Upcoming Season of HBO’s ‘Ballers’ is Final One

The fifth season of comedy-drama Ballers begins on HBO Aug. 25, and it is the final season for the football-focused series. Dwayne Johnson plays Spencer Strasmore, a former NFL star who is now a financial manager for NFL superstars. Stephen Levinson created the show, and runs it too.

There are eight episodes in the fifth season.

Johnson was The Rock earlier in his career in the wrestling ring. His films include the franchise The Fast and the Furious, Hercules and Moana.

This season finds Spencer settling into retirement and reflecting on his past, when an offer that's too good to refuse comes his way and sends him back into the fray, this time as a team owner. Following his split with Spencer, ambitious Joe (Rob Corddry) gambles to make Sports X greater than ever with the help of his new partner, Lance (Russell Brand). Ricky (John David Washington) has a setback that forces him to consider a new kind of future and tests his physical, mental and emotional resolve; Charles (Omar Miller) learns that being a general manager means getting your hands dirty; Vernon (Donovan W. Carter) shifts his focus to his love of gambling despite Reggie's (London Brown) wariness; and Jason (Troy Garity) decides to take his career to the next level.

Guest stars for season five include Odell Beckham Jr., Rick Fox and DeAndre Hopkins.

Levinson executive produces with Johnson, Mark Wahlberg, Dany Garcia, Peter Berg, Rob Weiss, Karyn McCarthy and Julian Farino.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.