was not without controversy.
That's a downer when considering the show, which debuted on Disney+ recently, represents the best of the studio and is reminiscent of the recent 'Inside Out 2' in that it takes animation, deals with complex emotions and explores them with sensitivity and humor.
Disney+ dropped the first two episodes that explores the lives of eight characters linked to a softball team that is set to play in the league championship game in a week. The first features Laurie, a tween who is dealing with confidence issues on the field and off. The second concerns the game's umpire Frank, who, despite being considered excellent at his hobby as a game official, can't seem to get his personal life in order due to myriad issues. The most prominent: being introverted.
In case you missed: 'Reacher' is indeed back and in fine form on Prime Video…Bridget Jones has returned in 'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy' on Peacock. And, yes, 'The White Lotus' is doing a slow burn toward something compelling.
George M. Thomas dabbles in television and movies for the Beacon Journal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Streaming this week: 'Court of Gold' on Netflix, 'Win or Lose'
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