Sumith Prasad
Peacock’s comedy series ‘Mr. Throwback’ revolves around Danny Grossman, Stephen Curry’s childhood friend and former teammate. When the memorabilia seller gets into financial trouble, he sets out to rekindle his friendship with the NBA player to resolve all his predicaments. Danny creates a fake narrative about his daughter, Charlie, getting sick, only to start cherishing the luxuries offered by his middle-school companion. As the show depicts, the basketball player attended Charlotte Christian School in reality. However, Danny, who returns to Curry’s life after more than two decades, is the creation of Adam Pally, Matthew and Daniel Libman, and David Caspe!
The Origin of Danny Grossman
Danny Grossman is a fictional character not based on any former teammate of Stephen Curry. “I will say it’s completely made up. There are no real characters in there. […] The Libmans did a great job of creating the world. Once you read that world, you see it’s fun and nothing we’ve experienced before. The mockumentary really fits that world,” executive producer Erick Peyton told TV Insider. Curry and his producing partner Peyton approached Adam Pally, who plays the memorabilia seller, and David Caspe to develop a project after the duo appeared in the NBA player’s wife Ayesha Curry’s talk show ‘About Last Night.’
Pally and Caspe then teamed up with Matthew and Daniel Libman to create Danny Grossman and his saga, which fit what Curry and Peyton have been prioritizing at their production company, Unanimous Media: inspirational and family-oriented content. “Everything we work on has to be aspirational and inspirational. Central themes are family-based. Sometimes, a family story could be about old friends, like in the case of ‘Mr. Throwback.’ We look to tell these really traditional family and sports stories in a human way,” Peyton told Complex about Danny’s tale.
When we look at Danny in particular, it can be observed that he is an archetypal protagonist in an inspirational saga. At the start of the narrative, he deals with immense hardships, which mainly revolve around his financial debt, his divorce from Sam, and his broken relationship with his father, Mitch. Throughout the narrative, he tries to provide a good life for himself, his ex-wife, and his daughter, Charlie, irrespective of the means he chooses. Ultimately, the experience changes him for the better, as he transforms from a scammer into a responsible father, a forgiving son, an endearing partner, and a trustworthy friend.
Danny’s scams and misadventures are just the building blocks of his inspiring transformation, which is intended to motivate viewers. The protagonist was created adhering to the ethos of Curry and Peyton’s production company. Even though he doesn’t have a real-life counterpart, we can see parallels to Danny in reality, specifically in the lives of celebrities like Curry.
Danny and the Friends Before Fame
When it comes to friendships, one thing that divides the companionships of celebrities into two is their respective origin. Whether it be NBA legends or Hollywood A-listers, famed individuals often have childhood friends who became part of their lives before they made it and companions who joined them after they earned fame and money. The former lot separates themselves from the latter group because they can see their friend without the baggage of who he/she/they had become. There have been several instances in real life where celebrities have been immensely emotional about their childhood friends who cannot boast the popularity and net worth their respective companions have.
These endearing relationships are not only beautiful but also highly inspiring. Danny’s fictional friendship with Curry can be seen as a representative of these companionships. In the fictionalized Curry’s life, he only has friends who see him as an NBA legend and basketball icon until Danny shows up in his life. He longs for a friend who can see him as a boy from Charlotte who couldn’t even break into his middle-school basketball team. There lies Danny’s significance.
With the memorabilia seller, Curry can be a man with vulnerabilities. He can put his basketball career and fame outside his doorstep and have a personal life. Through Danny, ‘Mr. Throwback’ shows how to form a family with your friends, which must be relatable to many who still cherish a warm relationship with their childhood buddies, irrespective of their fame and fortunes. Danny represents those friends whose value transcends their financial status or popularity.
Read More: Is Kimberly Gregg Inspired by Steph Curry’s Real Assistant?
