HBO has two notable sports shows hosted by two legendary Baby Boomer newscasters: 73-year-old Bryant Gumbel and 69-year-old Bob Costas.
But the network is aiming for a younger audience with 40-year-old Clark Atlanta University graduate and ESPN veteran Bomani Jones. His show “Game Theory” debuts Sunday night at 11:30 p.m. right after “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.”
“This show is not really going to have much in common with what Bryant and Bob are doing,” Jones said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “This show will be powered more by my opinions and how to bring those opinions into a third dimension. It will have a different life and energy.”
He will explore broader socio-economic issues through the lens of sports, taking a deeper dive that will complement Oliver. For instance, he may argue why he thinks the NFL draft should be abolished. He’ll also likely tackle events that fall on the calendar of his shows like March Madness and the Masters.
The debut episode Sunday will feature an interview with his fellow ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith and a deep dive into the legacy of Duke University head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and his impending retirement.
The show was actually conceived before Jones arrived and they initially sought a comic. “I’m not a comedian, but there will be a lot of comedy elements in the show,” he said. “It will be something totally different from anything I’ve dealt with before.”
He has spent many years at ESPN, co-hosting shows like “Highly Questionable” and “High Noon” as well as a podcast “The Right Time with Bomani Jones.” Most of what he’s done on ESPN has been off the cuff without a huge amount of planning and more focused on specific games or situations.
“This time we’ve been working on things for two months,” Jones said. “I’m not accustomed to this level of perfectionism. I’m more used to the raw energy of something that just happened. I want to maintain some of that energy. It’s an interesting challenge.”
He said the show will still feel timely and topical. Jones will tape the first episode on Saturday for Sunday release. Some in-the-field pieces will be pre-taped.
“Game Theory” has a modest run of six weekly episodes for season one.
“I don’t know what HBO’s intentions are,” he said. “It’s not for me to speak on. I don’t see this as a test run. These are six chances to do a good television show. I don’t approach this any differently than doing a radio show in 2008 or being a freelance writer in 2004. The work ethic and thought behind it is always going to be the same.”
During his most recent ESPN podcast, Jones admitted the episode would be a shameless promotion of “Game Theory,” which had been in the works for a year.
“We wanted to take stuff we do here and put it in 3D” on TV, Jones said on the podcast.
“Bomani runs the show,” said James Davis, who is working on the show. “He is behind every second of this show.”
ON TV
“Game Theory With Bomani Jones”
11:30 p.m. Sundays on HBO starting March 13 with episodes available Monday on HBO Max
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