A.J. Reviews "The League" (300th Blog)

(Photo by Amazon)

(Side note: This piece contains spoilers. If you don't want to know what happens and want to watch the show, skip this article.)

Hello sir or ma'am, are you into fantasy football? No, I mean, REALLY into fantasy football? Does it consume you to the point where it crosses the line into your personal life? Well, friends, this program has not only crossed that line but painted over it and pissed on it.

The League is a show about five childhood friends participating in a fantasy football league where they try to put each other in difficult situations to get the advantage over each other to win in the league. Case in point, the pilot episode shows one friend, who is an assistant district attorney, confronting his buddy, who is a lawyer, on his client and his sentence. The ADA is able to shorten the sentence by obtaining Adrian Peterson in their draft. This is basically the premise of the show.

The League was on for seven seasons on the FX and later, FXX station. It was right up my alley since it was after It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and it was about fantasy football. It was developed by the husband-and-wife team of Jackie and Jeff Schaefer, writers from the successful Curb Your Enthusiasm. (Spoiler Alert: Larry David appears on the series finale and DJ Smoove is in an episode.) It is a mix between Seinfeld, Curb and a little It's Always Sunny and it has been critically acclaimed by experts and fans alike.

THE CAST

Pete Eckhart (Mark Duplass) is a divorced man who has the league be the basis of his entire being. Despite his carefree attitude through every life, he gets unhinged when things don't go his way in fantasy football.

Kevin McArthur (Steve Rannaizzi) is the commissioner of the league and has his wife control his team in the first season. Despite being an ADA for the city, he gets himself into hijinks in every episode.

Rodney Ruxin (Nick Kroll) is a neurotic and sarcastic friend who prefers to be called by his last name. He always claims that there is a "shadow government" or collusion happening in the league.

Andre Nowzick (Paul Scheer) is the top plastic surgeon in the city. Despite being the most successful in the group, he is the butt of everyone's jokes due to his lack of style and demeanor.

Taco McArthur (Jon Lajoie) is Kevin's younger brother who is always under the influence of cannabis and gets himself into Kramer-like situations in every episode.

Jenny McArthur (Katie Aselton) is Kevin's wife and gets her own team after operating her husband's team. Like the guys, she gets into hijinks just to have an advantage in the league.

The show resides in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka and the Bears are heavily referenced in the sitcom. In fact, the NFL is a huge part of the sitcom despite the Shield not giving them the permission to use their logos or any likeness. The trophy that is won is called the Shiva and is named after their high school friend. They develop a trophy during the second season for the worst player in the league that has a likeness of an animal's body part that I can't say here.

Since the show is about the NFL, you know there are cameos from players. Antonio Gates, Adrian Peterson, JJ Watt, Cam Jordan, Jordan Cameron and other players show up. Football personalities as Coach Prime, Jay Glazer, Terry Bradshaw, Rich Eisen...hell, Jerrah makes an appearance, as does super-agent Tom Condon. Sports personalities as Mark Cuban and Dana White make brief cameos as well. (Side note: White shows up on It's Always Sunny and the League in cameos)

A couple of side characters of note, Rafi (Jason Mantzoukas) as Ruxin's brother-in-law and is the show stealer whenever he is on.'

A list of guest stars from Hollywood have graced the screens for the League:

-Jeff Goldblum is Ruxin's father

-Corbin Bernsen is Jenny's father

-Sarah Silverman is Andre's sister

-Griffin Dunne and the late Glenne Headly as Andre's parents

-Seth Rogen as Dirty Randy, Rafi's buddy

-Will Forte as Chuck, a friend and participant of the League who sits on Ruxin's head with his unmentionables exposed

-Adam Brody as Ted, a buddy of the gang who wins a season and is infected with the HIV virus.

-Rob Heubel as Russell, a friend of the League who is an addict of xes (the word is backwards)

-Robert Wagner as Pete's grandfather who fakes memory loss to get with ladies at a resting home

With their lists of respectable actors, the League was organic since you can tell that the show is unscripted at times. Some sitcoms are tied down with horrible and boring lines and a laugh track that is placed in unfunny situations. This one has a quintet of comedians that feed off each other in Rannaizzi, Kroll, Lajoie and Scheer. Duplass and Aselton, who are married in real life, fit into this nucleus despite not really being comedians, but they are well-trained actors that can also show range being in a comedy setting.

The League has been considered underrated since it didn't have the longevity of Its Always Sunny or the mystique of a Seinfeld. It is a shame since I have watched this entire series from start to finish multiple times that the League isn't mentioned as one of the best comedies that has been produced. Also, I forgot about one person who was a guest on the show.

Yep, that the Duchess of Sussex herself, Meghan Markle making an appearance on the second episode of the show.

So, when it comes to sports shows that can make you chuckle up a storm, then you have a recommendation from me to watch the League. It is sophomoric humor at its best.

(Well, we just hit 300 blogs here, thanks to everyone who has supported us through the years and here's to another 300.)

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