FX's 'The League' could use more members

Perhaps debuting a sports-themed male comedy against the World Series wasn't the best strategy.

FX's fantasy football, guys-hanging-out comedy "The League" got off to a somewhat disappointing start Thursday.

"League" drew 1 million viewers for its debut episode, compared to 1.4 million for this week's "Sunny," which has enjoyed ratings growth this year. In the adult demo, "Always Sunny" drew a 0.8 and "League" had a 0.6. 

FX points out that among men 18-34, which the network sells, "League" retained a stronger 87% of its lead in. The show received mixed reviews from critics.