Netflix’s 2-Part Sports Series With Strong Rotten Tomatoes Score Keeps Getting Better And Better

Netflix has become synonymous with producing some of the best TV shows on any streaming platform, and its impeccable two-part sports comedy is proof of that. Backed by strong critical reception, Netflix's latest returning comedy series builds on its solid first season, improving with every episode.

The newest installment of Running Point, which stars Kate Hudson as fashionable basketball franchise president Isla Gordon, has become an acclaimed success and a hit with audiences. Running Point season 2 has a Rotten Tomatoes critics' score of 90%, a real improvement over season 1's 79% Tomatometer score, and more than a week after its release, it's still on Netflix's global Top 10 TV shows chart. Reviewers agree that the Netflix comedy is genuinely fun, with ScreenRant's Cher Thompson praising Kate Hudson’s performance in season 2 as "phenomenal."

There's a reason Running Point has improved so much in season 2. It's the type of comedy that grows and learns from its weaknesses. Running Point season 1 was a stress-free watch, a light-hearted introduction to the hectic and privileged world of professional basketball. The sophomore season takes a similar approach but also adds a little extra depth, proving that sitcoms need honesty and a strong emotional foundation to better themselves.

Netflix's Running Point Is Even Better In Season 2

While Running Point's premiere season introduced a layered story with flawed yet endlessly funny characters, the second season expands the show's core concept, developing established characters and giving them new dynamics to play with.

In Running Point season 2, a sharper focus is placed on the personal and professional relationships of its characters. For instance, instead of depicting Ali (Brenda Song) simply as Isla’s right-hand woman and best friend, the latest season ensures she's also seen as a character with her own needs and dreams, ones that aren’t directly related to her relationship with Isla.

Isla herself has also become more introspective in the sophomore season of Mindy Kaling's co-created Netflix series. She is as selfish as ever and prefers winning to everything else, but there’s also a touch of softness to her in this season that makes her endearing. She wants to become a better person, even if it'll take a while to get there.

Aside from enhancing its most important characters, Running Point season 2 is also pure comedic gold. It relies on the trusted family dysfunction trope for its humor, as the Gordon family siblings continue to cause chaos in each other's and their own lives. The second season also includes compelling new characters like the unhinged Al (Ken Marino) and Ray Romano's lonely and witty coach, Norm, both of whom will probably have bigger roles in the show’s next season, should it be renewed.

Ultimately, Running Point season 2 is genuinely funny. It's also warm, features cute romantic stories, and has enough character arcs to keep it fresh and make it deeper than audiences have come to expect from similar sports-centric sitcoms.

Running Point Is TV's Best Sports Comedy Right Now

Running Point has easily established itself as one of the best modern sports sitcoms. What makes the series excel where others in the genre have failed is its balance of the traditional workplace sitcom structure with the high-stakes world of the NBA. Running Point is as much about basketball as it is about the business of running a professional team — especially as a woman in a male-dominated field — and the politics and chaos within the industry.

The Gordon siblings anchor the story, and they're at the core of why Running Point works. The series heavily leans on its dysfunctional family dynamic. Isla is the overlooked child. Ness (Scott Macarthur) is a loving but undeniable mess. Sandy (Drew Tarver) is too uptight. Cam (Justin Theroux) is the "bad boy," and newfound brother Jackie (Fabrizio Guido) only wants everyone to like him. These siblings shouldn't get along, but they (mostly) do, and that's what makes them so special. Their clashing personalities make the show's comedic elements relatable and accessible while also providing the show's much-needed emotional relationships.

Running Point fully embraces the strange and stressful world of professional basketball while remembering that it is, above all, a show about a messy family and what it means to them to win — both on and off the court.