This Season's Funniest New Show, 'The League'

I'll start by saying I haven't seen Glee and Modern Family, but it's safe to say this year's funniest new show is FX Networks' The League. Laugh-out-loud politically incorrect humor that pushes the bar of what's acceptable even in the murky waters of cable TV.

Described as, "A comedy about marriage, male friendship, parenting, suburbia, and growing up (or refusing to grow up). This series follows the progress of a fantasy football league …." Hold on, before you go running off at the thought of a show based on a fantasy football league, that is a mere jumping-off point for the program, much the same way that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (also on FX) is loosely based around the goings-on at Paddy's Pub.

The real story lies in the relationships forged between the men of The League and that of their significant others (or lack thereof). The humor is rude and crude but is also some of the most successfully gut-busting material being aired on the boob tube today. It's closest competition in the scripted-comedy category is lead-in Sunny in Philadelphia or NBC's The Office and 30 Rock which are certainly brilliant network comedies, but possibly too lovable to be compared to FX's unsympathetic Thursday night duo.

One of the stars of The League is Mark Duplass of The Puffy Chair fame. Duplass plays Pete, a good-looking charmer whose life is a mess. He hates his job and is recently separated from his wife, but he is a fantasy football god, coming out on top in their fantasy league in three of the last four years. (Keep an eye out for Duplass in Noah Baumbach's upcoming feature-length film Greenberg, where he'll be starring alongside Ben Stiller.)

Taco, a devout pot-smoking male slut, wonderfully played by Jon Lajoie is the only other previous champ, despite being oblivious to the daily and weekly workings of the league. Lajoie, straight out of Canada, is a scene-stealer in his own right with a promising future in comedy.

Do yourself a favor and tune in to episode five airing tonight on FX at 9:30pm, if only to see Duplass as he ascends to the status of a Wilson brother-type leading man: funny, handsome, smart, and a little messed-up.