The League

Plot synopsis:
The beauty of search engine optimization is the simplification in finding exactly what you are looking for with as little as three key words. And, finding The League was exactly that typing sport movies into the search engine and refining the search by adding soccer; I found a show that would stay with me for a while to come. Heres why!
I instantly knew this was the type of series that I could draw momentary thinking strategies from, believe to be an extension of my personality and mull over with like-minded folk isnt that the point of TV series anyway?!And, like all new successful shows, this one is semi-scripted, an increasingly addictive style that is soon to become convention. Lets spare a moment of thought for the employment of scriptwriters.
So, whats great about a group of friends playing soccer in a grown mens fantasy football league? Its the seamless movement from real life to virtual life, for one; and, the characters themselves, a hallmark of any notable show. It also worked in my favour that my group of friends and I share similar fantasy premier leagues where the struggle to possess the topmost authority of bragging rights is close to being the king of the world. When such power, both in life and in The League, is at stake, its mind games galore stewed with interpersonal politics and brewed to a genius level of function or dysfunction, rendering the perfect cup of comedy. Throw some pure evil intentions and passions to the mix and you have a wonderfully engaging TV series to retreat to at the end of the day, or as soon as you wake up, which is what happens to me 10 out of 12 months.
With a slowish by surely not a sluggish start, the pace picks up after the characters are sufficiently and interestingly introduced. Ticking all boxes of unique and stimulating depiction, the series disembarks on a journey of reaching a common goal-the glory of the Shiva Bowl- in myriad ways due to myriad personalities. In my opinion, that is the genius of any series characters for everyone and everyone for characters. Watch the series if you like football and have at some point believed that the ecosystem that exists on the field is comparable to the universe and all its humans at large.
Its a thing of beauty this search engine optimization, because with 6 series of binge watching ahead of me, I will have no trouble finding my next addiction.

Tags: humor

Review:
None of the characters are particularly likable (I personally like Pete best), but you end up really attached to them, but the comedy is just so clever, fast and observational as well as horrible but there are some big names that have graced it's episodes from the world of Football and there's a great few eps with Jeff Goldblum to name one familiar actor - and he's his fabulous self as ever.Basically set around the antics of six friends who are part of a fantasy football league, and the lengths they will go to to win their league trophy - the Shiva, named after a plain girl who went to their highschool with them who is now a very attractive doctor and friend.
The League is a show about 5 high-school buddies facing everyday life concerns while mercilessly ridiculing each other and placing way too much importance on their fantasy football league!From the outset this show is way funny, making use of the relaxed boundaries cable TV offers.
A good comparison is 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' but having more likable characters and relying more on good humour than shock value (for the most part).The chemistry of the cast is great.
I would agree with this assessment in that it has intricate, often intersecting story lines, while having everyday situations with absurd outcomes and definitely prescribing to the 'no-hugging, no learning' ethos of Seinfeld.Setting it apart is the 'dude' humour, and a level of crassness you can't get away with on network TV.I was not surprised to find out the creator, directors of 'The League' had written for Seinfeld and directed episodes of another brilliant comedy 'Curb Your Enthusiasm.'Standing on the shoulders of giants indeed but definitely succeeding in delivering a hugely funny, unpredictable show with brilliant moments of dialogue and a developing world within the show!
We can enjoy playing it while carrying on a normal life.Even if I didn't play fantasy football I'd watch this series.
Supposedly, and I believe it, the main actors are all friends in real life and even do a fantasy league with the shows creators.
Just the way the characters talk is so believable, its like they are not actors, they are just a group of friends on film.
It appears FxX is repeating a bunch of the 2013, so people should be able to catch up.While it is based off a group that does fantasy football, they do an extremely great job of explaining things that require no football knowledge at all (even though, you may miss out on all the football player cameos that hit).
About the only thing that is not explained well, that adds to the humor of many episodes, is the importance of the "first pick" when you create your team for the first time.
Some people, such as myself, will actually enjoy this aspect, however if you are one who likes to pick and choose, a lot of the in-joke humor will not be as funny as it otherwise could be.Still, I am extremely pleased with The League, and hope it continues on for many seasons to come.
The show has so many great moments, it features a lot of clever musical comedy throughout both series' and it is full of shocking and hilarious antics as the main characters all battle, far too seriously, for their fantasy football league trophy.
I also recently discovered the cast and the director all actually play in a fantasy football league of their own; just a little fun fact.
She won't tell...if you trade Payton Manning.Mark Duplass is damn good as the central character whose fantasy football really keeps him going.
He's the guy who needs his lucky shirt for fantasy draft day and when he can't find it...suspects his wife through it out.The cast is awesome...and it is a show I'm going to love to watch throughout the football season..
This show feels more like an internet series, yet that very same, raw, atmosphere helps develop the characters and the plot.I find this show to be similar to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, yet it's slightly less raunchy, but a bit more sexual.
