There was a time, back before the NFL made every bad PR decision possible, when the league had enough clout to force a massive cable network to cancel a show that they felt depicted them in an unfairly negative light. (Just kidding! The NFL still has that kind of clout.) With some time and distance, we can see why the League was so concerned: Almost every storyline that seemed sensational—be it domestic violence, drug abuse, or homosexuality and homophobia among players—has come to pass in real life, often in ways even more alarming and tragic than on TV. As we now know, Playmakers didn't just depict the dark side of the NFL; it reflected it. And because of that, a genuinely compelling (grating voiceover notwithstanding) show got 86'd. —Neil Janowitz