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Playmakers - The Complete Series | 
| Directors: Brad Turner, Bruce Mcdonald, John Bell, John Fawcett, Scott Brazil
Actors: Omar Gooding, Marcello Thedford, Christopher Wiehl, Jason Matthew Smith, Russell Hornsby
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $49.99
Buy New: $10.91
You Save: $39.08 (78%)
New (14) Used (19) Collectible (1) from $9.42
Rating:  45 reviews
Sales Rank: 14939
Format: Anamorphic, Box Set, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 3
Running Time: 491 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.7 x 0.9
ISBN: 0788853295
UPC: 786936238884
EAN: 9780788853296
ASIN: B0001A79GM
Theatrical Release Date: August 26, 2003
Release Date: June 8, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New and Factory Sealed Item Fast Shipping
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Playmakers grows on a viewer in the most important way a good television series should: by encouraging curiosity about the growth and fate of key characters. One might easily dismiss this ESPN original drama as a mere catalog of the problems that dog some professional football players, very often to public scrutiny: injuries, drugs, egos, criminal associations, etc. But patience rewards those who watch enough of Playmakers's 11 episodes to care about the humanity of the show's troubled athletes. The series concerns NFL contenders the Cougars, led by a hard but fair coach (Anthony John Denison) suffering from prostate cancer while dealing with a treacherous team owner (Bruce Gray), a problematic prima donna (Omar Gooding), and mid-ranked players struggling with fundamentals of the game. Meanwhile, several Cougars emerge as major characters, among them middle linebacker Eric Olczyk (Jason Matthew Smith), a good guy psychologically impaired after paralyzing an opposing player and now trying to get both his game and life back. Olczyk's best friend, running back Leon Taylor (Russell Hornsby), is at the end of his contract and faces stiff competition for his job, causing stress that translates into a reputation-destroying act of domestic violence. Star quarterback Derek McConnell, a hound among hounds, impregnates a stranger and compels a team assistant (Stephen Bogaert) to handle abortion details. Time after time, the men of Playmakers find themselves pressured to live and function with an eye toward the team's good image and commercial prospects. Yet clean living is terribly difficult given the physical sacrifices, emotional isolation, management sabotage, and temptations foisted upon pro players. The many dramatic strings drawn out over the series come together in the very fine final episode, ending on a note of irony as outrageous as anything previously seen on television. --Tom Keogh
Description
What generated all the controversy about PLAYMAKERS, ESPN's daring hit series about a fictional pro football team? This eleven-episode, three-disc set lets you immerse yourself in the off-the-field lives of the Cougars from its very beginning. With its lightning-fast pace and great characters, this gritty and edgy drama is as intense a roller-coaster ride as any drama on the field.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 40 more reviews...
Why was this show cancelled again??? December 13, 2008
Oscar
You don't even have to be a sports fan to enjoy this show, that's how good it is. I've seen some great tv series, but they usually have a minor flaw or two, this one was great throughout. An outstanding series that you'll want to add to your collection and watch time and time again. After watching the pilot episode I couldn't shut it off.
ESPN should've done more to keep this show on the air.
This Series Must Continue December 6, 2007
Maclen (Hawaii, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I stumbled onto this series while watching sports news on ESPN; I was immediately engaged. The writing was gritty and in your face, there was not a single weak character portrayed, and all aspects of a professional sports team were examined in uncompromising detail. Much has been written about the unfortunate reasons for this series' demise. However, I find it inconceivable that this excellent dramatic series cannot continue on another, independent channel, far from the clutches of the NFL gestapo. The series is that good and the unfinished stories of this team need to be told.
I still watch it to this day March 29, 2007
Chris Glover (Jamaica, NY)
I do agree with most of the reviewers. This should have been put on HBO. The story was just a smidgen too short. They really should of considered a second season. Omar Gooding as an overhyped rookie turned junkie is SWEET!!!
GREAT SERIES, TOO BAD IT'S NOT STILL AROUND February 1, 2007
AeroEngineer (Los Angeles, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I think a non-NFL affiliated channel could really do well with this series, it's really great. I could see non-NFL fans tuning in to this series based on it's dramatic strengths alone, maybe A&E or Bravo, it would be a hit series.
I've not followed the NFL seriously since I was a kid/teenager but this made me want to get back into it and I could see my mother watching this too, not just NFL crazed dad!
It presents the time in-between Sundays and also does a marvelous job of gametime drama as well. These players live at the top their whole lives, women, money, influence, but it comes at a cost, physically, mentally and emotionally,this series chronicles just that.
 The Power Of The NFL & The Weakness Of ESPN January 9, 2007
Mr. Richard D. Coreno (Berea, Ohio USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I will admit that I was very sceptical about Playmakers when ESPN made the initial announcement about the series. And while the show - in my opinion - took several weeks to really find some momentum, it turned out to be a very good dramatic series that addressed some serious societal & racial issues within the fictional pro football team, the Cougars, who played in The League.
Topics such as spousal abuse, homosexuality, recreational drug usage and steroids made for compelling storylines. Though critics took aim at the scripts for oftentimes being over the top, the cast - that included Omar Gooding, Jason Matthew Smith and Marcello Thedford - made it work. The actors believed in the series, which made for some harsh words directed at ESPN when it cancelled the show after one season.
The 11 episodes orignally ran from August 26 to November 11, 2003, with numerous replays. As the real storyline goes - proving again the fact is stranger than fiction - NFL executives weren't pleased with the series and basically told the ESPN brass that the fictional show goes off the air or the real football games will leave the network.
When the series was cancelled, there were rumors that Playmakers would find another network to call home. That never got past the "rumor" stage.
The storylines clearly demonstrate that Playmakers was building a strong foundation for a second season. But - in perhaps the best lesson of all - it showed how a multi-billion-dollar, multi-national corporation will become a program director to a compliant network and dictate what shows will air for any given season.
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