Shows like Lost, House, and Arrested Development are beyond amazing, but they are lengthy (which is great when you have the time to invest).
First let me say that while I am a HUGE football, and fantasy football fan, I have shown this show to many of my friends who know nothing about football and they still love it.An often overlooked fact about this show is that it is "Semi-Scripted" meaning that instead of a script the actors get more or less an outline of what events need to happen in the scene.
I'm not a huge football fan, but i never miss an episode of the league.
'The League' gained inspiration from 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' (like most shows that strive to simulate realistic humor while incorporating celebrities in an unconventional manner) as well as 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' (in terms of visual style, cast and breed of humor) though the scenes are not as seamlessly integrated as the former while the humor is sharper than the latter.
Overall, it is funnier than most comedy and the natural flow of the show as well as the charming improvisation of many of its characters give it great potential (if the two aforementioned problems are fixed, namely: being less obvious with the football references and trying to appeal to a broader audience by cutting down on the sexist images of women and offensive humor)..
Except for the ever horrible Mark Duplass, the cast actually does good in other things (like Nick Kroll's great job in The Life & Times of Tim).
The 3rd season is taking a different turn as it has hardly any connection with the league itself, but I am having a great time watching it cause you will love the characters.In short "the League" is a great comedy series with very few watchers but still not under- rated.
You don't have to know anything about football to enjoy the show but if you are a big fantasy football fan like I am then this show will be even funnier and make even more sense to you.
I can basically see myself doing some of the things they do in the show for my love of fantasy football, but yes of course some of the stuff they do is way too crazy, but it is a show after all.
It gives a perfect blend of over the top humor, with how fantasy football fans conduct themselves during the season.
At first i didn't think i would be much of a fan because i don't really care for football but it wasn't completely about football its the perfect mix with many other funny things going on, they make a fantasy football league look so fun that i actually started getting into the football parts, it almost makes me want to start a league of my own.
it was cheap and just felt desperate all in all I will not be wasting anymore time watching this show.P.S. the acting is horrible especially Katie Aselton i am sure she has no comedic training she was only cast because of her look and she is really bad..
Where did they graduate from, the University of Beavis and Butthead?Perhaps making a comedy about sports isn't easy, since football seems to be just a backdrop in the episodes I've watched so far.
I think it's important I mention first that I have below zero interest in American football or 'fantasy football' and my interest in the show was piqued originally by my being a fan of the Duplass brothers and because I knew it was a show recommended along with good comedies such as Always Sunny, The Office and Archer.
I'm happy to say that the football subject matter never steals the focus away from the core relationships between the characters and someone who knows nothing about the sport and its star players will not be left confused or patronized whenever they are actually talking about it.
The League is definitely a dialogue-driven show and the writers deliver, I think its where the comedy is strongest, as I am not particularly a fan of a lot of the visual humour thrown in along with it: think sex comedy, gross-out, 'insane' characters like Rafi and a hell of a lot of Paul Scheer's Andre being mocked or belittled in some way - it gets old fast, to say the least.Another particular thing about the League which I would say is a strength but could put some people of is basically how unsavory most of the characters are; only to each other, generally, but this is a show where you find competition, feuds, 'trash-talking' and bullying instead of endearments and 'traditional' friendship.
Nick Kroll's Ruxin takes a more over-the-top spin on how 'evil' he is, as he would certainly go the furthest to win against the others, and the subsequent development of his anger and stubbornness actually made him my favourite character - but on the other hand you have Andre who never really gets the credit he deserves, at least as practically the nicest, most caring member of the group, and Taco who ironically never gets the comeuppance he deserves as the uncaring, stoned sexual genius that mostly just Flanderizes him in the later seasons.
I have respect for Jason Mantzoukas as an actor and I've seen that he can play it straight and bring characters to life, but man has he had to play this character in half of his acting roles at this point.With a show that lasted this long, there's the big question that you might want answering before you start at Season 1: does it remain consistent in quality until the show ends?
Honestly at least they let the show end before dragging it any further into mediocrity, it's clear scheduling was becoming an issue with Nick Kroll and Mark Duplass absent from some episodes in the last season, and the jokes were becoming tired and overdone.
I liked the final episode, anyway, and I think it closed the show in a decent way, though it was just another diss on Andre.Overall, The League is a competent, funny, easily digestible show that I think rivals the likes of Always Sunny and Archer for unlikable characters and entertaining dialogue.
Picked this for an easy bit of entertainment on the morning commute, quite like NFL and thought this would be a fun look at how they do their fantasy league.
Initially this was a bit of fun, found their jokes/pranks on each other pretty darn mean spirited at times, some messing with your friends is one thing but often i couldn't understand why these guys ever hang out with each other.The main issue i had was the last season, the wheels well and truly came off this show at the end.
