Court of Gold Review 2025 Tv Show Series Cast Crew Online
Netflix have gone all-in with their content surrounding the Paris Olympics. Not only did we get that two part Simone Biles’ biopic, but we were also graced with the in-depth look at the Olympic Sprinters last year. This time around it’s the turn of basketball, and across 6 episodes, we see the trials and tribulations of four key teams as they try to obtain the coveted Gold Medal. I say teams, but in reality this is very much an examination of a fallen giant in Team USA.
Failing to even get a medal last time out, Team USA are reeling and hoping to bounce back at the Paris Olympics. However, there’s a lot of competition from other nations, who are all stepping up to the plate to show what they’re made of.
Across the 6 episodes, the show attempts to give a balanced perspective to different teams, but in reality this is very much a Team USA documentary, with other teams sprinkled in for good measure.
The episodes follow a straight-shooting trajectory, beginning with the build-up to the games before diving into the Paris Olympics and seeing the different match-ups take place. The group games don’t get too much screen-time, as they’re mostly intercut with interviews instead, but both the semi-finals and final do have a good chunk of air-time, helped by the fact both episodes 5 and 6 are noticeably longer than the rest. That’s just as well because the semi-final match between Serbia and USA is off the charts!
Despite the focus on Team USA though, there is some compelling material here for the other teams. A deep dive into Serbian basketball is very welcome midway through the show, especially as it depicts the roots of Yugoslavian sport. There’s also some focus on Canada too, especially as they want to set out and prove that 2023 wasn’t just a fluke.
There are individual stories here sprinkled throughout, especially from those big NBA stars that want to prove themselves, but largely the tale revolves around whether Team USA have enough in the tank to win the Gold once more. They’ve gone all out too, and questions are raised over whether the “three buckets” of different players (Seasoned, Prime and Up & Coming) can be moulded into a cohesive force to conquer the world of basketball once again.
For the most part, Court of Gold is a pretty compelling sports documentary but there are a few questionable elements. There’s a clear bit of ego-stroking that the show could have done without too. Alongside a couple of nods toward other Netflix shows, including Stranger Things and those aforementioned Netflix documentaries, the show is also executively produced by Michelle and Barack Obama. Why is this significant?
Well, Barack Obama shows up in episode 1 to lend his expertise on the subject. That expertise being that he’s a huge fan of US Basketball and wants his team to make it back to the top. He even hangs with the players too, joking and chewing gum. What was the point of all this? What does he add to the documentary? If anything it’s a detriment because it shows his obvious bias.
This aside though, if you can go in knowing that Court of Gold chronicles Team USA’s journey back to the top, with a few other teams sprinkled in for good measure, you’re sure to enjoy what’s here. The interviews are insightful and NBA Analyst and reporter Malika Andrews adds a lot of depth to this one too, especially for those not completely clued up on everything going on in the basketball world. Well-edited for the most part, and engrossing throughout, Court of Gold is a compelling and worthwhile watch.
