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Players

Players

2010Ended1 season10 episodesTV-MAMidcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

Players is an American comedy series which premiered on the Spike network on March 2, 2010. The series is a partially scripted/mostly improvised comedy about two brothers who run a sports bar together. After airing 3 episodes, Players was removed from the Spike schedule and put on hiatus. The remaining seven episodes from season one were pushed back to air beginning July 21, 2010. Spike aired the final four episodes back-to-back on August 14, 2010.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Players?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Players to rent or buy on Apple TV, and on no subscription service.

Rent / Buy

Buy

Reception

Is Players worth watching?

Players' Midcredits score is the 24th percentile of all shows, from 94 ratings (very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional). 49% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

24th percentile

Better received than 24% of shows

Very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional.

21st percentile among Comedy23rd percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)34th
Approval (how many liked it)16th

Acclaim

Mixed: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

67 /100

Very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional.

34th percentile of all shows

33rd percentile among Comedy33rd percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Ratings scatter across the whole scale — one of the most divisive reactions in the catalog.

Approval

How many liked it

49% liked it

16th percentile of all shows

12th percentile among Comedy15th percentile among 2010s
49% rated it 7–1051% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

17th percentile

94 ratings across platforms

7th percentile among Comedy23rd percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 21% in 30 days

Episodes

1 season

Season 1 · 2010 · 10 episodes

  • S1E1
    S1E1

    Krista's Mom

    Mar 2, 201022 min
  • S1E2
    S1E2

    Grand Re-Opening

    Mar 9, 201022 min
  • S1E3
    S1E3

    Barb's Husband

    Mar 16, 201022 min
  • S1E4
    S1E4

    The Intervention

    Jul 21, 201022 min
  • S1E5
    S1E5

    Cumdog Millionaire

    Jul 31, 201022 min
  • S1E6
    S1E6

    Cousin Leonard

    Aug 7, 201022 min

Watch experience

What is Players like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Ironic, light and gentle — a slow-burn watch that leaves you entertained.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
AbsurdJoyful
Heaviest: middle
Absurdist humor: Deliberately illogical; embraces nonsense.
Register
Deadpan · 1% of shows: Delivered flat and unsmiling, which is the joke.Wry · 7% of shows: Amused and slightly dry about it.
Told as
Resets each episode · 10% of showsSingle-season story
ToneThe comedy plays its suburban absurdity with a straight-faced deadpan delivery, treating its characters' self-importance with ironic warmth.
The rideThe mood is light and absurdist, typical of a sitcom, with occasional spikes of manic energy.
StructureThe show follows a conventional three-act sitcom format with no notable storytelling devices beyond the standard episode structure.
Episode formatSelf-contained comedic episodes with status quo restored by the end, typical of a sitcom.
Season formatThe series ran for one season and concluded.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
FunWistful · 6% of shows
Why it leaves you this wayThe show leaves a light, entertaining feeling akin to spending time with familiar misfits, with a faint edge of longing for the simplicity of suburban misadventures.
How it ends · evidence
Cyclical ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Comedy
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12% (this title): Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2% (this title)
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40%

Comedy: Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony. · Comedy of manners: Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).

12% of shows fit this archetype

Why this archetypeAs a sitcom with a reset structure, the typical episode follows its ensemble navigating social norms and minor ambitions in a suburban setting, fitting a comedy of manners archetype.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfFriendship
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31% (this title): Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% (this title) · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% (this title) · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Bonds

FriendshipAmbition · 14% of shows
Satirizes its theme: Attacks its theme through ridicule.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe series revolves around a group of friends in Arizona, with their interpersonal dynamics and petty schemes at the core.
StanceThe show satirizes the petty ambitions and small-scale schemes of its friend group.

The world

ContemporarySuburbanDomesticRealistic
Orchestral classicalSupportive music · original score · Michael Daniel Cassady
SettingArizona suburbia

Content guide

Is Players okay for kids?

TV-MA

Players is rated TV-MA.

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does Players have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Players?

Cast

Matt Walsh
as Bruce Fitzgerald
Ian Roberts
as Ken Fitzgerald
June Diane Raphael
as Barb Tolan
Danielle Schneider
as Krista DiMarco
James Pumphrey
as Calvin Trout
Jack McGee
as Hickey
Joe Nunez
as Jorge
Sean Conroy
as Louie
Katie Dippold
as Jackie
Rob Huebel
as Todd

Crew

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What are shows like Players?

TMDB's suggestions for shows like Players include One Tree Hill (2003), Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2007) and Jackass (2000).

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What other shows share a tag with Players?

2.3K other shows share the rarest tag below, relationship: buddy duo. Each tag opens Browse with the shows that share it.