REVIEW: ‘Running Point’ Season 2 Plays It Fast And Safe

From writers/Executive Producers Mindy Kaling, Ike Barinholtz, and David Stassen, Running Point Season 2 smoothly transitions the energy, tone, and toxic familial energies from its first season, for better or worse. With new hurdles for Isla Gordon (Kate Hudson) to clear, the latest season gives plenty to hold onto, even when the jokes don’t stick the landing. When the jokes hit, they hit (but whether or not they’ll stand the test of time is a whole other story). However, when the jokes miss the mark, it renders some scenes relatively awkward, which, given the Gordon family’s general penchant for cringe behavior, is entirely on brand. 

Picking up right where Season 1 ended, Running Point Season 2 shows Isla dealing with the surprise reappearance of her eldest brother, Cam (Justin Theroux), who is fresh out of rehab and itching to get back into things. What he didn’t bet on is that Isla, who was expected to screw things up last season as the new President of the Waves, has actually been holding her own. In fact, she did a pretty decent job whipping the scandal-ridden team into shape. And with a new season approaching, she’s determined to make the Waves into a winning team.

That path was never going to be an easy one. From the team’s rapidly growing money problems to Ali Lee’s (Brenda Song) goodwill no longer compensating for her lack of proper compensation, to a selfishly sabotaging brother and a wedding to plan, Isla has her hands full. In the world of basketball, anything can happen, and it does in Running Point Season 2. What further rounds out the chaos are the many celebrity cameos that pop up throughout the season.

Justin Theroux gets more screentime, but doesn’t quite pop in Running Point Season 2.

When it comes to comedy, pop culture references and time-sensitive jokes are a crapshoot. To resonate, they need to be written well. Sadly, for much of Running Point Season 2, the comedy is arguably the weakest part of the series because a decent chunk of the humor is either stuck too deeply into the present or just lands poorly. The most egregious example comes when Ali Lee gets poached to Canada, where the scenes have a blue tint to accentuate the cold, and the Canadian-specific workplace jokes fail to land or find any footing.

This humor is almost a trademark of the series, having carried over from the first to the second season. Heck, we still have COVID jokes cropping up, and despite new strains developing in real life, those jokes are now painfully out of date, proving that centering jokes on timely cultural events will quickly lose steam as the cultural machine shifts gears. Despite the issues, the cast does everything they can to make these jokes work. It’s just not always possible. 

Where the humor finds some life is in the interactions between Isla and her brothers, Sandy Gordon (Drew Tarver) and Ness Gordon (Scott MacArthur). The energy between the siblings is less combative in Running Point Season 2, with Isla having mostly proven herself to the boys (throwing a wrench into Cam’s plans). Yet, what makes them so much fun to watch and generates a lot of laughs is that all the Gordon siblings are chaotic and messy, whether they are separate or together. They are dumpster fires waiting to happen, and it’s a joy to watch.

The team also goes through their fair share of drama in Running Point Season 2.

While Isla, Sandy, and Ness have more camaraderie this season, Cam is the odd one out. This makes sense considering he was in rehab last season. Yet, despite becoming a more prominent character throughout Running Point Season 2, Cam never quite clicks. He’s the square peg being shoved into a triangle-shaped hole in this ensemble. While it can be argued that this is the intention here, as he is now more of an outsider in the Waves due to his prior absence, there is more to give from Justin Theroux as Cam. Perhaps next season can tap into that. 

Of course, there is the drama on the basketball team to contend with, and while there are different scandalous scenarios, none have enough time to really cook before moving on to the next thing. Fresh off his own stint in rehab, Chet Hanks’ Travis Bugg is a little less obnoxious, making his character less one-note compared to last season. Uche Agada gets a lot more screentime, with a storyline that offers a glimpse into a rookie who is skyrocketing to fame super quickly. When the two finally clash in one of the season’s biggest dramas, it is meant to be epic, but could have been pushed much further in scale and blowback.

Isla Gordon is forever a baddie and the one to keep cheering for, even when she messes up.

And that’s the biggest takeaway of Running Point Season 2. It plays it safe. The consistent tone and humor from season to season help with continuity, making this series an easier binge. Yet it doesn’t push as hard as it could on its story points, except for Isla’s balancing act between work and her love life. Instead, with the constant high stakes and little room to breathe, the series finds itself in a rhythmic pattern it can’t quite shake.

It speaks to the strength of Kate Hudson’s Isla Gordon because, regardless of what’s going on in the story, you can’t help but hone in on what she’s doing. Isla Gordon is a mess of a character, and she makes a multitude of mistakes in Running Point Season 2 that will make you cringe and laugh in good measure. But, unlike some characters encountered in this season, she is a fully realized person. That’s what makes some of the formulaic nonsense onscreen worth the trudge.

If you didn’t vibe with its first season, you likely won’t click with Running Point Season 2. The humor is still cringy, and unfortunately, it has the misfortune of occasionally coming across as dated. The characters are all messy, and at times, downright offensive in ways that will either make you laugh or mute them. But ultimately, this series is about family, and when it comes to the chaos and messiness that family brings, Running Point Season 2 has that in spades. That, and Isla Gordon. She’s the one to watch for.

Running Point Season 2 is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.