Friday, October 31, 2003

There's not much prime-time television worth watching. Hasn't been for years. The public deserves something better than sleazy reality shows and sitcoms full of stale jokes.

That's why I love "Playmakers," ESPN's hit series about a fictional pro football team called the Cougars.

It's edgy and juicy. It's on cable, so they can get away with more -- including the S-word flying around more than the football.

It amounts to a soap opera, but DH, Olczyk and McConnell sure put Victor, Brad and Ashley of "The Young and the Restless" to shame.

The main character on "Playmakers" is DH, a young stud with speed and moves. The only thing bigger than his ego is his addiction to crack, and the only thing he attracts more than the ball is trouble. But it all runs off of his shoulder pads because, of course, when you're that good, you're untouchable.

The DH character, played deliciously by Omar Gooding, brother of actor Cuba Gooding Jr., is probably the biggest reason there is controversy surrounding the show, although you can't overlook the wife-beater, the sensitive linebacker who is battling demons, the playboy quarterback, the coach who is fighting cancer, the image-conscious, unscrupulous owner or the gay receiver, who in this week's episode was ejected from the closet and forced onto injured reserve.

Gee, that sounds like your typical NFL team, right? No stereotyping or liberties taken there.

Well, the exaggeration is lost on some.

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw are among those who have criticized or condemned "Playmakers" for its portrayal of pro football players. Upshaw even tossed around the issue of race.

Oh, get a life, will you?

It's Hollywood, folks. Fiction. "NYPD Blue" in teal.

If I had a dollar for every time a journalist, much less a sports reporter, was portrayed as some sort of meathead in a TV show or movie, I could afford to produce my own shows and try to improve the entertainment landscape. That doesn't mean I'm going to go after the shows and writers who present ridiculous journalist characters. Life's too short. Do you think "Ally McBeal" was an accurate portrayal of attorneys?

One of the early plot lines in "Playmakers" had a female sports broadcaster coming on to running back Leon Taylor, who is married with children. She wasn't subtle or shy, even touching him in the locker room. Is that ridiculous? Of course. Was I offended? Of course not. It's not real.

Anyone who would base his definition of an NFL player or sports reporter on this or any dramatic show is an idiot.

Everything in the gritty show is given the Hollywood treatment. So far, "Playmakers" has handled the above-mentioned topics plus steroids, abortion, gun violence and players risking their health by playing against doctor's orders.

If you don't like it, don't watch, but don't bring down us folks who enjoy it for what it is -- and by the way, judging by me and some of my friends, it appeals to more than just the coveted adult male demographic.

Instead of going after the show, I choose to go after those who go after the show. Leave it alone.

This is not like Rush Limbaugh's foot-in-mouth incident on ESPN earlier this fall. He was a purported journalist with a panel of real-life experts. "Playmakers" is a fictional show with actors reading from an entertainment script.

You want proof of just how made-up the show is? The Cougars have to beat a very good Cleveland squad to make the playoffs.

Shame on the NFL for even hinting that the league might strong-arm ESPN into killing "Playmakers" after its first season. It's one of those shows that burns bright but will burn out soon enough without interference, so let that happen on its own.

If I were a TV critic by trade, I'm sure I would find a lot of flaws in "Playmakers." The peripheral characters, for example, are written so one-dimensionally that they're as thin as the skins of those who are crying foul over the show.

But who cares? It's fun to watch and maybe it will open the door for more shows that break out of the TV rut. It's certainly the best show ESPN has produced since it entered the realm of dramatic entertainment. Remember that awful movie about Bobby Knight?

Please don't force "Playmakers" off the air before its popularity starts to wane.

I wonder if I'm the only one who has noticed that DH stands for Demetrius Harris, which happens to be the same name as a receiver/defensive back who played briefly at Pitt for Johnny Majors in the 1990s before he got run off by Walt Harris. And that's on top of the fact that the sensitive linebacker has the same last name as the Penguins coach.

Not that I'm implying any sort of relationship with reality there. Heaven forbid.

Next week, Snoop Dogg joins the cast as the moralistic brother of DH, and if the previews do justice to the plot, it ought to be good.

I can't wait.

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