Kate Hudson, daughter of veteran Hollywood star Goldie Hawn and musician-actor Bill Hudson, is the heart, soul, and primary focus of Running Point, a 10-episode sports comedy that has just been renewed for a second season on Netflix. 

The lead casting alone may be enough for Running Point - already a top rated show - to continue to recommend itself to a wider audience. Because while the term ‘nepo baby’ is a recently coined one, Hudson has been winning us over with her charm, flawless comic timing, and some memorable dramatic performances for over two decades now. 

She’s back in Running Point as Isla Gordon, a wealthy former wild child who, after being sidelined in business matters all her life, suddenly gets a golden opportunity to prove herself. When her scandal-hit older brother Cam (Justin Theroux) is forced to renounce his title as president of the family-owned Los Angeles Waves basketball team, he unexpectedly picks Isla as his replacement. 

Sometimes, that kind of blunt pep talk is just the push women need to succeed, even off screen! Isla gets busy dealing with sibling rivalry and family tension (she has two more brothers who also work for the company and are understandably not happy with Cam’s decision), the effects work has on her personal life (she’s engaged to a sweet and accommodating doctor, Lev, played by Max Greenfield), and the repercussions, both financial and otherwise, of managing a professional basketball team. 

Running Point doesn’t shy away from dealing with workplace issues like sexism. When Isla first arrives as head honcho, no one takes her seriously, least of all the basketball team she has been appointed to manage. An annoying talk show host reminds Isla of her eventful past instead of focusing on her current work, and you can’t help but roll your eyes. 

Running Point’s comedy, whether delivered via clever one-liners or physical gags, is refreshing. More than once, Isla bangs into a glass door that’s almost invisible - a simple, overused comic tool - but you laugh anyway. 

A mention must be made here of actor Scott MacArthur. He plays Isla’s brother Ness, the only member of the dysfunctional Gordon family who has actually played basketball. Ness has some of the funniest lines on the show. 

We loved how the evolution of both the team and Isla’s family dynamics is weaved into the storyline. These arcs reveal the softer side of her character, like her compassion for a troubled player, Travis Bugg (Chet Hanks), and a growing attachment to the latest member of the Gordon family, a newly discovered step-sibling, Jackie (Fabrizio Guido). Thankfully, the changing relationship between the players themselves and their rising regard for Isla as a leader escapes any cliched treatment on screen. 

Inspired by the real-life story of Jeanie Buss, the president and owner of the Los Angeles Lakers who also serves as an executive producer on the series, Running Point is much more than just a sports comedy. It’s about a woman, viewed as entitled and privileged by the world, showing everyone, including herself, what she’s capable of achieving. 

All the elements of Running Point, including some smart writing, come together almost effortlessly to create a very funny yet empowering watch. You end up rooting for Isla and hoping she proves every critic wrong, just as Kate Hudson has proved, yet again, what a fabulous actress she is. 

When Running Point ended with a not totally unexpected cliffhanger, I thought “You go, girl!” and wondered what to binge-watch while waiting for Season 2.