Eastbound & Down

I always trust HBO. They always come up with incredible series. Obviously, every once in a while, they have a dud. So, for the most part, I will try out a new show that they put on. They create the best television shows of every other channel. There's just something about the quality of their product that excels over their competitors.

So, when I wanted to check out a new show, I started at their channel and came across a new show, Eastbound & Down. It's a very strange comedy that stars Danny McBride as Kenny Powers--he also played one of the main characters in Pineapple Express. He's a recognizable face, but I couldn't tell you his name or anything else he's worked in.

Eastbound & Down is produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay and is backed by Will Ferrell's production company, Gary Sanchez Productions. Ferrell even has a character in the show. I knew that I could trust a show that has Ferrell and HBO behind it.

However, I wasn't blown away by it. The show is about an ex-baseball star who basically lost it all. He basically is a self-centered a-hole who loses his talent and slowly loses all his money. But, he still has his cockiness and arrogance. He moves in with his brother and his family in the suburbs of his hometown. He starts out as a substitute as his former high school, and he soon takes on the gym teacher's job even though he is crude and inappropriate. He runs into his high school sweet heart who is engaged to the happy-go-lucky, naive principal. Powers is trying to win her back even though she is disgusted by his pigheadedness and crudeness.

It's a little out there. It has SOME funny parts, but sometimes I'm just overly frustrated with his character. Other times I can't get over how unrealistic it is. I know it's a comedy show, but some of the stuff that goes on inside the school just could never happen. The portrayal of school is very far off. I do like how they portray an arrogant guy though who can't get over that he's not a celebrity anymore. Some people act this way even though they were never famous.

I also do enjoy Powers' 90's haircut. He's got the long curly, gelled mullet going on. It's hilarious. It totally matches his character. He does a good job with his appearance and upholding the character, but I wonder where they can take this show. There are some obvious angles, but can it last?

The show does use a bit of improv and on-the-spot acting, which I like. I enjoy that in any show, but its crudeness can be a bit too much. Some of it is tasteless, but some other parts can be sort of funny. I don't know. It's hit and miss for me. I wonder if HBO will pick it up for another season or not.

I also like the portrayal of Major League players. I think that baseball players are so pampered and whiny sometimes. And come on, with this whole steroid thing, they're really losing their credibility. I think they're becoming less respectible athletes; a lot of them earn it with their pompous attitudes too. I think this show does a great job of portraying that very well.

And where did Danny McBride come from? I see him in Pineapple Express one month, and the next month he's starring in his own HBO show. I haven't seen him in anything else. Where did he come from and how did he climb up the Hollywood ladder so fast?

So, what do you think of Eastbound & Down?