A six-episode mockumentary on Peacock, “Mr. Throwback,” stars Adam Pally as a sports memorabilia dealer named Danny who, desperate for money, seeks out his old childhood friend-turned-NBA star Steph Curry. The show comes from Pally and David Caspe, the latter of whom created the vastly superior “Happy Endings,” which also starred Pally. But Curry (whose production company is producing the series) is presumably the ringer whose presence will draw curious audiences. Too bad there’s so little here to recommend.
If there’s a reason to watch, it’s Tracy Letts’ performance as Mitch, Danny’s down-and-out father, who gets some funny and meaty moments halfway through the series. Otherwise, the series is a tremendous slog.
Danny carries a legacy of shame rooted in his time as basketball phenom in junior high. He and Curry were coached by Danny’s less-than-supportive dad, who was lying about his son’s age. Turns out the kid was really 14 and not 12 and everything fell apart when the truth was revealed. Mitch remembers being ripped to shreds: “They were saying things to me that I can’t even say on Peacock. This is Peacock, right? Do I get Peacock?” But at least the guy feels somewhat bad for ruining Danny’s life: “No excuses,” he says. “Except I was an addict at the time. Alcohol. Narcotics. Gambling. Pornos.”
Now middle-aged, Danny is divorced, professionally unfulfilled and looking for the kind of fast cash that a game-worn jersey from Curry can get on the open market. So he reconnects with Curry and their mutual childhood friend, the no-nonsense Kimberly (“Saturday Night Live’s” Ego Nwodim), who handles Curry’s business opportunities: “That man’s schedule is a house of cards built on a Jenga tower,” she says of Curry’s commitments. Nwodim is terrific as the woefully under-appreciated badass of the trio.
Danny is forever toggling between sloppy hubris and a golden retriever-like outlook on life, which is how he finds himself lying about his preteen daughter, claiming she has a fatal disease. This is how he garners sympathy and worms his way into Curry’s multimillion-dollar inner circle. The guilt and anxiety that he (and eventually his ex) feels about the inevitable exposure — remember, Danny’s lived through this kind of thing before — is the primary tension driving the first few episodes. And though Danny has been estranged from his father for years, circumstances will conspire for them to reunite, which becomes a tantalizing narrative thread thanks to Letts.
The problems with “Mr. Throwback” are pretty straightforward. The show isn’t funny, or even interesting in an uncomfortable way. Pally has yet to find a role that leverages his talents and charm the way “Happy Endings” did, and Curry is too wooden to make any of his scenes work. (Even so, it’s interesting to see NBA players make inroads in Hollywood in ways other professional athletes just haven’t, including the many projects from LeBron James, as well as Apple TV+’s underwatched “Swagger,” based on the formative experiences of Kevin Durant. Notably, both players are off-camera, which is probably the wise choice.)
Tonally, “Mr. Throwback” is aiming for something like “Entourage” but with sports, mashed up with a boastful but decent-hearted loser typically dreamed up by Danny McBride (“Eastbound and Down,” “The Righteous Gemstones”) but the show never finds its voice or point of view.
Only Letts, plus a couple of Chicago improvisors in David Pasquesi and Brooke Breit, manage to generate real comedy. Now sober, Mitch is part of a performance trio that travels to high schools warning kids about the dangers of drugs, which is as wonderfully absurd as you’d expect. Watching Letts-as-Mitch struggle with a costume is funnier than it should be, but more pointedly there’s an undercurrent of comedic pathos in everything he does. The show is aiming for that across the board, but only Letts really nails it.
“Mr. Throwback” — 2 stars (out of 4)
Where to watch: Peacock
Nina Metz is a Tribune critic.
