The Paramount + series debuted this summer, and the entire spectacular 10-episode first season is now streaming.
I missed it when it was airing, and I’m not alone.
Do yourself a favor and catch up.
Arrow Dong-Hyeon, Michael Miko Ahn, Misha Brooks, Da’Jour Jones, and Youngbin Chung, on ‘Players’.Scott McDermott/Paramount+
“How is this a sport?”
asks Nathan Resnick (Stephen Schneider), Fugitive’s very corporate boss.
“I mean, watching people play video games professionally?”
Erin Simkin/Paramount+
That confused side-eye prepares you for a cheap-gag mockumentary, andPlayerseffectively imitates30 for 30’s moody grandeur.
The players have names, but the show prefers their tags.
He’s also ancient for his sport.
That Tom Brady prophecy got Dan Marino results.
With zero titles under their belt, the whole Fugitive operation is in dire straits.
Possible redemption arrives with Organizm (Da’Jour Jones), a teen virtuoso signed to a record-breaking contract.
If Creamcheese comes off like a comment-board bully, Organizm represents a new generation of extremely-online introversion.
He made a big name for himself giant-killing in onlineLeagueplay, working through crummy internet on a built-from-scratch computer.
A big Twitch profile makes him a valuable advertising commodity.
Creamcheese initially welcomes the teen to his team and then realizes Organizm’s presence might be a coup.
Cuts back to Fugitive’s transformative first season shade in other key characters.
Still, I’m not surePlayersis more of a commercial than, like, ESPN’s Jordan-strokingThe Last Dance.
Whereas Brooks has to come off like a loudmouth jerk and then sketch in years of self-inflicted emotional wounds.
Henry and Chou are both wonderful adults in the room, juggling bureaucratic necessities and narcissistic personalities.
Is that specificity whyPlayersdidn’t make much noise this summer?
(You’ll also loveThe Good FightandEvil,League-lovers!)
And people who don’t care about esportsreallydon’t care about esports.
The show hasn’t been renewed for a second season, and I hope it gets discovered.
The final episodes are outright stunning, full of unexpected twists as involving as the best sports documentaries.
Nowthatis a wombo combo.
(I looked it up.
)Grade: A
Related content:
