The Greatest

The first authorised scripted series about Muhammad Ali, with Ali’s widow Lonnie Ali as an executive producer, The Greatest chronicles four years of the boxing legend’s life, starting with a young Ali (then Cassius Clay) winning a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. This historic victory opens many exciting new doors for the boxing upstart, but it also brings risks as people begin to see Clay as an idea and an investment as much as an athlete. Thrust into the spotlight amidst the social backdrop of a heavily segregated 1960s America, the champ soon finds himself embroiled in a battle that extends well past the confines of the ring, and it is there he must decide who he is and what he fights for.

Any biopic is only as strong as its lead, especially for a series covering a legend as great as Muhammad Ali. Thankfully for The Greatest, Jaalen Best does an absolutely fantastic job as Ali, bringing a positively magnetic screen presence and perfectly capturing the boxing champion’s distinctive swagger and cadence. A big part of this show’s production was the desire to communicate the human behind the legend, and Best’s performance facilitates this more complex portrayal of the man, flaws and all, representing his vulnerability as well as his famous strength.

This performance is further strengthened by a stellar supporting cast, with everyone bringing their A-game and drawing out compelling new sides to the depiction of Ali.

The Greatest has a very strong script, eager to delve deep into Ali’s storied life but with a careful and considered hand, taking into account both the man he was and the symbol he became. The writing and cinematography deliberately avoid presenting the complete picture of Muhammad-Ali-the-icon, encouraging its audience to piece that image together themselves from what is shown throughout, like a narrative jigsaw.

The writers also did not shy away from examining the socio-political context of Ali’s life, depicting the racism of 1960s America frankly and without compromise. It’s heavy-handed but deliberately so, contextualising Ali’s activism and career decisions while showing how much society has changed (and how much it hasn’t).

The Greatest is a brilliant examination of one of the sporting world’s titans, finely crafted and carefully structured but unafraid to challenge its audience and hit them where it counts. One might say that it floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee.

Umar Ali

The Greatest is released on Prime Video on 4^th November 2026.

Watch the trailer for The Greatest here: