A League of Their Own

"Vulgarity is not a sin against God, but against Polite Society. Between you and me, I don't give a shit about Polite Society." - Brother Justin Crowe, Carnivale, S02E10

Anyway, I bring up all of this talk of football because there is a league I actually do pay attention to. That would be FXX's The League which as of Wednesday, aired its first episode of season six! See? I do care about football! Just fictionalized versions of it.

So, the question comes up, is The League still actually worth watching? After a rather disappointing fourth and fifth season, it is realistic to ponder whether the show has simply lost the magic it had during the first three years. The answer to this question is a rather difficult one. Though the season six premiere was definitely entertaining and provided several great moments, as a whole, the show has just taken a turn for the worse. 

In the season premiere, we picked up at the start of football season with our six major characters shooting the shit, just as always. However, Andre, the most make-fun-able of the bunch, has suddenly had a boost of confidence, making all of their insults to him seem to bounce off. Meanwhile, Kevin, the sad sack of the show, has been more down in the dumps than ever. The gang is now using him as the new Andre. This was a funny idea for sure. Not only did it introduce the plot of the gang trying to break Andre's spirits again, but it also changed things up a bit. Then, a friend of their's, Ted, dies by car accident, with his last words being "Kevin is the new Andre." Though tragic, this causes the characters to go to his funeral and sit Shiva by themselves at night. Of course, they decide to draft there. So begins a bit of a Weekend at Bernie's type situation. It was funny, but compared to the ridiculously clever dialogue and plot of the first three seasons, this was a major step down. It was entertaining enough, but the dialogue was less sharp and the scenario was so ridiculous and vulgar it lost some of the effect. At its peak, The League was a clever It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia type show with slightly higher class characters. At its low point, The League is a fun twenty minutes, but something not really worth recommending to friends in the face of other great shows on FX or FXX.
Of course, as is the tradition with most season premieres of The League, a bunch of random football players were incorporated for no particular reason. This is usually pretty entertaining, even for someone like me who doesn't really follow football. This time though, it felt a bit forced, like the writers just stuck them in there to show that they could. 

Even though I bash it, the show is still a solid thing to watch on Wednesday nights for a couple good laughs. It doesn't take up so much time that it's a real commitment, and after having watched the past five seasons, it seems stupid to not keep with it. 

So, if you have a free twenty minutes each week, why not partake in the fun ridiculousness that makes up The League? You can't help but enjoy it, even if it's not quite up to standards with the other best comedies going on right now (Veep, Archer, Always Sunny). 

And, if you have the strange man-crush on Nick Kroll that I happen to have, then watch it for that! Also, Paul Scheer wearing ridiculous hats and outfits is enough to provide consistent laughs even if the rest of the show is only eh. 

Now to go prep for Sunday Football! And by that I mean HBO between 9 and 11.