Eastbound & Down is a comedy show from HBO, starring Danny McBride as Kenny Powers, a former professional baseball pitcher, who after a disappointing career is forced to return to his hometown (Shelby, North Carolina) middle-school as a substitute physical education teacher.
Will Ferrell and Adam McKay received an order for six episodes for the first season from HBO. The series is being produced by Will Ferrell’s production company, Gary Sanchez Productions. The show premiered on February 15, 2009, at 10:30 p.m. On April 8, 2009, HBO announced it had renewed the series for a second season.
Plot: Years after he turned his back on his hometown, a burned-out major league ballplayer returns to teach phys ed at his old middle school.
Critical reception
Eastbound & Down has received positive to average reviews, and currently holds a 62/100 rating on Metacritic based on 16 reviews. The best coming from Entertainment Weekly, who says “What lifts Eastbound & Down away from mere crudball humor is McBride’s ongoing love affair with the lower middle class.” The show was notably also given a highly favorable review in The New Yorker, in which TV critic Nancy Franklin suggested Kenny Powers would be as memorable a character as David Brent from the British sitcom The Office. The show was renewed for a 2010 season 2 on April 8, 2009.
Cast
* Danny R. McBride – Kenny Powers
* John Hawkes – Dustin Powers
* Jennifer Irwin – Cassie Powers
* Steve Little – Stevie Janowski
* Katy Mixon – April Buchanon
* Andrew Daly – Terrence Cutler
* Will Ferrell – Ashley Schaffer
* Ben Best – Clegg
* Sylvia Jefferies
