Dwayne Johnson Is Making Noise On Netflix With A 2015 HBO Series Coming Back To Life
Before he became fixated on being a superhero in the now-defunct DCEU, Dwayne Johnson was starring in his own HBO comedy drama. Few would admit to loving the comfort food comedy that was "Ballers," but during its five-year run on HBO, the show gave Johnson a chance to showcase a side of himself that fans hadn't really seen prior. His character Spencer Strasmore was not the typical action hero many think of when they think of Johnson's on-screen career. A retired NFL player turned financial manager and mentor to younger players, Strasmore would often make mistakes and certainly didn't have all the answers, allowing Johnson to demonstrate some real range.
That's significant considering the wrestler-turned-actor is pretty much viewed exclusively as an action star and Instagram personality — the most famous influencer in the world, if you will. But in "Ballers," the actor portrayed a former athlete with a rugged determination to succeed. That wasn't too far removed from Johnson's own experiences and personality, which he clearly used to inform his performance.
In 2019, "Ballers" ended its fifth and final season on an uplifting note, as you might expect from a Dwayne Johnson project. At the time, the star took to Instagram (of course) to strike a similarly upbeat tone by thanking viewers and reiterating that "Ballers" was HBO's "highest rated comedy for years." And now it seems his optimistic outlook has been vindicated, as "Ballers" has been rediscovered by the Netflix crowd.
Ballers is back
According to FlixPatrol, a site that aggregates Netflix data to determine what people are watching around the globe, "Ballers" has proven quite the hit since it emerged on the streaming service, consistently charting in the top 10 in multiple countries around the world since it debuted on the streamer.
And on Netflix's official top 10 site, "Ballers" season 1 sits at the number three spot on the global TV chart for the week of August 14 to August 20, 2023. According to the site, the show's first season was in the top 10 for TV in 35 countries around the world, while its second season managed to hit the charts in 20 countries. Of course, you can also watch "Ballers" on MAX, HBO's streaming home. But its debut on Netflix is significant due to it being made available to a much bigger user base.
The Netflix effect, whereby a previously overlooked film or TV show is suddenly propelled into the popular consciousness after hitting the service, has led to some interesting and often bizarre resurgences. The Michael Fassbender-led flop that was "The Snowman" recently enjoyed a revival thanks to its arrival on Netflix, while the service also managed to breathe new life into the actually pretty okay David Ayer movie "Street Kings." But unlike "The Snowman," "Ballers" is deserving of a second look, especially if you want to remind yourself why Dwayne Johnson was so likable before he started insisting his "Black Adam" movie was a mega hit when it very clearly wasn't.