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PODCAST

Binge Sesh

Los Angeles Times

In Season 1 of "Binge Sesh," co-hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox pull back the curtain on HBO"s "Winning Time" series about the L.A. Lakers of the 1980s, one of sports" most unforgettable dynasties. Every week, we bring you stories from the locker room, the soundstage, and the L.A. Times archives as we explore how "Showtime" transformed the NBA — and American culture.

tv & film after shows

All Episodes

00:08:21

Introducing: Pandora’s Box: The Fall of L.A.’s Sheriff

Binge Sesh ·

2025/09/09

Pandora’s Box: The Fall of L.A.’s Sheriff is a six-part true crime investigation from the Los Angeles Times about one of the biggest law enforcement scandals in U.S. history.Follow Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter Christopher Goffard as he uncovers how Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, once hailed as a reformer, became entangled in a shocking cover-up inside the nation’s largest jail system. From FBI informants and jailhouse brutality to corruption at the highest levels, this series reveals how

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00:10:42

Introducing: L.A. Crimes

Binge Sesh ·

2025/05/21

Please enjoy a featured clip of L.A. Times Studio's latest production, L.A. Crimes. On this episode, Madison McGhee is joined by legendary Dateline host Josh Mankiewicz and esteemed L.A. Times Reporter Richard Winton as the three of them dive into all-things Menendez Brothers, the good, the bad, and the still unknown. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

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00:32:05

Introducing, Boiling Point: Climate Change Is No...

Binge Sesh ·

2025/03/19

Introducing a new podcast from LA Times Studios and award-winning L.A. Times columnist Sammy Roth, Boiling Point, where Sammy breaks down the many complexities of today's climate challenges and solutions with top experts in the field. In this episode comedian Esteban Gast talks with Sammy about using humor to alleviate climate anxiety, while making clean energy and other environmental solutions more interesting — and even fun. From punchlines to policy, they explore laughter as a powerful tool for

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00:08:00

Introducing "Foretold"

Binge Sesh ·

2023/05/15

"Foretold" is the newest podcast from the L.A. Times, and we're sharing a preview of the first episode with you here today. In the fall of 2019, reporter Faith E. Pinho received a tip from a woman named Paulina Stevens. Paulina claimed she had grown up in an insular Romani community in California, where she was raised to be a wife, mother and fortuneteller — until she decided to break away. That first call unraveled a story spanning multiple continents, hundreds of years, and complex metaphysical

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00:34:58

The show must go on | 'Winning Time'

Binge Sesh ·

2022/05/09

All good things must come to an end. Including basketball dynasties (and podcast seasons).In the season finale of “Binge Sesh,” hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox examine the lasting effects of the Showtime-era Lakers by looking at what came after. From David Stern and the Olympics Dream Team to ESPN and the Chicago Bulls, we discuss how the NBA attained a new level of prominence in the 1990s and explain how the team of the 1980s made it possible.For the podcast transcript, real-life photos and

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00:25:10

How to survive a plague | 'Winning Time'

Binge Sesh ·

2022/05/02

At a time when HIV was still seen as a death sentence, Magic Johnson shocked the world by announcing he was infected. But the bigger shock may have been what happened next.In this episode of “Binge Sesh,” hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox explore the defining moment that opens HBO’s “Winning Time”: Magic Johnson’s 1991 diagnosis with HIV. With help from experts and Johnson’s fans, we reflect on the announcement’s seismic impact and explore how it changed the face of the disease at the height of

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00:25:59

Life during wartime | 'Winning Time'

Binge Sesh ·

2022/04/25

What does it mean to say the NBA had a drug problem in the 1970s and 1980s?In this episode of "Binge Sesh," hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox examine recreational drug use in professional basketball in the Showtime era. Zooming in on the depiction of Spencer Haywood in HBO's "Winning Time" and zooming out to the U.S. government's war on drugs, we deconstruct the rhetoric — from politicians, the press, even players — that shaped perceptions of the NBA and explain how systemic racism turned a

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00:25:44

Brought to you by ... | 'Winning Time'

Binge Sesh ·

2022/04/18

Sure, the best professional athletes pull in salaries to match. But to find the real money in sports, you need to look someplace else: endorsements. In this episode of "Binge Sesh," hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox draw inspiration from Nike cofounder Phil Knight's pursuit of Magic Johnson in "Winning Time." With help from the HBO series' executive producer Rodney Barnes and industry insiders, we explore the origin, development and explosion of athlete endorsement deals, from a $6.6-million

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00:22:04

A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum |...

