"Playmakers" Cancelled

[djtestudo]

http://espn.go.com/gen/news/2004/0204/1727165.html

NFL reaction to series a factor in cancellation

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com


"Playmakers" has been sacked.

After months of speculation about its future, ESPN's originally scripted series about a fictional professional football team will not return, a company official said Wednesday. One of the main reasons for cutting the series after the first season was the reaction from the NFL brass.

"Many considerations went into this decision, not the least of which was the reaction from a longtime and valued partner," said Mark Shapiro, ESPN's executive vice president of programming and production. "We are proud of the show on many levels -- it was a creative and critical success, and we are appreciative that viewers clearly embraced this new genre on our network."

In its only season, "Playmakers" won critical praise and pulled in a significant audience -- an average of 1.6 million households for each of the show's 11 episodes.

Although the finale drew approximately two million viewers, longtime NFL sponsor Gatorade announced before the show that it had decided to pull its advertising for that episode.

"It was an ESPN decision and now we can all move on," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Wednesday. "We're looking forward to Sunday night's Pro Bowl and another great season with ESPN in 2004."

ESPN broadcasts NFL games on Sunday night, and ABC -- which, like ESPN, is owned by the Walt Disney Co. -- televises "Monday Night Football." The rights deal for both broadcasts runs through the 2005 season.

Earlier in the just-completed 2003 season, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue admitted to calling Disney CEO Michael Eisner to express his displeasure with what he thought were the show's "one-dimensional" plots.

The adult drama, ESPN's first series, featured plots that touched on drug use, marital infidelity and homophobia. The show caught criticism from NFL players including Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp, who refused to do interviews with ESPN.

Darren Rovell covers sports business for ESPN.com.

Tagliabue is REALLY starting to piss me off...

[Jesus Malverde]

I can't believe this. I thought ESPN was going to bring the series back next season. They should have grabbed their balls and brought the series back at least for one more season. Who cares if Warren Sapp doesn't want to give you interviews? The NFL is just using their swing to interfere with ESPN's right to have a TV show. I guess they know that fans like me will still watch football no matter what, but they shouldn't have stepped in and influenced the cancellation.

[jasonresno]

I hated the show anyways...so I don't care..

[Bigt6909]

I think that ESPN was just scared of losing the NFL so they said the show was canceled. I watched it a few times and it wasn't bad, but it just sucks that the NFL and other sports orginizations has that kind of power over what's on tv

[present_future]

I'm not going to be so naive as to believe that there is actually that much drama in the average NFL locker room, but I still found the show somewhat entertaining.

[NoseyJoe]

I agree with BigT6909. It was a critically acclaimed show, and it pulled in nearly 2 million viewers!! What more can they ask for!??

[PorscheBunny]

Originally posted by NoseyJoe
I agree with BigT6909. It was a critically acclaimed show, and it pulled in nearly 2 million viewers!! What more can they ask for!??

Janet Jackson showing her tits at halftime?

Seriously, CBS is probably sweating over whether or not the NFL will pull programming off their network next season as it is. You think Disney is going to do something to piss off the NFL in the current environment?

ESPN needs the NFL a whole lot more than the NFL needs ESPN. Even with the Viacom group in the doghouse (CBS/MTV/UPN/Spike), there's still Warner (TNT/TBS/WB/HBO/CNN) and GE (NBC/CNBC/MSNBC) without current NFL contracts, plus the NFL now has its own network. Besides, given all the NFL-based programming on ESPN, what would ESPN find to fill the time without the NFL? Poker and billiards?

[thephuse]

I kinda liked the show, even tho i missed a couple, a show about sports was interesting..

No one thinks that the stuff happening on the show happens in every locker room, and we all know that some of the shit that happened actually DOES happen, so why doesn the NFL clean rather than ignoring the truth?

anyways.. since the NFL has killed playmakers,

why not MLB and NBA? a baseball and basketball version of Playmakers might be AS interesting...

