“The Sterling Affairs” has found its leading man in Ed O’Neill.
“Modern Family” and “Married … With Children” star Ed O’Neill will play the disgraced former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling, in the FX limited series “The Sterling Affairs,” according to a report from Nellie Andreeva of Deadline on Thursday.
O’Neill joins a cast already headlined by Laurence Fishburne and Jacki Weaver, both of whom were cast in early April. Fishburne will play former Clippers head coach Doc Rivers and Weaver will play Sterling’s ex- wife, Shelly Sterling.
“The Sterling Affairs” is based on the reporting Ramona Shelburne did for the ESPN “30 for 30” podcast she hosted of the same name. The series is being written by Gina Welch, who will also serve as an executive producer alongside Shelburne and Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson of Color Force. A director has yet to be named.
Between Shelburne’s extensively-researched podcast and everything that’s out there about Sterling already, informed viewers will go into the series with an idea of what to expect. However, as we’ve seen with HBO’s scripted Lakers series “Winning Time,” the live-action dramatization of past events on television elicits a different response for both the viewers and the parties involved.
The series doesn’t have a release date yet but with Sterling now cast, one would assume the ball will get rolling on production soon.