Binge Sesh ·

2022/04/11

The Laker Girls. The Forum Club. Celebrities sitting courtside. The beating heart of Showtime-era Los Angeles was the "Fabulous Forum."In this episode of "Binge Sesh," hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox dive into the history of the Lakers' longtime home. We look back on the Forum's construction in the 1960s, its heyday under Lakers owner Jerry Buss and Forum general manager Claire Rothman, and the team's move to the Staples Center to understand how a sports arena became the perfect symbol of 20th

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00:28:00

All about Kareem | 'Winning Time'

Binge Sesh ·

2022/04/04

There may be no figure in Lakers history more misunderstood than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And "Winning Time" tries to correct, or at least complicate, the record.In this episode of "Binge Sesh," hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox discuss the perception and reality of the NBA's all-time leading point scorer. With insights from an array of special guests — including Solomon Hughes, who plays the Lakers legend in HBO's drama series — we look back over Abdul-Jabbar's career as a star center and civil

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00:24:30

Dr. B & the women | 'Winning Time'

Binge Sesh ·

2022/03/28

In the male-dominated world of the Showtime Lakers, two women emerged as key figures: Jeanie Buss, daughter of and successor to team owner Jerry Buss, and her mentor Claire Rothman, the Forum's general manager and vice president. In this episode of "Binge Sesh," hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox examine "Winning Time's" depiction of women, with the help of actor Gaby Hoffmann, who plays Rothman, and Rebecca Bertuch, a writer for the HBO drama. Sifting through what's fact, what's fiction and

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00:30:23

All my coaches | 'Winning Time'

Binge Sesh ·

2022/03/21

Before Pat Riley led the Showtime Lakers to four NBA championships — and became a celebrity in his own right — the team went through enough coaching drama to fuel a soap opera.In this episode of "Binge Sesh," hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox bring you the backstories of four key players in HBO's "Winning Time," each of whom served as head coach of Lakers in the four years at the start of the Showtime era: Jerry West, Jack McKinney, Paul Westhead and Pat Riley. From sudden departures and

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00:24:32

Green monster | 'Winning Time'

Binge Sesh ·

2022/03/14

Every great story needs a villain — and for the Los Angeles Lakers, the biggest bad of all has always been the Boston Celtics.In this episode of “Binge Sesh,” hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox explore the most storied rivalry in NBA history. From Larry Bird to the “Beat L.A.” chant, we examine how the Celtics — embodied in HBO’s “Winning Time” by legendary coach and general manager Red Auerbach — came to be the Lakers’ quintessential opponent, for reasons that went way beyond the basketball

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00:25:18

When Jerry met Magic | 'Winning Time'

Binge Sesh ·

2022/03/07

In the summer of 1979, as President Jimmy Carter lamented an American “crisis of confidence” and the NBA worried over declining attendance and TV ratings, two visionaries — rookie point guard Magic Johnson and new L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss — forged a marriage made in basketball heaven. In the series premiere of “Binge Sesh,” author Jeff Pearlman joins hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox to discuss how a generational talent and a born salesman came together to create the Showtime Lakers, the

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00:02:04

Binge Sesh Season 1 Trailer

Binge Sesh ·

2022/03/01

The Los Angeles Times takes the companion podcast to the next level. Hear the real-life stories behind the most talked-about TV shows of the moment, on and off the set. Each season, we go deep on one TV series, digging into the history, culture, politics and people lighting up the small screen and answer your burning questions, from "How did they do that?" to "Did that really happen?" This season, co-hosts Matt Brennan and Kareem Maddox pull back the curtain on HBO's "Winning Time" series about the

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15 results

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