The League: The Complete First Season by 20th Century Fox

Actors

• Nick Kroll
• Mark Duplass
• Paul Scheer
• Stephen Rannazzisi
• Katie Aselton

Format

• AC-3
• Color
• Dolby
• Subtitled
• Widescreen

Editorial Review

Is it surprising that a comedy about a fantasy football league is secretly about marriage and male discontent? Pete (Mark Duplass, Humpday) splits with his long-term girlfriend in the first episode, Kevin (Stephen Rannazzisi) feels controlled by his wife Jenny (Katie Aselton, The Freebie), and Ruxin (Nick Kroll, A Good Old-Fashioned Orgy) is frustrated by his wife withholding sex; meanwhile Andre (Paul Scheer of comedy group Human Giant) and Taco (YouTube celebrity Jonathan Lajoie) are more or less opposite poles of singledom–a financially successful schmuck and a slacker ladies' man, respectively. This quintet of friends compete through fantasy football, but also by mocking and taking advantage of each other whenever possible. Much of the comedy comes from sex and bodily functions: Taco sings luridly inappropriate songs at children's birthday parties, the only pornography Ruxin can get away with are bra-testing videos, Kevin and Jenny's daughter excitedly handles her own poop. The semi-improvised nature of the script feeds into this, as the actors contend with crassness. What rescues The League is a frankness about the compromises of adulthood and marriage. There's just enough grit of real life in everyone's behavior to make the show feel honest–and that honesty makes the humor, more often than not, succeed. The Complete Season One features an abundance of entertaining extras beyond the obligatory blooper reel. –Bret Fetzer