10 Huge TV Shows That Have Been Sued For Being Complete Rip-Offs

Dwayne Johnson’s hit HBO show Ballers is currently the subject of a lawsuit filed by writers Everette Silas and Sherri Littleton, who claim that the former American footballer and professional wrestler stole their idea for a show revolving around the off-field lives of African American footballers.

According to Silas and Littleton, they actually met with Johnson and Mark Wahlberg (who serves as a producer on Ballers) to discuss making a pilot for their show Off Season back in 2007, though the deal apparently fell through after the plaintiffs insisted that their names appear on the credits.

The pair also allege that it was not only the concept of the show that had been ripped off, listing many similarities between their idea and Ballers, which was actually the name of one of the proposed episodes. On top of that, Off Season was also set to be based in Miami, Florida, where Johnson’s character Spencer Strasmore, a retired NFL player turned financial manager is based.

After initially suing for an unspecified amount, Silas and Littleton eventually settled on an eye-watering asking figure of $200 million in damages. Both The Rock and Wahlberg are standing their ground, however, and co-defendant HBO has labelled the asking amount as frivolous.