When it comes to original programming, FX seems to have a knack for finding great concepts. Some may not quite find an audience but the level of quality for original programming to get on the network is fairly substantial. It’s one thing to have syndicated episodes of Two and a Half Men en masse and hit movies from several summers ago; it’s another to put on bad original programming and FX doesn’t do that. When you have shows like Archer, Justified and Sons of Anarchy on the air, and garnering awards and critical acclaim every year, what you choose to air next must be tough. Even shows like Terriers and Lights Out, both of which were critically lauded but never found an audience, say a lot about the kind of shows FX wants to be involved with.
So when they do create original programming the bar is raised high; thus for The League to get onto the air FX executives must’ve thought that it could become one of the funniest things on television especially by putting it after It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. And they were right.
The League revolves around a handful of childhood friends who are still competing with one another in fantasy football. Ruxin (Nick Kroll) is an attorney and a fairly successful one at that. Pete (Mark Duplass) has an unremarkable job and is a single guy in his 30s, having been divorced early on in Season 1, but has a knack for winning the league. Kevin (Stephen Rannazzisi) is the league’s commissioner and his wife (Katie Aselton) competes alongside them. Kevin’s brother Taco (Jon Lajoie) skirts through life without a job but seemingly a lot of friends willing to help him out while Andre (Paul Scheer) is successful in seemingly everything about his life but fantasy football.
But this isn’t a show about fantasy football. It just happens to be what they all do.
The beauty of The League is that you don’t necessarily have to be a fan of football, or its fantasy equivalent. This is about an extended friendship and their wild adventures therein, with a common activity that keeps them together. And after a strong first season, the question remained: Could they figure a way to make it as funny as or perhaps even funnier than the first?
This season starts off with Andre, league champion, setting the guys up for their draft in Las Vegas. The season focuses on a couple of strong storylines that play out: we get to see Pete as a single man, trying to make a go of it after his divorce changed everything up for the group in the first season. Kevin is dealing with his wife being a competitor in the league as opposed to being his secret weapon. Andre is dealing with personal and professional setbacks to his life after winning the league title and the guys are generally dealing with growing older as well, going to a high school reunion and dealing with the people they used to be as opposed to being the people they’ve become.
What makes the show so strong is that there’s a remarkable chemistry between the actors in the show. Given the freedom to improvise, as the show doesn’t have a set script but more of a general direction to which Jeff and Jackie Schaffer want to move the episode, the show’s quality hinges uniquely on their ability to find comedy amongst each other. There are always strong and remarkably quotable lines, and some interesting NFL stars popping in regularly in cameo roles, but what carries the show is that the cast has strong chemistry together and individually. We can believe these guys have been friends since they were kids because they have that special chemistry with one another that few casts in a comedy series genuinely have.
It’s in how there’s always strong moments no matter which actor is in the scene; there are plenty of moments when there are odd pairings and there’s comedy gold to be mined. The League isn’t a show about fantasy football and it’s better for it. It’s a show about the nature of friendship that just happens to involve guys in a league.
Presented in a widescreen format with a surround sound format, the DVD has a good transfer. This isn’t a show with a brilliant color palette and consists in mainly of dialogue but what needs to come through comes through cleanly and clearly.
The usual Deleted Scenes, Alternate Takes and Gag Reel are included.
Full versions of Jon Lajoie’s musical numbers from the season are included in full.
If you haven’t discovered The League by now you really should; it’s one of the funniest things on television.
20th Century Fox presents The League (Season 2). Created by Jeff Schaffer and Jackie Marcus Schaffer Starring Mark Duplass, Jon Lajoie, Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, Stephen Rannazzisi, Katie Aselton. Running time: 286 minutes. Released on DVD October 4, 2011. Available at Amazon.com.
