A.J. Reviews Hello Newmans

(Photo by Famous Birthdays)

At times, I would wake up in the middle of the night and needed to get information in my head. So, I ventured along the internet to find that substance. Then, I came along a web show about a basketball family who had "prodigies" in the game and a father that was spearheading a movement with their so-called grapple hold of the game.

After reading this paragraph, you are probably saying, "A.J, you obviously watched Ball In The Family." Oh no, there is actually another show with a basketball family that is totally not a copy of them. (Sarcasm loading)

Hello Newmans began airing on YouTube's Overtime Channel in 2020. It follows the Newman family in their everyday life. There's the father, Jamie, who is the leader of this group. Mother, Vivian, who is hardly there and who can blame her. Of course, Jamie and Vivian's two kids, Julian and Jaden, are and have been in the spotlight since they were little kids. Jamie has gone on talk shows or any show for that matter to tell the world that his children are "prodigies" of basketball. On "Hello Newmans," we get the experience of him trying to shape his children's future when it comes to the game.

So, I watched two seasons of this show and when comes to Julian playing basketball, he's just okay. He's really not the prodigy that his father makes him out to be. Julian is allowed to be the centerpiece of his team as his coach gives him free reign on the offense. That coach's name is Jamie Newman. Julian also seems to get flustered, have the urge to start fights and have a certain complex that happens to smaller people. They should really have a name for that. Jaden is a little bit better than her older brother and her coach gives her free reign to run the offense. Take a guess what her coach's name is? That's Jamie Newman. So, ol' Jaime pulls double duty as his children's guide to greatness.

At about the second season, Jamie decides to open his own school, Prodigy Prep, and develop his children to an obvious chance for something greater. This season, and particularly, the kids just want to be kids and have a life. Jamie seems to have them on a schedule with practices and training sessions for basketball. He is also a very animated man on the sidelines for his double duty as head coach. When he talks to the producers, he sounds like he is auctioning for a pilot of a CBS drama. Jamie also takes his family to trips that are basketball relating and they venture to NYC to visit Central Park, promote their brand and of course, do basketball drills.

There was a climactic episode where Jamie drives his family to Kentucky as his Prodigy Prep squad takes on the world-famous IMG Academy and a certain prospect named LaMelo Ball. Jamie even name-drops Big Baller Brand, the company owned by the Ball family. He gives a speech about how the mighty Prodigy Prep can shock the world and people will be talking how they slay the dragon.....they got their clocks cleaned. IMG ran circles around them. Prodigy Prep's problem is that they don't have signature victories to lay a foundation for the program.

It's taxing on everyone since at times the road to success has its bumpy areas. Julian tries to have fun and is in a relationship at around the second season and Jaden is trying to branch out with other ventures. She fancies herself as a rapper and has one line of her song say, "I got grown men in my DM's." This is very questionable since she was underaged when this came out and this was LITERALLY the first line of the song. Also, the family tends to butt heads because one person wants something while another person wants something different. This is the definition of family, but in the end, they seem to soothe out their differences as the episode concludes.

So, my take for Hello Newmans is that it's a look inside what this inspiring group does to chase that dream of basketball stardom. Again, Jamie is a man who loves his family and does what he can to make his children become successful despite him being hard on them. The children, at times, come off as entitled and not willing to take in the knowledge and the, I admit, overbearing nature of their father, which can be nauseating.

As of now, the show hasn't been cancelled despite not uploading new episodes in a while. Also, Julian and Jaden has long moved on from the program. Also, that LaMelo Ball guy became a lottery pick and a face of the franchise for the Charlotte Hornets.

So, if you want to watch some basketball content in the middle of the night, this is your wheelhouse.

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