Clipped Review: FX’s Needless NBA Docudrama Only Skims The Donald Sterling Scandal Headlines

The six-part FX limited series Clipped takes many shots but hardly scores. Featuring a strong ensemble led by Laurence Fishburne, Jacki Weaver, and Ed O’Neill, Clipped had a talented roster that, similar to the 2013-2014 Los Angeles Clippers team chronicled in the series, had more potential than its final result would imply. While the star of the show is a completely transformed O’Neill as the abhorrent Donald Sterling, whose leaked racist comments resulted in a lifetime ban from the NBA, his mysterious personal assistant and self-proclaimed “silly rabbit” V. Stiviano steals the spotlight in bizarre yet true ways.

With the controversy still relatively fresh, Clipped is an interesting choice for a “period piece,” although its deeply American themes of celebrity and race are even more relevant today. O’Neill’s Sterling is clearly meant to be hated, while Stiviano and former Clippers co-owner Shelly Sterling are portrayed with more moral ambiguity despite both being direct victims of Sterling’s borderline delusional authoritarian treachery. Fishburne’s rendition of Doc Rivers – who is still chasing his second NBA Championship – is affirmed by calm confidence, while the obvious actors in NBA jerseys are far less convincing.

Clipped Is A Dull Dramatization Of A Stranger Than Fiction Story

The story would have been better told as a docuseries or movie

Clipped is more of a basketball-themed series than it is a true sports show. Compared to HBO’s tragically canceled Winning Time, Clipped lacks a convincing sense of basketball awareness and fandom, which is evident from some of its laughable casting choices. For a series whose title is a pun of an NBA organization, it hardly seems interested in the personnel of the Clippers’ management and operations teams, let alone its star players. Apart from Kelly AuCoin’s Andy annoyingly falling on Donald’s sword and a few filler lines from Mad Men alum Rich Sommer, the Clippers’ front office feels like an afterthought.

The events of Clipped happened ten years ago, which doesn’t feel like enough time to justify a thinly spread docudrama. Rivers is still coaching, many of the players are still in the league, and the NBA has completely moved on from the controversy under Adam Silver, who remains commissioner. Newly appointed Lakers coach JJ Reddick spoke about the series on his podcast “The Old Man and the Three”, saying he stopped watching after one episode because he “couldn’t get emotionally invested.” The mischaracterization of the NBA players in Clipped undermines its integrity, despite keeping its facts straight from the headlines.

Clipped Regurgitates Shocking Headlines Without Offering Much Development

The selective blend of fact and fiction makes the murky scandal even murkier

The plot of Clipped is guided mostly by headlines propelled by the bizarre and brief celebrity of V. Stiviano. Much like the tabloids that caused a frenzy over her attention-seeking antics in 2014, Clipped inflates Stiviano’s significance and nearly casts her as a social justice hero. It makes parts of her murky true story murkier, showing Stiviano recording Sterling’s racist comments in secret, which is against the law in California, although her real-life lawyers claimed that Donald was fully aware he was being recorded. The series also hesitates to paint clarity on Shelly’s dilemma, using her as Donald’s victim and accomplice depending on the circumstances.

Clipped regurgitates shocking headlines but fails to recreate their initial impact. Most of the odd stunts pulled by Stiviano are factual, including the visor, the rollerblades, and even the turtle. She was also assaulted in a hate crime that was dramatized in Clipped’s final episode, which would’ve been completely random if it weren’t true. This, however, ends up being the Achilles heel of the series, checking off every major headline without adding anything. While the dramatization gets a pass for blending reality and fiction, what’s the point of revisiting a narrative without updating, clarifying, or taking advantage of a decade’s worth of hindsight?

Clipped works best through the eyes of Fishburne’s Rivers as he grapples with his role as the face of an organization with deeply systemic issues. His connection to his players proves to be integral and paramount, while his conversations on race and legacy with icons such as LeVar Burton and NBA legend Elgin Baylor are the best evidence of the series’ exigence.

As a true story, the Donald Sterling scandal offers a crucial and relevant discourse on privilege, oppression, wealth, and power in America. As a narrative series, Clipped is misguided by loose direction and adherence to headlines over story hooks, resulting in a mostly flat product lacking in palpable stakes and tension.

All 6 episodes of Clipped are now available to stream on Hulu.

“Clipped” takes viewers inside the Los Angeles Clippers’ organization during one of its most controversial periods. The series follows Coach Doc Rivers, portrayed by Laurence Fishburne, as he navigates the fallout from owner Donald Sterling’s racist remarks. The scandal, captured on tape and broadcast globally, sparks a fierce power struggle involving Sterling, his wife Shelly, and his ambitious assistant V. Stiviano. As Rivers works to keep his team united and focused on winning, the show explores the broader implications of Sterling’s actions and the quest for accountability and change within the sports world.

Pros

• Laurence Fishburne’s character arc is the most intriguing

Cons

• Clipped follows the headlines without digging any deeper
• The story itself is not executed in a thrilling way; it’s dull