FX’s newest venture into headline-grabbing true stories is the upcoming limited series, Clipped. The six-part series revolving around the notorious NBA team, the LA Clippers, just released a trailer for one of the most infamous times in their history. Starring Laurence Fishburne as Head Coach Doc Rivers, the series depicts the controversy revolving around owner Donald Sterling’s (Ed O’Neill) racism in 2013. A detailed press release for the series explains the context of these events.
“FX’s Clipped takes you behind the scenes of a notorious NBA owner’s racist remarks, captured on a tape heard around the world. Based on the hit ESPN 30 for 30 podcast ‘The Sterling Affairs,’ this limited series charts the collision between a dysfunctional basketball organization and even less functional marriage, and the precipitating tape’s impact on an ensemble of characters striving to win against the backdrop of the most cursed team in the league.”
As depicted in the trailer, this series has many moving parts. Rivers initially accepts the position as Head Coach with the motivation of elevating the worst team in the league to a Championship. This pressure is further complicated by Sterling’s messy personal life. While estranged from his wife, Shelly (Jacki Weaver), he pursues a relationship with his personal assistant V (Cleopatra Coleman), who has aspirations of her own. This dynamic culminates in V recording Sterling telling her to not “bring Black people to my games.” In the series, as in real life, this causes a scandal of epic proportions.
The ‘Clipped’ Trailer Delves Into Race Relations In Basketball
While Sterling was known for this racist rhetoric for decades, the recording of such inflammatory remarks put a fine point on just what he was allowed to get away with. The trailer shows Sterling giving season ticket holders access to the players in their private moments in the locker room, treating them like they are pieces of meat. Rivers attempts to protect the players, pushing back against the sense of ownership Sterling has over the people on the team.
“I’m used to a certain amount of people acting frickin’ normal,” Rivers growls in the trailer.
Race becomes a pressing issue as the trailer focuses on the players’ perspectives as well. Many of the team members vocalize their hatred for Sterling, with one stating his devastation about having to explain to his children how he can work for someone so reprehensible. This scandal also affects Rivers, who Sterling also tries to exert control over. As the owner of the team tries to claim that Rivers is also his property, the great scene stealer retorts: “You’re not my owner!”
Stories like these resonate particularly because they continue to be topical. Though it is over a decade after the news broke, these themes still affect the world at large. FX has a brand of telling heightened stories that take place in the past of pop culture, but Clipped may be one of the most relevant. Formerly advertised as The Sterling Affairs, the series premieres on Hulu, on June 4.
via Collider