“The only premise I could ever really give to people for this show is it’s like if Christopher Guest directed ‘Uncut Gems,’” Adam Pally says, previewing his new series “ Mr. Throwback .” The mockumentary show does have a similar shape to Josh and Benny Safdie’s modern crime classic: a so-sad, so-fucked-up Jewish businessman takes on life-threatening mob debts and, in a shameless act of survivalist drive, dogs an NBA star and extracts money from him through a bombardment of white lies.
Only in “Mr. Throwback,” Pally’s character, Danny Grossman, is a former basketball prodigy, the “Jewish Jordan” that once went “100 and 100” (100 points, 100 blocks). Stephen Curry was his back-up in middle school.
But Danny’s career ended early after his alcoholic father and coach (Tracy Letts) is caught in an elaborate lie. Two decades and a failed marriage later, an in-debt Danny is forced to follow in his old man’s footsteps, heading to San Francisco to make good with Steph and, more importantly, come up with $90,000 to save his life. Much like how “Uncut Gems” utilized the unmatched intensity of Kevin Garnett, playing himself, to ratchet up tension, “Mr.
Throwback” has its own savvy take on Curry’s persona. Of course, he’s determined in his own right, being a four-time NBA champion and a locker-room leader, but his carefree smile and enduring boyishness suggest a uniquely forgiving temperament — one that Pally’s character pushes to the limit.