Lauria believes Netflix' "After Life" may be Ricky Gervais' best work to dateLOU LAURIA
This week, THE DAILY caught up with Special Olympics Chief of Sport & Competition LOU LAURIA to break down what's on his watch list. Some responses have been edited for clarity and brevity:
- Now seemed like a great time to go back and search for great sports stories that needed to be revisited or were overlooked. “THE GOLDEN GENERATION” has a lot of great content and original programming like this look at the Argentinian men’s basketball team and their Athens 2004 Olympic Gold Medal run. MANU GINOBILI led them past the U.S. squad led by ALLEN IVERSON and TIM DUNCAN in the semis. You see this in sport from time to time and it is always great to see a team step up and have their moment.
- I also have been mixing in some comedy (while it still exists as an art form), including “AFTER LIFE,” RICKY GERVAIS’ dark comedy about a young widower dealing with loss, grieving and mental health issues. These are tough themes to work into a comedy in a meaningful way. I think the supporting character development is what makes Gervais’ work exceptional and this may be his best to date.
- Many Americans were fixated on cycling when LANCE ARMSTRONG raced in the Tour de France but they largely have gone back to their pre-Lance levels of interest in the sport. “THE LEAST EXPECTED DAY” is a fascinating look inside the Movistar team and their 2019 season and what it means to be on a team, in a sport where the casual observer does not recognize it as a team sport. If you have ever used a wheel for transportation, you need to watch this.
- “BROCKMIRE” flies a bit below the radar, but HANK AZARIA is a star and the writing is outstanding. Azaria plays an MLB broadcaster who blows up his career and winds up a completely loveable degenerate in the minors trying to work his way back. IFC network has a strong track record of great shows like this.
- DAVID ATTENBOROUGH is an absolute legend and I have seen most of what he has done, including “CHARLES DARWIN AND THE TREE OF LIFE.” Let’s face it: It is 2020 and seemingly a good time to revisit evolution. If only there was a way we could gently bang on the side of the planet and get evolution unstuck…
Interested in sharing your binge-watching favorites with the industry? Contact Andrew Levin at alevin@sportsbusinessdaily.com.