Sometimes the plot just isn't good enough, the characters may not be entertaining, however, one show that should be held above the rest is based on a fantasy football league.The League, which began its first season in October 2009, is a sitcom about a coveted fantasy football league, its dedicated members, and their quirky everyday lives.
The show is a semi-improvised comedy who follows a group of friends whose lives revolve around their fantasy football league and their league prize, The Shiva.
Many viewers, who also play fantasy football, see this as the ideal plot for entertainment and it is very attractive for them to watch.
Each episode focuses on one hurdle that each of the main characters has to get around, whether it's something at work, in the fantasy league, or with their family, the show seems to always find just the right amount of comedic spin to add.The main characters have been shaped to form a diverse group of friends in order to provide maximum entertainment for the audience.
Many times, like the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, the selection of characters is far too similar and there is little diversity for the audience to choose from.
This hasn't been an issue for fans of The League because of their assortment of characters and personalities.Also, The League's directors and creators have done a masterful job bringing on guest stars to improve the appeal for viewers.
The League's casting department has done a fabulous job of bringing in actors and actresses that compliment the main characters.
Which is a shame, especially knowing ahead of time that this was the end, you would hope the creators and writers would try to give the fans some sort of memorable send off, but it feels as if they gave up long ago.The first 4 seasons are great comedy, very wonderful and funny.
Each season has an overarching plot, the characters and situations are funny, all of that.
I really love this show, i find it hilarious, the characters are great.However, when i first started watching this show i loved how much they cared about their league and fantasy football and how their lives revolved around it.
Once the series went on it sort of drifted away from this side of the story, basically making it about 5 guys and 1 of their wives, who seem to have a hobby that pops up, the league itself becomes a small factor in what should be the centrepiece of the whole show, I loved at the start where they went different places for the drafts and that they cared so much, but now it seems the only episodes related to the league are the first and last on each season..
Based on a group of friends in a fantasy football league.
The jokes attached to him are bafflingly lame, the characterization is bizarre, and the character adds absolutely nothing to the mix.I'm going to continue to watch because of Mark Duplass, who is a real comer.
I started watching this series cause i had actually a lot of time.
I was awaiting this first episode of FX's new The League like many of my friends, but now that it is here, I am feeling a lot letdown.The cast is mostly made up of unknowns and lesser stars.
It kinda feels like the Always Sunny boys did the writing for The League as well and that would make sense considering the Thursday night time slot.
This cast can do amazing things with comedy and I hope this one is around for a long time.
I thought the show started off great in seasons 1 and 2, but as it continues on, it just seems like they cannot come up with anything new or funny anymore, as many shows do.
It just becomes such bad repetitive toilet humor at times, and the only thing that saves an episode is a few good one-liners.
There are a few funny episodes and scenes but the vast majority is the same joke repeated over and over.The main character Pete is the biggest buddyf**ker I have ever seen.
The only one that is almost normal is Kevin who is completely brow beaten and p**sy whipped.I have watched every single episode because a friend wanted me to and I don't have a life I guess but the unrealism of this show and 6th grade jokes do nothing for me.
My brother got me into this show awhile back and at first it was hilarious but by the beginning of the 5th season I've began to lose interest in the direction the show was going in it's premise.The character Pete seems to be like this perfect smart ass who seems to go unscathed in his actions.
Very rarely do I ever see him get put down a peg and the only time that I ever showed interest in his character is during the episode "12, 12, 12" where he's made a fool of by his old crush from high school, Gina Gibiatt (who was a total c*nt by the way.)And another factor that really annoyed the hell out of me was the constant torment towards Andre, by the 5th season he became the live embodiment of a human punching bag and I always felt so bad for him in the worst way.
Each episode usually has a scene where everybody makes sexual innuendo jokes at Andre and Andre never notices, and if that doesn't happen, they go out of their way to make a fool out of him in some other stupid way.The other characters weren't that much better than Pete.
The only character I've seemed to ever enjoy is Rafi, and he's suppose to be a disgusting pervert.All in all, the show can be so much better, but with the way things are going I don't think I have it in me to continue to watch this show....
I won't give examples in case of spoilers but I hope someone reads this review and takes my advice to watch it (that will be my mission accomplished!) My favourite's in the programme are definitely Raffi (purely for shock factor and how much Craic he can be!) and Taco (for sheer stupidity laughs)And another factor that makes me love the programme is if you watch Pete and Kevin when there's a truly funny scene it is clear as day to see that they are genuinely laughing and not acting (especially Pete) don't know about you lot but It always makes a show better for me when you can see an actor enjoying it as much as the viewer.
I think his character needs to expand, he needs to face a semi-depressing life beyond fantasy football.
Duplass cant do funny as much, he can do jerk, and he can do squabbling with his wife but he can also be a convincing friend, make him defend andre once in a while, but also enjoy things like tattooing his face on his back.