Rating: 
Summary: Simply Amazing...
Review: When I first saw this show it was on DVD... I did not have cable so I was not into tuning in to watch the show on a weekly basis, but let me tell you I tried to watch just one episode a day but that did not work!!! I was so hooked on this show I watched every episode in one day! It's just a really good hard hitting never boring show, it's pretty sad that they canceled it... they just don't know that they are throwing a diamond away...
Rating:
Summary: Not only were the stories "true," so were the characters
Review: "Playmakers," ESPN's pro football drama, lasted only a single season and only eleven episodes at that. It became well known that the National Football League (read the Commissioner's office) hated the series because it provided an unrealistic (read realistic) picture of professional football. As one columnist pointed out, "Playmakers" would have had trouble putting together a second season of shows simply because it had already used pretty much every real-world NFL scandal from the past decade. But this week Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis was sentenced to four months in prison for using a cell phone to try and set up a drug deal, Terrell Owen has declared that he will be playing in the Super Bowl despite not being cleared to play by his doctor, and the Philadelphia Eagles signed veteran tight end Jeff Thomason to take a vacation from his construction job to play in the Super Bowl to replace the injured Chad Lewis on the roster. So, yes, I think that "Playmakers" could have found more things to write about.
For me the biggest adjustment with watching "Playmakers" was getting used to virtually all of the action being off the field. We were more likely to see the Cougars involved in practice than on game day, and while we recognize that staging football scenes is time consuming (and involves elements of risk for the actors), it does require viewers to make some allowances of the stories. This is because while most of the drama happens off the playing field the resolution of many of the issues can only take place during the game. But by the time you get through the first couple of episodes you understand the rules by which the series is playing and it becomes clear "Playmakers" is character driven.
The central character is #33 Leon Taylor (Russell Hornsby), a running back out of USC in his ninth season. In addition to being old by running back standards, Taylor is just back rehabilitating an injury and dealing with whether or not the team is going to give him a contract for the next season. Adding insult to injury is that the team is more than willing to give Taylor's starting position to rookie running back #39 Demetrius Harris (Omar Gooding). This eternal conflict between the veteran and the rookie is at the heart of the series, and the biggest problem I have with Harris is not that he is always breaking the speed limit or doing drugs, but that he is portrayed as one of the most cocky and arrogant rookies in the history of football. I kept waiting for middle linebacker #54 Eric Olczyk (Jason Matthew Smith) to just lay out the rookie flat during practice. But the kid's behavior is indulged, even though it seems decidedly out of place on a team that is 2-3 when he pick up the season.
While Taylor is doing steroids to get back from rehab, Olczyk is doing drugs of a different sort, anti-depressants, because the vicious hit he gave that paralyzed another player was actually a cheap shot. The team's quarterback, #11 Derek McConnell (Christopher Wiehl) is rather boring in comparison, because he is just a swinging playboy. The team's gopher and its gay defensive back are both much more interesting, as is offensive tackle #60 Kevin "The Buffalo" James (Marcello Thedford), who becomes DH's loyal sidekick, especially since we are talking about a loyalty that is abused. Head Coach Mike George (Tony Denison) is also in his 9th season, with a winning record below .500, but it is his lack of control over his team rather than his win-loss record that suggests the Cougars get somebody new.
Although "Playmakers" ends with the show's soap opera elements such as Olczyk's girl friend problems and Taylor's sportscaster try out threatening to overwhelm the ironic climax to the Cougar's season, you had to admit that ultimate the series WAS a soap opera. What mattered was that the ESPN series fleshed out the stories ripped from the headlines about spousal abuse, players bulking up beyond what is good for them, drug detox, and quarterbacks who are really great runners. Not only did we get the entire story, but also each story was told about much fuller characters than we get to know through watching the NFL (on ESPN or elsewhere). I also liked the way the characters changed over the course of the season, forcing us to reassess them. My initial sympathy for Taylor certainly waned, as did my feelings for most of the characters. In the end, maybe what was so interesting about "Playmakers" was that the characters were three-dimensional, which is certainly more than you can say for the "real" playmakers in the NFL.
Rating: 
Summary: An egaging, testosterone-fueled, soap opera.
Review: (This review is based on the original broadcast series)
My wife and I are football fans (Go Pats!) and we became instantly hooked on ESPN's Playmakers. Give ESPN credit for getting back to the E (Entertainment) in their name. Take away credit for apparently bowing to the overlords of the NFL and yanking this fine offering.Is this a realistic depiction of the day-to-day life of your average pro football player? Heck no! But as I said in the review title, Playmakers is first and foremost a soap opera. Just as a soap opera is an exaggeration of life, Playmakers is an exaggeration of football. No one team faces all the problems these Cougars endure. But, if you distilled all 32 pro teams into one, you'd find the drug addicted superstar, the lineman whose playing weight is putting him in real health danger, the closeted gay player, the gigolo QB, the multiple players with paternity suits, the aging star dealing with a spousal abuse charge, the coach struggling with cancer, the win-at-all-costs, as long as it looks good owner, etc., etc. Realistic, maybe not. Engaging? You bet. The performances are top notch, particularly Omar Gooding as DH, Jason Matthew Smith as Olczyk, and Russell Hornsby as Leon Taylor. You will come to care for these characters, cheer for this team, and feel their disappointments. If nothing else, this DVD's April release date will help fill the gap until training camp starts. Oh, the only reason I don't give this show five stars is that occasionally the budget constraints show through. It'd be nice to see the Cougars play some games on natural grass, and we don't always get the feeling that they're playing in front of 50,000+ people. This is really a minor nit-pick, as the character segments are riveting. Looking forward to seeing what the DVD has to offer. 4-and-a-half stars, really.
