Paramount Plus orders new series Players from American Vandal creators

Paramount Plus has ordered a new documentary-style comedic series titled Players that will delve into a fictional professional League of Legends esports team.

The series is co-created and executive produced by Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, the comedic minds behind Netflix’s critical breakout American Vandal, which memorably gave us a pair of riveting — albeit disturbed — mysteries about fictional crimes involving dick vandalism and the mastermind behind an explosive diarrhea incident.

Players, also a mockumentary, will follow an esports team gunning for a championship after years of misfortune. The series will involve a clash of egos between a 17-year-old rookie, the team’s “prodigy,” and a veteran 27-year-old. What could possibly go wrong?

Yacenda, who directed FXX comedy series Dave, will direct Players. The series is being produced by CBS Studios in partnership with Funny Or Die, which was attached to Netflix’s American Vandal. Paramount Plus offered sparse detail about the series beyond stating Players “will explore the world of esports.”

But given that American Vandal’s two-series run delivered frankly inspired plotlines about penis graffiti and a Turd Burglar — somehow managing to set a new bar for the future of documentary storytelling in the process — we’re in for a treat.

Paramount Plus (formerly CBS All Access) has only had a handful of originals that drummed up any significant fanfare. But given the cultural impact of American Vandal — which managed to make us seriously ask ourselves, “Who dick the dicks?” — this series has the potential to be one of the service’s biggest comedy debuts since it launched.

https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/27/22645190/paramount-plus-players-american-vandal-creators