Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons

Simmons pushed back on Barkley’s rankings, as only a true fan can. It’s this informed jousting, the back and forth between devotees of sports that could make Any Given Wednesday appointment viewing for sports fans. ... It’s classic Bill Simmons, a man with questions and answers, with a new forum where he can drop the mic and let others do the same.

His interview style is an effective one--opinionated without being overbearing, with just enough smugness to give some of his questions a provocative edge.

Outside of Affleck’s strangely compelling Tom Brady tirade, Any Given Wednesday’s pilot was almost aggressively chill--a pleasantly meandering antidote to the usual hot-take cauldron of sports TV.

Mr. Simmons stayed in his comfort zone almost exclusively, and the result was largely a televised version of what you might hear on sports talk radio, only with cursing. The cursing was the best part, actually. Mr. Affleck did most of it.

While Barkley was tolerable and the segments choppy but intriguing, Simmons’ interview with Ben Affleck about the New England Patriots and the scandal termed “Deflategate” turned into one of the most fascinating character studies I’ve seen on a talk show.

If Any Given Wednesday were a live show, I'd be much more generous about the myriad points of sloppiness, but this was a pre-taped show that has been many months, or many years per Simmons' narrative about his dream of being on HBO, in the making so expectations of tighter punchlines, more clearly edited film and better spatial awareness aren't unfair. Still, there were elements that had potential.

The debut of Any Given Wednesday was an odd and painful thing to watch.