Tom Brady played 23 NFL seasons, 20 of them with the New England Patriots. He's a 15-time Pro Bowl QB with seven championship rings (six from New England) and a trio of MVP awards on his shelf. There isn't a more accomplished player in the history of the league.
With his retirement officially official as of 2023 — and no, he's not coming back this time — Brady has branched out into the world of business and media in full force. He's soon to be a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. He is expected to commence his broadcast career in 2024. And, now, he's going to be the subject of a new scripted miniseries.
According to Deadline, the screenwriters behind 'The Fighter,' a 2010 film directed by David O'Russell and starring Christian Bale, will pen 'The Patriot Way,' a scripted limited series canvassing Brady's long New England career.
There's plenty of material to work with.
Tom Brady and New England Patriots limited series 'The Patriot Way' greenlit
Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson are the showrunners behind the series, with other credits including 'Patriots Day' and 'Air Bud.' The series will cover a wide stretch of Brady's career, touching on the obvious highs, but also on the more troublesome and controversial moments.
"'The Patriot Way' chronicles Brady's improbable rise from sixth-round NFL draft pick to his half-dozen Super Bowl wins with the Patriots, the Aaron Hernandez, Spygate and Deflategate scandals and Brady's battle of wills with head coach Bill Belichick."
With the recent discontinuation of HBO's 'Winning Time,' there's a void in the world of scripted sports miniseries. It's hard to imagine 'The Patriot Way' not finding a healthy and eager audience looking to relive the glory of Brady's career while also brushing up on his surprisingly prolific cheating scandals.
Aaron Hernandez is a whole different can of worms. Hopefully the series can approach the more difficult subjects with the proper tact while still leaning into the feel-good heart of a classic sports story. Or, maybe we'll get a transgressive and unexpected exposé on the Patriots dynasty. That would be less warmly received (and probably not OK'd by Brady), but hey — this feels like an HBO series in the making.
Brady has certainly delivered plenty of quality storylines over the course of his historic career. It's hard to believe this series will stay "mini" if the right audience latches on. There's too much to cover in eight episodes; this series will need several seasons to adequately navigate all the material laid out in the initial description.
A season for every scandal? Maybe a season for every Super Bowl? We can only wait and see at this point, but there should be plenty to dig into once the series hits television nationwide in the future.
