Eastbound & Down – Series 1 (Danny McBride) : DVD Review

What happens when you can’t get a movie made? You make it into a six part TV series – it’s a simple trick, and one which has served Danny McBride very well if East Bound & Down is any indication.

McBride stars as disgraced professional baseball pitcher Kenny Powers who is forced to return to his hometown to teach high school gym after burning out in the big leagues.

Throughout this instant classic of a series, Powers desperately clings onto his last remaining vestiges of fame, while simultaneously trying to change in order to win back the heart of his high school sweetheart.

It’s a rare thing for an audience to become so invested in a character so devoid of any redeemable qualities, yet McBride manages to pull off “idiotic arrogance” with such charm it’s hard to dislike a single moment of Eastbound & Down.

It also helps that producers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay have their fingerprints all over it, with the show often feeling like a sportman’s take on Anchorman.

Who would’ve guessed building a show around a character who is essentially Ron Burgundy meets Warrick Capper could be so rewarding!