Sweet Scarborough Sarcasm: Hate the Player: The Ben Johnson Story is a six-part limited series. The mockumentary’s first 2 episodes debuted on March 26 on GameTV and Paramount+ Canada a day later (March 27).
From Deadline: “The satirical sports comedy series is starring Shamier Anderson as controversial sprinter Ben Johnson, who won gold at the 1988 Olympic Games in what became known as “the dirtiest race in history” before he was caught in a doping scandal and disqualified.”
For My Pal Sammy I wrote about meeting sprinter Ben Johnson and actor Shamier Anderson who plays Ben. Just know this isn’t your run of the mill racing mockumentary.
5 Vibe Checks From…
The Truth About Other People’s Truths
1. The Mystery
“Who is the oddest celebrity you’ve met? I used to have two answers. Now, I have three.”
2. The Narrative
“There is no elevator pitch for that kind of horror.”
3. The Truth
“The ability to rationally navigate discomfort is an under-appreciated pop culture skill.”
4. The Scapegoat
“The fact is that Ben became a scapegoat for a much larger problem plaguing sports.”
~ Shamier Anderson
5. The Closer
“If we’re stingy with grace; then it’s hard to win the race.”
Read The Rest On Substack: HERE
Sammy Suggestion: Hate The Player was recommended on #SetTheVCR for March 30 – April 05 2026. Andrew (King Batch) Bachelor plays Carl Lewis, Kristian Bruun is Ben’s running coach, Mark McKinney is Ben’s lawyer and Ben’s mom is played by Karen Robinson. Anthony Q. Farrell is the showrunner and Executive Producer.
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair podcast: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