Rating:
Summary: Reality Check NFL!
Review: First off hats off to ESPN for making such a great and entertaining show! Well done! Second- the NFL not only looks ridiculous with its protests and demands for the removal of the show, but they missed a huge opportunity for ratings in football. If the NFL really thinks this show will put any worse opinion on professional players than is already there they are dumber than I thought! The public is well aware of the reality of what goes on behind closed doors because the news media makes it available to us! What is the NFL going to do next- cancel every sports show out there? Instead they could have gone along and supported the show so many fans love with the reminder that the show is fictional and grabbed more ratings for those fans to watch football. This years Superbowl was one of the worst rated ever. I WONDER WHY!!!
Rating:
Summary: Something alot of people may not know
Review: I am hoping, that due to the fact, this show is so canadian, that they will make season 2 and beyond, up here in Canada, and then allow the sales of it, to the U.S
Canada had a dozen shows like this made in the past 15 years. About 80% of the actors are canadian, and pretty much all the filming was done up there. The stadium they used, was the Skydome
This show was great, I understand how ESPN had to part ways, due to their contract with the NFL. I just hope Canada can make seasons, on their own??? and send them to the US
Rating:
Summary: PLAYMAKERS WAS DA BEST!!
Review: I can rember every Tuesday night my friends and I would go over to someone house to watch Playmakers on TV. I really like the story and all of the Episodes. ESPN and the GFL (Gay Football League) decided to cancel it do to it was not realstic, MY A**!! Please don't tell me that in the NFL, none of those use Illegeal Drugs like Romanaski & others. Sports also had sports figures cheating on their wife's (Look at Kobe!) Omar Gooding was awesome in this show as well as all of the other actors in it. THE NFL need to realize what is entertainment and realize what we want to watch on TV. ESPN need to step up for the fans of the show and bring it back for at least one more season, but it will not happen and it sucks!!! PLAYMAKERS RULES
Rating:
Summary: Wow...what a great show.
Review: I can't believe I never watched this when it was on the air. I picked up the DVD yesterday after overhearing a few people talk about it, and WOW!, I watched all 11 hours of it already! I am so spoiled with HBO that I hardly watch original series on "regular TV" anymore, but Playmakers is outstanding. I'm not even a huge football fan, but I was totally engrossed in this series. There is so much crap out there but great shows like this get canned. It doesn't make any sense. The NFL is stupid for forcing ESPN to cancel this show. They had it all backwards: The show actually made me WANT to watch football. And I don't even like football. The only bad thing anyone could say about this show is that it's not "realistic". Well, of course all this stuff wouldn't happen to such a small group of people. But, you can say that about ANY show. The point is that this team represents all teams. At one point in time the stuff on this show has happened to some team out there, and Playmakers takes you into the lives of these players in a way that hasn't been done before. I give this show my highest recommendation for anybody that likes HBO-quality dramas. Playmakers is top shelf TV. Definitely check it out.
Rating:
Summary: This Show makes you want to Watch the NFL......
Review: I dont understand the NFL's thinking here. This show not only has reached already NFL viewers but Non-viewers also. This show makes you want to watch football since it put a human face on NFL players. Not all of the players on the show were bad either. The linebacker was a very nice guy on the show... A gentle giant - just dont piss him off or play football against him. I have heard of many women who dont even like watching football getting hooked on this show. One of my good friends, who loves watching football, was watching this show one day and his wife told him to "cut that crap off," however, instead she sat down and watched a little of it and got hooked. She watched every show. I hope another network starts this back up. This would be perfect for HBO. Heck, I'd watch it on the Cooking network if they'd give it a chance... ha ha.
Rating:
Summary: Hats pf to ESPN
Review: I know that Any given sunday is a movie and not TV but Playmakers is far better and far deeper. I am huge fan of the NFL and I think that American Football is GODS GIFT TO HUMANITY. This TV series makes you see the locker room and what happends behind the great sport.
The actors and the directirs did an excellant job. I can not wait for season 2.
Rating:
Summary: Great show, wishing for a season 2
Review: I thought this was the best series of 2003. This was the only series that my husband and I made sure not to miss each week. You can go so far as to call us "Playmaker Junkies." We were so looking forward to season 2. Now that there is not going to be one, there is nothing to get excited about for 2004. We don't have HBO, but if HBO picked up this series we would subscribe tomorrow.
To the reviewer that said he did not like the show (but he tuned in for every episode) - this was a football "drama" who would have tuned in if there were no conflicts. If you want real information about the NFL watch the sports news and talkshows. This was intended to be a sports soap opera and in that respect the writers did an awesome job.
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