Sports Action Team

This second rate improv troupe mugs its way through a painfully unfunny attempt at being the ESPN version of The Larry Sanders Show. Their attempts at humor could only be generously described as lame.

I guess the appeal is supposed to be the "zany" characters and their clashing, showbiz egos but none of the actors are engaging or comedically inclined while the dialogue appears to be half improvised and it shows.

Having watched this show on several occasions, I can't understand how insipid swill like this manages to get on television. Its only saving grace perhaps is that competes with the infomercials and coin selling shows that inhabit the late night broadcast schedule.

Stupid, silly, funny mockumentary about the Sports Action Team, their clueless producer and their dopey jock hosts. Bright cast, sharp writing, you'll definitely be able to put one of their jocks to a jock you know, no matter where you live or who you (or a loved one) watch. I, for one, easily found the Beesley Reese character and I'm not even into sports. At one point, the producer, who used to produce soap operas, insists the host ask a football player about tryouts, but she wants him to call them 'auditions' instead. She eventually winds up in a pool. The one problem the show has is that it's a little stiff and sometimes a little over the top. Personally, I believe these are growing pains, and eventually the kinks will get worked out. At it's best, it sometimes catches a "Mary Tyler Moore Show" vibe (that was another show that took a while to find it's groove). Not really about sports, it's about showbiz personalities wallowing in "the business", and if you're a football widow, you're bound to get more than a few laughs out it.

You have to be in the mood, but I find this pretty funny and up there with at least this season's Office. Goofy, but it certainly doesn't take itself too seriously. Apparently only balk people watch the program however, because where I see it, the only ads are for hair growth solutions. One drawback of the program is that the sports "celebrities" that appear sometimes crack up as they're doing their parts. Mike Didka was constantly smiling while he was doing his part on the Thanksgiving show, but his presence was still great. Coach Carter, in the same episode was spot on. The show also parodies the fact that covering sports is a huge business in its own right and it needs parodying.

While the cast has a panache for improvisation it's really the "unsuspecting" athlete that makes the show unique and even more enjoyable to watch. The athletes are invited into the improvisational world and allowed to show off their acting chops at their best (ex. Tom Glavine forced to plug a funeral home in an interview to help the budget tightened Sports Action Team get more money) and sometimes at their worst (a giggling Ricky Manning Jr., helps lock Al and Steven in a bathroom). But good or bad, athletes are truly allowed to showcase their "chops" and play with these bumbling fools.

As a sports fan, I find it incredibly enjoyable to watch some of my heroes play along with these fledgling fools. The Sports Action Team breaks into Jerry Rice's house, they have a picnic with Jeff Garcia, they have Thanksgiving Dinner with Mike Ditka, they intern with Super Agent Leigh Steinberg, and they blog with Carson Palmer. That alone makes the show unique enough to have some laughs but where the athletes may falter (as they inevitably do because they are not actors), the improvisers pick up the slack.

The Sports Action Team is able to take their comedy to any sport (NFL, MLB, Sumo Wrestling, Roller Derby), and any location, and while seemingly they maintain their bumbling idiocy there remains those moments where you can still understand why they want to be sports reporters. In essence, they walk the thin line of "Larry David" frustration, while still allowing the audience to root for them to rise above their egos (Kevin), their alternative style (Katie), their sexual confusions (Al), their sad and over exaggerated past (Anthony), their naivety (Steven), and their ruthlessness (Nicole). Just as comedy shows in the past have succeeded solely on their ensemble, I truly believe that this one may have a shot to continue on as a result of the chemistry between the cast. As is the case with many comedy shows from our present and past, shows with a talented cast can maintain a steady audience base - even if it is on way too late at night.