Having recently finished my first full rewatch of The League, I've realised I have a few things to say in regards to reviewing it. I think it's important I mention first that I have below zero interest in American football or 'fantasy football' and my interest in the show was piqued originally by my being a fan of the Duplass brothers and because I knew it was a show recommended along with good comedies such as Always Sunny, The Office and Archer. I'm happy to say that the football subject matter never steals the focus away from the core relationships between the characters and someone who knows nothing about the sport and its star players will not be left confused or patronized whenever they are actually talking about it. One of the League's strengths is certainly that it can balance the dialogue between the specific subject matter and an endless amount of jokes, insults, banter between characters, instances of reoccurring gags and less than serious situations. The League is definitely a dialogue-driven show and the writers deliver, I think its where the comedy is strongest, as I am not particularly a fan of a lot of the visual humour thrown in along with it: think sex comedy, gross-out, 'insane' characters like Rafi and a hell of a lot of Paul Scheer's Andre being mocked or belittled in some way - it gets old fast, to say the least.
Another particular thing about the League which I would say is a strength but could put some people of is basically how unsavory most of the characters are; only to each other, generally, but this is a show where you find competition, feuds, 'trash-talking' and bullying instead of endearments and 'traditional' friendship. Most of the characters are reasonable, normal people who simply take part in the League and its associated dramas. Nick Kroll's Ruxin takes a more over-the-top spin on how 'evil' he is, as he would certainly go the furthest to win against the others, and the subsequent development of his anger and stubbornness actually made him my favourite character - but on the other hand you have Andre who never really gets the credit he deserves, at least as practically the nicest, most caring member of the group, and Taco who ironically never gets the comeuppance he deserves as the uncaring, stoned sexual genius that mostly just Flanderizes him in the later seasons. And then there's Rafi, who never gets better and only gets more grating, and no, I didn't enjoy the Rafi and Dirty Randy episodes at all really. I have respect for Jason Mantzoukas as an actor and I've seen that he can play it straight and bring characters to life, but man has he had to play this character in half of his acting roles at this point.
With a show that lasted this long, there's the big question that you might want answering before you start at Season 1: does it remain consistent in quality until the show ends? The answer: yes, almost. I felt that the first six seasons were all as good as each other, and only with about half the episodes of Season 7 did I notice an obvious drop in quality. Honestly at least they let the show end before dragging it any further into mediocrity, it's clear scheduling was becoming an issue with Nick Kroll and Mark Duplass absent from some episodes in the last season, and the jokes were becoming tired and overdone. I shouldn't have to mention the animated episode. I liked the final episode, anyway, and I think it closed the show in a decent way, though it was just another diss on Andre.
Overall, The League is a competent, funny, easily digestible show that I think rivals the likes of Always Sunny and Archer for unlikable characters and entertaining dialogue. It has some great stars and a generally consistent tone, with the characters having well executed season-long arcs. Don't expect the world from it, but if you like the first couple of episodes then you'll probably like the entire show.
