Those of you who know the song “Chelsea Dagger” by The Fratellis or are Chicago Blackhawks fans, the song probably reminds you of just a cool song or the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup Playoff run and win. Well, the song also reminds me of the FX series “The League.”
Fantasy football has taken over many a life in recent years. “The League” shows you just how competitive fantasy football can become between friends.
In this FX comedy series that premiered last Fall, five friends, Pete Eckhart, Rodney Ruxin, Andre Nowzic, Kevin McArthur, and Taco McArthur (actors Mark Duplass, Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, Stephen Rannazzisi, and Jon Lajoie respectively) compete in a fantasy football league. That’s not the whole show, however. The show also dips into their marriages, careers, and every day lives.
If you are part of the demographic including males between the ages of 16-24 (are those the ages that marketing firms use? Just a random guess.), this is aimed directly at you. I am 23 years old and definitely like this show. I’m not saying that it’s not likable by anybody else, but its target audience is most likely young males. My friends and I at college were huge fans of “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia,” so we stayed tuned in and watched this show, too. I’m not saying that “The League” can be as good as “It’s Always Sunny” was, but it definitely has some potential.
The season 1 DVD is actually pretty good. It has extended episodes and some extras that are worth watching, although I personally found the show funnier than the extras. There are six episodes that each had something that made me really laugh out loud. The two disc set also includes the pilot episode of the FX series “Archer.”
My definite favorite part of the series was the finale, “The Shiva Bowl.” Shiva-blasting is no doubt the best line of the first season. If you don’t get the DVD or Blue-Ray, find the episode on www.fxnetworks.com/shows/orignals/theleague.
The series got picked up for a second season, which started on September 16, 2010 and will have 13 episodes. It airs on Thursdays at 10:30 on FX.