shook-72048
It's hard to find a show that is constantly making you laugh and doesn't get repetitive. Many times, new and edgy sitcoms come on air for a season or two and then seem to fizzle out. 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. We follow them through their everyday smack talk, trade discussions, and awkward life situations. The show is very well constructed from top to bottom. Not many other shows have the ability to run for a full seven seasons, especially with such a simple concept. However, the simple concept is what most of the viewers love about the show. It is all about friends hanging out and discussing fantasy football, while still dealing with the motions of everyday life. 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. Each character has their own type of comedy, which makes the show appeal to all kinds of viewers. There's Ruxin, the cut-and-dry, witty lawyer, who always seems to get himself into awkward situations at work with his sarcasm. Pete, the bachelor, works an average job, but he spends most of his time looking for the right girl. Andre is a very successful, but strange, plastic surgeon who always finds himself at the butt of his friend's jokes. Kevin and Jenny are the married couple in the league who go through all the same issues as a normal married couple, while still being rivals in the fantasy league. And then there's Taco, the wacky brother of Kevin, who uses his stupidity to make the audience laugh. The creators Jeff and Jackie Schaffer did a superb job when putting together the characters, because they mesh flawlessly and they give every kind of viewer a favorite character. 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. They use the advantage of being the only sitcom about fantasy football to their advantage and have brought in an array of actual NFL players and analysts throughout the series. Throughout the years the likes of Terry Bradshaw, Hall of Fame NFL Quarterback; Matt Forte, Chicago Bears Running Back; and many others have been guest stars on the show. Each one who has been on usually doesn't have the best first impression of the league members and many times they don't usually have the best last impression, either. Most of the players quickly find out that the members of the league will do whatever it takes to win.Another way The League has done a fantastic job is choosing the setting. It seems to rotate between the same old bar, houses and offices, but they all seem to fit in perfectly with the quirky comedy that is being executed at the time. There's nothing special about the bar, it's a simple bar, but it is the perfect environment for the members of The League to crack jokes at each other. Everyone's house fits their back story to a tee. Ruxin has the more extravagant, larger house, because he is a lawyer. Kevin and Jenny live in an average sized suburban home because they both work middle class jobs. Pete, the bachelor, naturally lives alone in a small apartment. And Andre, the big time plastic surgeon lives on his own in a spacious, upscale penthouse apartment. All of which fit their exact behavior, personalities and back stories.One thing that is often overlooked in a show is the supporting cast. The supporting cast can help make or break a show, like the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, which had a fantastic supporting cast that fit together like an actual family and solved problems like an actual family would, that created much appeal for the audience and that's part of the reason why it had such a long run. The League's casting department has done a fabulous job of bringing in actors and actresses that compliment the main characters. Their timing is superb and seem to chime in at the exact right time to crack a joke. This is key to having a successful show.After watching the whole series a full time through and re- watching much of it, it is very hard to find something this show lacks. It seems to offer something for everybody, with all different kinds of comedy, actors and plots. Even though it is about fantasy football, it has an appeal to those who have no idea what fantasy football is. They do a great job of appealing to a wide range of viewers and have established a loyal fan base. The League is one of the best sitcoms on television and it would be very hard to find another show that tops this one at this point.
j_p_j_p
This is quite possibly the worst show on TV. Right after FX's utterly brilliant It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, this comes on. It is a show about a gang of completely unlikeable douches where one guy is douchier than the next. The script is beyond awful, there are no real funny moments at all, and in the end you are just left wanting to punch the cast in the face. Again, I guess it bottles down to the writing. 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). However, as is, this is unwatchable garbage. I'm sorry FX, I know you wanted this to be another hit like Sunny, but it's just dreadful. Cancel ASAP please. If not, the only way of saving it would be through removing Mark Duplass and bringing in new writers, sacking the old ones).