[jasonresno]

Originally posted by present_future
I'm not going to be so naive as to believe that there is actually that much drama in the average NFL locker room, but I still found the show somewhat entertaining.

I know, seriously. That stuff doesn't happen that much..

[TheJig]

I think that ESPN did what they had to do. I like to think I would have done it differently, but what are you going to do when your biggest business partner is upset with one of your products.

Anyway, that show was utter crap.

[JoeyB]

The show would work much better on Showtime or HBO. They could have gone even further with some of the realism and certain plot lines.

ESPN has too much to lose by getting on the wrong side of the NFL. Showtime wouldn't have that same concern. HBO probably would be antsy because of "Inside the NFL".

[Dostoevsky]

I'll tell ya what, regardless of what we think about the show in terms of being cool or sucking, some of the content on there must have struck pretty close to home for the NFL to hate it so much. Really, if it was so far fetched than the NFL would have just laughed it off. For the NFL to actually pressure Disney's CEO to have Playmakers cancelled speaks volumes for the shows validity.

[fishboy_250]

I agree with TheJig, Playmakers was one of the most horribly acted shows I've ever seen. I don't think there was one decent actor casted, especially Cuba Gooding Jr's little brother, the running back who smoked crack and was involved in a murder cover-up.

[crewsor]

I liked the show, and am disappointed it won't return. Sure, there weren't many acadamy award nominees on the cast, but I found it entertaining. It sucks that they had to bow to pressure from the NFL.
It seems lots of people who supposedly hated the show know an awfull lot about the plot lines.

[harrybllz]

Hopefully another network will pick it up. It wasn't the greatest show, but I do feel that it was a somewhat accurate dramatization of life in the NFL. Read some books sometime of retired NFL stars. There are a lot of them out there. It was a hard show and I do agree that the acting wasn't the best, but it was a fresh show. IT will be missed.

[JERKY2010]

THE SHOW WAS GREAT. SURE IT WAS ONE DIMISIONAL WITH ALL THE LEAGUES "PROBLEMS" ROLLED TOGETHER IN ONE TEAM BUT IT SHOWED A DIFFERENT SIDE TO PRO FOOTBALL. THE SHOW SHOWED THE PLAYERS AS REGULAR MEN WITH REGULAR PROBLEMS THAT DIDNT END WELL AFTER 60 MINUTES. MR. TAG IS PISSING ME OFF JUST AS THE MLB COMMISH IS.!

[foolio7714]

Originally posted by fishboy_250
I agree with TheJig, Playmakers was one of the most horribly acted shows I've ever seen. I don't think there was one decent actor casted, especially Cuba Gooding Jr's little brother, the running back who smoked crack and was involved in a murder cover-up.

Exactly! Why else would they be so "offended" by it? I'm sure HBO or Showtime will pick up though. And if you think that stuff doesn't happen in the NFL you are naive. I've been an NFL fan for my entire life and I've seen every eposide of Playmakers. Being a Dallas Cowboys fan also, most of the Storylines have sounded familiar.

[bt8624]

it was a tv show..thats it, it's supposed to have the drama it did....otherwise people don't watch...i think this sucks.

[pan6467]

I believe I read somewhere that FX was going to pick it up. Personally it would work better on a network other than ESPN.
It's kind of a conflict of interest for them anyway.


As for the NFL, well until they have "stars" not pull cellphones out of goal posts and running backs getting DUI's just hours after practice, then the same guy fails his drug tests and gets stabbed by his fiancee....... they will continue to self destruct. BUT, because we have the sport drilled into our heads we will continue to watch the NFL and if someone does try another league the NFL and writers destroy it before it starts (the XFL, the USFL).

Same with baseball, the MLB will continue to make billions whether they fuck over a city or not.

People may care but too many continue to watch and go to the games.

Until tv and advertisers pull the revenue plug these sports have carte blanche and know nothing will happen. (Look at the unsuccessful fan strikes, they end up being treated as jokes from the press and the leagues.)