Netflix's 'Running Point' Is Great, but Jay Ellis Is R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S

I am here to ostensibly write a review of Mindy Kaling’s new sitcom Running Point, which is loosely inspired by Jeanie Buss, the President of the Los Angeles Lakers, who took over the job from her father, Jerry Buss, despite her brothers’ objections—because, you know, she was a woman in a male-dominated league. I don’t know how much the fuck-up brothers played by Justin Theroux, Scott MacArthur, and Drew Tarver in Running Point resemble their real-life counterparts, but I do know that Jerry Buss also allegedly had another son, which is presumably who the fourth brother, Jackie Moreno (Fabrizio Guido), is inspired by.

Jeanie Buss is currently married to former SNL star Jay Mohr. I’m going to assume he has no counterpart here, though Kate Hudson’s character in Running Point is engaged to a doctor played by Max Greenfield, who I choose to believe is actually inspired by the godfather of Mindy Kaling’s children, B.J. Novak. Also, Chet Hanks is in this. He plays a talented but dysfunctional player on the Los Angeles Waves. I assume he was inspired by Chet Hanks.

Anyway—great cast, funny show, and Kaling clearly knows how to craft a hit comedy for Netflix, which is a rarity! This is her follow-up to the incredibly good Never Have I Ever, which ran for four seasons. This one is also co-written by Elaine Ko (Reboot, RIP) and Ike Barinholtz, who I suspect personally inspired the brother played by Scott MacArthur since MacArthur (The Mick) is basically the guy you call if you can’t get Ike Barinholtz. (Also, MacArthur is related to John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur of MacArthur Foundation fame.) And if you can’t get Scott MacArthur, you cast Ike’s brother, Jon Barinholtz. And if you can’t get Ike, Scott, or Jon, you cast Scott’s brother, Hayes MacArthur. And if, for some reason, you can’t even get Hayes MacArthur, you go out and find David Walton, wherever the hell he is these days.

Where was I? Oh right—ostensibly reviewing Running Point, a show that is funny but not laugh-out-loud funny, though it has its moments. Kate Hudson is, frankly, a delight and suggests that maybe more rom-com stars of the aughts should get their own sitcoms, too.

I say “ostensibly” again because what I am really here to do—what all of this preamble has been leading to—is to say: DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN, JAY ELLIS IS A SMOKING HOT MAN.

And yes, yes, I know. Jay Ellis has always been a very handsome person. He was good-looking in Issa Rae’s Insecure. He was good-looking in Top Gun: Maverick. But listen! In Running Point, he’s the coach of the team, a father, and an ex-husband, and there’s something about the miles put on this character that transforms Jay Ellis—the twenty-something cad from Insecure—into an insanely attractive forty-something man in Running Point.

There’s also a love triangle. Kate Hudson’s character is engaged to the perfect man in Max Greenfield’s character—supportive, sensitive, loving—but she’s clearly also a little smitten with Coach Brown. And how could she not be? Have you seen this man? It’s not just how he looks —though obviously, that’s a major factor— it’s the way he carries himself: confident and poised, but also with Good Dad vibes. He is the whole goddamn package.

He’s also a very good reason to watch Running Point—not that there aren’t other reasons. But he is the most handsome reason. And the other stuff—the sharply written comedy, the physical gags, the comedic performances of MacArthur and Drew Tarver, and Kate Hudson’s effortless ability to carry it all—are good reasons, too. Just not as good a reason as Jay Ellis.