When I first sat down with Kate Hudson and Brenda Song for the series premiere of Running Point last year, we spent our time dissecting where they get their sense of confidence in a male-dominated world as well as their on and off screen friendship. Back then, they were just stepping onto the court with killer shoes (and outfits). Now, catching up with them for Season 2, it feels like a reunion of sorts. The laughter is louder, the shorthand is sharper and the easy energy? Well, that’s just the baseline now.
Hudson, 47, and Song, 38, return in Netflix’s basketball comedy, co-created by Mindy Kaling, Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen.
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Photography by Katrina Marcinowski Courtesy of Netflix.
For Hudson, returning to Isla Gordon wasn’t a matter of if, but where the writers would take her after that game-changing Season 1 finale kiss with Jay Brown (Jay Ellis).
“I love our writers so much. I was sort of excited and nervous to know where they were going to take Isla,” Kate tells me in an interview with her infectious, sunny enthusiasm. While the first season was about Isla proving she belonged in the owner’s chair, Season 2 is about what happens when you actually get what you wanted.
“The second I got the broad strokes of where Ike and Mindy and Dave were thinking of taking Season 2, I was like, I was in,” Hudson says. “I have such trust with them. I know they’re gonna make it a fun, jam-packed, hilarious show. I think I look forward, and hopefully the audience will look forward, to really watching Isla explore the challenge of what it is to be in a high-stakes, high-pressure job and have a real relationship… What does love connection look like for her? How do you balance those things?”
Photography by Katrina Marcinowski Courtesy of Netflix.
If Isla is trying to find balance, Brenda Song’s Ali is busy managing the fallout of family dynamics. This season sees the return of Cam (Justin Theroux), forcing Isla to confront some “old wounds.”
“One thing that I loved about Isla this season was with Cam coming back, you having to go through these old wounds and these old challenges of standing up to your brother,” Song says, looking over at Kate. “I love the dynamic of Cam and Isla because they’re so different. I think that’s what’s fun about a second season – getting to explore deeper aspects of their dynamics within the group and within the family.”
It’s clear the real magic (and mayhem) happens in the conference room. Mention the setting to these two, and they immediately fall into fits of giggles.
“The conference room scenes are unhinged,” Song admits.
“Especially with Justin Theroux,” Hudson adds. “Everybody’s hilarious, but Justin is so insane and funny and dark and wild. Shooting those scenes – the things that didn’t make the cut – oh, they were just hilarious.”
Photography by Katrina Marcinowski Courtesy of Netflix.
The second season continues to dig deeper into the themes planted in the first season, but with more of a bite. The dialogue is just as sharp and funny, and the new season is compact and very bingeable. I gleefully sat through all 10 episodes of season two and wanted more. This time around the cameos are also ones to watch out for.
While season one was a gift of seeing authentic female friendships on-screen that aren’t defined by competition, season two tests that “work-wife” boundary as Isla has to make tough professional decisions that impact Ali.
So, can your best friend really be your boss? I wondered and asked the actresses to chime in on mixing business and friendship.
Hudson jumps in with an enthusiastic yes, adding, “I speak as the boss, literally, I’m like, of course!” she laughed as Song also agreed.
Photography by Katrina Marcinowski Courtesy of Netflix.
“But it’s hard…in this circumstance, Isla wasn’t expecting to be the President of the Waves,” says Hudson. “Allie had a more high-up position than I even did as a Chief of Staff… and then I all of a sudden become the President and really need my support system, which is my bestie.”
“I also think then, outside of the waves, anything that explores power dynamics and relationships is always going to be a challenge at some point and transparency and honesty and releasing the ego is probably the best thing you could do,” she said.
As three Aries women in the room (Hudson is very invested in all things astrology), I was curious if Hudson and Song had fire energy traits they shared with their on-screen characters.
“Determination,” Hudson says immediately, while Song adds, “Ambition. Competitiveness. Outspokenness. I feel like I do feel like I’m pretty brutally honest, like Ali.”
Hudson, however, had a different take, which also took me by surprise. “My favorite thing about Aries is they pretend like they can do anything… that they have the most stamina in the world, but they’re lazy! An Aries, they’re like, ‘No, we do it all,’ and then they’re like, ‘I just want to sit down. Honey, can you get me the thing?’”
“When you’re in a relationship with an Aries and your friends are Aries, you realize that we could all probably just sit down and do nothing all day.”
Photography by Katrina Marcinowski Courtesy of Netflix.
Brenda isn’t convinced Kate actually follows her own rule. “Kate, I don’t think you’ve ever done that!,” before adding, “You’re very good at that though; you’re good at when you shut off, you know how to shut off.”
“I really shut off,” Kate insists while Song adds: “But when you’re not shutting off, you’re doing 700 things.”
Of course, you can’t talk Running Point without talking about the fits. In a show where the wardrobe is as sharp as the dialogue, both actresses have their own versions of battle armor.
For Brenda, it’s all about the shoes: “A high heel changes everything for me. The confidence is through the roof.”
For Kate, it’s the sparkle. “I love a heel, I love jewelry. I have certain staple jewelry that I wear in my daily life… and they’re usually like big silver pieces.”
But Song lets me in on a little secret: Kate Hudson is the undisputed fashion MVP of the set. “Kate has an incredible jewelry and clothing collection. She has like 11 closets! It is the dream. Even if it’s a rehearsal at 5 a.m., she has a fit every day. I love seeing what she’s wearing.”
Photography by Katrina Marcinowski Courtesy of Netflix.
Ultimately, Season 2 of Running Point scores because it leans into the beautiful messy dynamics of family. The writing is tighter than a full-court press, the performances – from Hudson’s magnetic lead to Theroux’s scene-stealing moments to Song’s spark and energy – are pure gold, and the fashion? Well, let’s just say we’ll all be manifesting more of Isla Gordon (and Kate Hudson’s) fits. Whether you’re here for the unhinged boardroom brawls or the heart-to-hearts between two besties navigating power, one thing is certain: Isla and Allie are playing for keeps, and they’re doing it in very, very good shoes.
Running Point season 2 streams on Netflix Thursday, April 24.
Feature image courtesy of Netflix.