Most people think they already know Muhammad Ali. They know the poems and the predictions. They know the shuffle and the "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." Prime Video's "The Greatest" knows that too. Its smartest move is to step back from the icon and spend time with the young man from Louisville who hadn't become him yet.
This is the first authorized scripted series about Ali's life, and his widow, Lonnie Ali, is an executive producer. That can make a critic nervous. Estate-approved stories often polish their subjects until nothing human is left. "The Greatest" mostly avoids that trap. Over eight episodes, creator and showrunner Ben Watkins ("Cross") tells a confident, warm, and often moving story about ambition, faith, family, and the price of speaking up in America.
The whole series depends on Jaalen Best, and he carries it. Before this, Best was best known for "All American: Homecoming." Playing Ali is about as challenging as screen roles get. The voice, the swagger, and the rhythm of his speech are so familiar that any misstep would show.
Best doesn't do an impression. He understands the cadence and the showmanship right, then fills in what the cameras of the era rarely caught: the doubt, the impatience, and the quiet, serious moments when the crowd has gone home. His Cassius can be cocky, even exhausting, but he never becomes a cartoon. He also learned Ali's unusual fighting style, so the boxing feels like part of the character instead of a stunt double's job.
It's fitting that a newcomer is playing a young man who was still figuring out who he was. We watch Best grow into the role as Cassius grows into his voice. That is the heart of the show. Best gets the Critics Choice Association's Rising Star Award on Nov. 16, and he has earned it
The choice to focus on a smaller narrative proves beneficial. The series covers only four years, from 18-year-old Cassius Clay's gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics to his 1964 upset of Sonny Liston in Miami and the announcement of his new name. That leaves room for the story to breathe. Vietnam, exile, The Rumble in the Jungle, and The Thrilla in Manila are all left out, and the season feels complete anyway.
The family drama is emotionally impactful. Dana Gourrier is wonderful as his mother, Odessa "Bird" Clay, and her scenes with Best feel loose and real, like family. Omari Hardwick plays Cassius Clay Sr., a proud and charming father who also drinks, cheats, and can turn violent. He makes the man feel human instead of like a villain. Kai Parham, as younger brother Rudy, gives the show a steady emotional center.
The supporting cast is excellent throughout. Michael Ealy's Malcolm X is magnetic and sometimes warns Cassius about what his choices will cost him. Giovanni Ribisi is outstanding as trainer Angelo Dundee, who argues that Cassius isn't just a fighter but an artist. The surprise is Amin Joseph as Sonny Liston. He gives the feared champion real tenderness and pain, and the show makes room for Liston's own story as the two men head toward each other.
The fights deliver. They're well staged and physical. The 1963 bout with Britain's Henry Cooper, played by Julian Lewis, is a standout: Cassius gets dropped by a left hook near the end of the fourth round and comes back to win in the fifth.
The show is also honest about what it meant to be Black in America then. A flashback to Cassius and Rudy learning about Emmett Till's murder lands hard. So does a scene where an Olympic champion is refused service at a lunch counter, even though the menu has a hamburger named after him. His secret turn toward the Nation of Islam is treated as a serious spiritual and political awakening, not a plot twist.
The show isn't perfect. Some of the social messaging spells things out when the scene already makes the point. That's understandable given how heavy the early 1960s were, but it can feel like a lecture.
The soundtrack is the weakest part. Many song choices pull you out of the period, though the scenes with live bands playing bop and R&B get the music right. A few dream and memory sequences use visual effects that don't fit the show's otherwise grounded, natural look.
Purists will catch some creative liberties. For example, the "Ali Shuffle" shows up years before it really did. There are also invented conversations and a few minor characters who exist mainly to move the plot along. And a lot of shouting, mostly from Cassius, may wear on some viewers.
These are small complaints about a series that understands its subject. "The Greatest" doesn't try to explain all of Muhammad Ali. It shows the moment a gifted, stubborn, and deeply loved young man realized his voice could be as powerful as his fists. With a breakout lead performance and one of the strongest ensembles on TV this year, it's well worth watching. I hope there's a second season.
All eight episodes of "The Greatest" stream Wednesday, Nov. 4, on Prime Video.
