Series synopsis
Hate the Player: The Ben Johnson Story is a Canadian comedy television series that premiered on GameTV on March 26, 2026. It ended on April 23, 2026. It was created by Anthony Q. Farrell.
Canadian sprinter Johnson's definitely-not-biased account of the doping controversy that rocked the 1988 Olympics when he tested positive for banned steroid use, going from hero to zero in 9.79 seconds in what some called "The Dirtiest Race in History". The series takes a revealing and satirical look at the events surrounding the legendary race and the scandal behind the scandal.
Premise
Canadian sprinter Johnson's definitely-not-biased account of the doping controversy that rocked the 1988 Olympics when he tested positive for banned steroid use, going from hero to zero in 9.79 seconds in what some called "The Dirtiest Race in History". The series takes a revealing and satirical look at the events surrounding the legendary race and the scandal behind the scandal.
Premise: The man. The myth. The scape G. O. A. T.
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 6 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 6 | March 26, 2026 | April 23, 2026 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
A Rival To be the best one has to beat the best; and when Ben Johnson starts racing in the early 1980s, all the best sprinters are juicing; so Ben did what he had to do and evened the playing field; don't hate the player, hate the game. |
March 26, 2026 |
| 2 |
White Father Charlie Francis uses his failures as a sprinter for Team Canada to motivate a movement; he seeks out black athletes to take Canada to the top; with Charlie's knowhow and Ben's black-thleticism, they changed track forever. |
March 26, 2026 |
| 3 |
The Man with the Plan, Astaphan With the science changing month to month, Charlie and Ben bring in Jamie Astaphan to focus on performance enhancement; Jamie takes the team to new heights, but isn't satisfied with how little credit he's getting. |
April 2, 2026 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | GameTV |
|---|---|
| First aired | March 26, 2026 |
| Last aired | April 23, 2026 |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Thursday |