Eastbound & Down on HBO

[shotglass]

I'm going to follow Zeke and Simon's advice and not even try No. 3. Two was plenty for me.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Just caught the replay of the first episode on HBO. A little farcical at times, but still pretty damn funny stuff.

I put it here because it's only tangentially about sports — the main character is a former pitcher who has washed out of the big leagues and returns to his North Carolina hometown to become a high school P.E. coach. But otherwise, it plays as a straightforward sitcom, at least in the first episode.

Kenny Powers is the stereotypical big-fish-in-a-small-pond jock who peaked at age 17, and who is still worshipped by a lot of people in his hometown. A lot of the characters, including Kenny Powers, remind me of people I grew up with.

Anybody else watch it? Thoughts?

Did they name the hometown in North Carolina? Much as I don't care to admit it, you have me quite curious ...

When I first read this, I didn't know if this was a "Smokey and the Bandit" reference or perhaps a "tribute" to Brien Taylor.

Story I read said Shelby County. No such county in NC but there is a town of Shelby.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/129940-kenny-powers-rules

At least they avoided an obvious reference. Shelby is about an hour's drive west of Charlotte and it's in Cleveland County.

Still, it's not funny.

 

[DirtyDeeds]

So, the guy forces his worshipping assistant/co-worker to say he was the one driving drunk after a crash, starts shooting up steroids and sells a toilet seat with his likeness on it? Where is the part that's supposed to make me like this guy? And now the former girlfriend is starting to fall for him again? Why? This show sucks.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

Jimmy Fallon is 10 times more funny than this drek.

April is fun to look at, but gosh darn.... what was Danny McBride thinking?

This could be a career derailer.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Will Ferrell was back on tonight's episode.
For some reason, I just can't get enough of Katy Mixon.
I also just realized that the actors who play Stevie and the principal also play regular recurring characters on Reno 911.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I've seen the first four episodes and it does not look promising.

Too bad, because I really want to like this show.

 

[NoOneLikesUs]

The show is heavily modeled after modern British cringe humor series. I think the show is quite good as a member of that genre. That said it's not a show that's easy to digest - especially if you're expecting something a standard HBO comedy series would deliver.

 

[shotglass]

I agree with that, except I don't think I could say HBO would surprise me with that after "Curb." HBO essentially introduced British-type cringe humor to the States with that. I can't remember watching a comedy always waiting for the shoe to drop until Larry David.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

I can't get that Kenny Rogers song that they played at the end of the show out of my head.

 

[SoCalScribe]

Why pay for DVR when everything is replayed three or more times and often also available on OnDemand?

I guess all those 80s/90s comedians were correct with their jokes about how Americans can't program a VCR.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

We saw what we are led to believe are April's boobies...

Other than that, yet another episode of less than zero redeeming value. I watched every one, unfortunately.

 

[beardpuller]

I watched last night, for the second time, and I realize now why I don't really like this show.
1. I grew up in North Carolina, among people who were way too much like these people. (Nice use of the Cheerwine truck, though.)
2. I've spent too many years covering pro athletes. Kenny's self-centered grandiosity is a parody, but it really isn't all that exaggerated. I deal with these assholes every day. I don't need to watch them on my own time.