A new sitcom about the ‘Jewish Jordan’ starring Steph Curry is now streaming on Peacock – Kveller

When I first saw the trailer for “Mr. Throwback,” I thought it was a fever dream. A mockumentary-style sitcom starring NBA legend Steph Curry, with Adam Pally as a Jewish (I assume) basketball player named Danny Grossman, who Curry looked up to growing up? It was like one of those videos you watch on your phone in the morning between going to sleep and waking up, and you’re not 100% sure if it’s real or not.

But “Mr. Throwback,” directed by “Wet Hot American Summer” director David Wain, is a real show, with six episodes, all of which are now streaming on Peacock. I should have known it was real. Adam Pally’s project before “Mr. Throwback” was playing a Jewish cop and wrestler in “Knuckles,” a Paramount+ “Sonic the Hedgehog” spinoff that gave us one of the wildest (and oddly delightful) episodes of Shabbat TV I’ve ever seen — featuring gefilte fish, Idris Elba, challah, Stockard Channing, “Pretty Woman” and menorah fight scenes. So a sitcom starring Steph Curry in which Pally’s character was once the better basketball player of the two is, I suppose, the least hallucinatory project by comparison.

Pally’s character is indeed Jewish on “Mr. Throwback.” He’s a celebrated high school basketball player once known as “the Jewish Jordan.” And Steph Curry, while not Jewish, does have an affinity for Hebrew tattoos and names, so in a way he’s an honorary member of the tribe. But you won’t find any Jewish celebrations or Shabbat dinners on this show; Grossman’s Jewish identity is mostly an aside, one that’s subtly referenced in random “Borat” jokes and stray “mazel tovs.” That may be because Grossman’s character, along with his father, Mitch Grossman, played by Pulitzer-winning playwright and legendary actor Tracy Letts (“Homeland,” “Divorce”), are both con artists, and I think making them too Jewish would rely on some creepy Jewish stereotypes and conspiracy theories that we’re not all that excited about at the moment.

On the show, Mitch was Steph and Danny’s coach, the best coach Curry ever had, in his opinion (Steve Kerr gets a little dejected when he discovers the crew is filming a documentary about Steph’s life, whose work is derailed when Danny Grossman hijacks the story). Mitch was a great coach, but not a great father, according to Danny: “My dad made Earl Woods look like Elle Woods.” But throwing kids on the court (literally!) and hyped up his son for ad campaigns (Danny became the youngest Wheaties cover boy, who may or may not be a little Jewish) weren’t the worst of it: Mitch made his son lie about his age, which derailed his entire basketball career and his friendship with Curry and Kim, played by SNL cast member Ego Nwodim, their classmate and Steph’s manager.

Danny becomes the owner of a vintage shop and memorabilia dealer. When we meet him, he’s long been estranged from his father and divorced, and shares custody of his daughter Charlie, played by Layla Scalisi. When he gets in trouble with the Polish mafia, he goes to the one person whose shirt he knows will help him pay off his debts. But when he reconnects with Curry and Kim, he discovers that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree—at least not when it comes to the ability to pull off long-winded scams.

Is “Mr. Throwback” a “Succession”-level masterpiece? No, but I don’t think it’s trying to be an arthouse comedy show, just a genuinely winning and enjoyable sitcom — and it absolutely is. Pally is always a brilliant sitcom actor, with great comedic timing and acting skills to match, and Ngowin is equally talented. Curry may not be as natural an actor as the other two, but the Golden State Warriors star and Olympic gold medalist is probably the most charming human being in America. He’s incredibly funny and affable on the show, and he doesn’t take himself seriously at all. Letts’ performance is entertaining, disturbing and surprisingly touching in equal measure, and the cast is rounded out by the terrific Ayden Mayeri (“The Afterparty,” “I Love You For That”) as Sam, Danny’s ex-wife who also gets sucked into his plans, and Rich Sommer (“GLOW,” “In the Dark”) as the overly serious Dr. Josh proclaiming, “I’ve been one of the top thought leaders in the preventative wellness space for over six months.” Tien Tran is also pretty great as Lucy, the director of the aforementioned documentary. Add in random cameos from people like Jay Leno, Evan Funke, and Nick Kroll (who’s called upon to host a charity event when Andy Samberg isn’t available) and this show is chock full of fun and funny faces.

“Mr. Throwback” is truly laugh-out-loud funny. I mean that literally, and that surprised me — I’m not usually one to laugh out loud when I watch TV, but I found myself giggling out loud more than once. The jokes don’t always land, but they’re fun and bold. David Caspe, Matthew Libman and Daniel Libman, who worked with Pally on “Happy Endings,” all serve as writers and executive producers, and along with Wain, you can definitely tell that “Mr. Throwback” is helmed by comedy veterans.

Perhaps most surprisingly, though not considering Curry is the driving force behind this show and its creators’ body of work, this show is full of heart. In fact, after watching the finale, I’d argue that at its core, it’s a show about a Jewish father and son finding each other and themselves. Despite being petty (or maybe not so petty, there’s $11 million on the line in one of their scams) con artists, “Mr. Throwback” shows two Jewish men being vulnerable and putting their family and authenticity first, which isn’t a bad Jewish representation at all. Curry has hinted that there might be more Danny and Steph shenanigans to come, and I would definitely appreciate being thrown back into the world of “Mr. Throwback” for another season.

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