Meet Kenny Powers (Danny McBride). A World Series champion pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, who allowed his ego to get in the way of his talent and bright future. His arrogance and selfishness sent him packing out of Hot-lanta and in to shorter and shorter stints with other major league teams, until the offers simply stopped. “Several sh**** years later,” Powers returns to his hometown of Shelby, North Carolina to live with his brother Dustin (John Hawkes) and his family. Under pressure to start “making his own way” by Dustin, Kenny takes a substitute P.E. teaching gig at local Jefferson Davis Middle School, and quickly becomes full time.
Coincidentally, an old flame of his, April Buchanon (Katy Mixon), is an art instructor at the school and is engaged to Principle Terrence Cutler (Andrew Daly). Trying to re-connect with April is tricky for obvious reasons, but this does not deter him from asking forgiveness for leaving her many, many millions, beers, and hookers ago. His desire to rekindle their past relationship gives him the gumption to attempt another swing at the majors, but to do this, he must find the “mojo” he pissed away as his career tanked. And with the support of a few Shelby fans and former classmate/fellow teacher/personal assistant Stevie Janowski (Steve Little), it becomes a real (albeit long) shot. But many obstacles lay in his path back on top, the biggest of which is himself.
On paper, this is a plot fit for a serious drama series. But the writing team of Jody Hill, Ben Best, and McBride himself are able to infuse a raucous batch of comedic situations with a “laugh out loud” laden script. The words, actions, and design of the focal characters is what makes each episode funny. Especially so for Kenny Powers. With the temperament of Archie Bunker and a mouth without a safety, Powers allows himself to say and do whatever (and I mean whatever) he feels like saying or doing. It’s the kind of raw, un-accountable lifestyle that each and every one of us wishes we could afford ourselves from time to time. I mean, who hasn’t had moments at school, at work, behind the wheel, ect. that you wouldn’t just love to rip into someone and let them know how you really, really feel. Because of this, there is a good measure of relation that the audience can have with Kenny during a number of scenes. The problem, though, is that Powers is this way all of the time. So, in certain situations, his quick draw statements and disregard for human compassion becomes annoying. Don’t get me wrong, the show is funny an overwhelming majority of the time. But it’s frustrating just how distant and disillusioned this guy really is in some scenes. This keeps the show from achieving an ultimate level of effectiveness.
I will say, this amount of commitment and immersion into a character is great. And McBride deserves full accolades. I have seen the actor in a number of other things before, but in this series, he shows his ability to carry the brunt of a project and make it worth watching. The other really strong acting in this season comes from Andrew Daly and his depiction of the stuffy type with a slight superiority complex. The verbal clashes between he and McBride often result in the kind of awkwardly hysterical moments that are plentiful in popular comedy films produced today. The cameos are the little extra that makes the casting really good. Will Ferrell as used car hot shot Ashley Schaeffer is pure gold at all times and Craig Robinson playing Power’s professional enemy makes you wish there was more room for his bit part.
The presentation of this Blu-Ray set could be better. I have recently been power-disking through the first few season of Californicaton on DVD, and that looks just as good (if not a little better) than Down does. That’s not to say it looks bad, but in no circumstance should a standard def format outperform a 1080p capable standard on an LED television. The Master Audio from DTS is nice and clean without making a bunch of unnecessary “racket” just to utilize the 5.1 setting.
The special features section of Season 1 is worthy of the six episode set and all of them keep the laughter rolling.
– Making Eastbound & Down: behind-the-scenes peek with executive producer and director Adam McKay, Danny McBride, and Will Ferrell as they explain the premise of the show and what makes the character Kenny Powers so effective. Also features insight from Katy Mixon and Andrew Daly on where their roles fit within the series.
– Kenny Powers Greatest Hits: promotional video featuring Powers’ announcing his new found lease on life and the strides he’s taking to make it back in the game.
– Schaeffer Motors Commercials: local style spots for the number one dealership in Shelby, NC.
– Stevie’s Dark Secret: Stevie revealing his deepest, “midnight, pitch black” secret to Powers and Clegg (Ben Best).
There is also Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, and Audio Commentaries.