Invincible creator slams cancellation of “best show of 2023”

Lucy-Jo Finnighan
invincible and winning time

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty has unfortunately been cancelled, leaving one Invincible creator in mourning.

Winning Time, the star-studded period piece that features John C. Reilly, Jason Clarke, Adrien Brody, and Jason Segel, has sadly been cancelled mere moments after its Season 2 finale.

The show’s official synopsis is as follows: “Winning Time: The Rise of the Laker’s Dynasty is a fast-break series about the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of sports’ most revered and dominant dynasties — a team that defined an era, both on and off the court.”

But another show’s creator seems to be just as upset as fans of the series: Robert Kirkman, of Invincible fame.

Robert Kirkman is “throwing tomatoes in HBO’s direction”

While many fans and creatives were upset at the cancellation of Winning Time, Robert Kirkman’s rection arguably takes the cake.

Stating on Twitter, the Invincible creator tagged the show’s network, HBO, while stating “Winning Time was the best show on TV this year. By far. Not even close. Hardest cancellation in recent years. Throwing tomatoes in HBO‘s direction.”

The outrage likely stems from the show being cancelled on a low point in the plot, with the LA Lakers losing to the Boston Celtics at the end of the 1984 season. An additional scene has since been tacked onto that final episode, hinting at other success to come, with the closing title cards explaining the future run that the team goes on.

The crew of winning time have also addressed their loss. Director and executive producer Salli Richardson posted on Instagram last night: “When you give it everything you’ve got, you can have no regrets. I hope you enjoy the last episode of @winningtimehbo I am sure I will do many more hours of TV and hopefully many features in my future, but I can say that at this moment in time, I am most proud of the work we did on this masterful show.” 

Meanwhile, co-creator Max Bernstein wrote on Twitter: “Not the ending that we had in mind. But nothing but gratitude and love.”

To catch up with the first – and last – seasons of Winning Time, head to HBO/Max in the US, or Sky in the UK. For more TV and Movie coverage, head here.

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About The Author

Lucy-Jo is a Movies and TV Writer at Dexerto, and has previously written for Screen Rant and Girls on Tops. After earning a Master's Degree in Film and Literature, Lucy-Jo now loves covering films, TV shows, and anime, especially if it's something by Mike Flanagan, or anything drenched in camp. You can contact her at lucyjo.finnighan@dexerto.com