Third-episode verdict time for Eastbound and Down, Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's sports-related comedy about a failed major league baseball player who returns to his home town to become a teacher. The only problem? He's a complete a-hole.
After a not desperately promising start, things looked like they were going to get better with the second episode, a reasonably funny piece with a cameo by Will Ferrell himself as a BMW dealer almost as a-holey as our 'hero'.
But episode three wasn't even pilot episode funny, with few jokes and a worrying tendency to suggest that the hero was going to learn some valuable lessons in life. Oh no.
Ultimately, while there are a few yucks to be had both from its political incorrectness and from its laughing at the jock hero who thinks he's the business – but really, really isn't – the joke's just not able to sustain the show: you get acclimatised to Danny McBride's insensitivity and stupidity and the show stops being funny and you just don't notice his offensiveness any more. The characters aren't really sufficient to fill in the gaps left behind, either.
So despite its promising pedigree, I'd say don't bother.
Carusometer rating: 4
Prediction: It's HBO, so it'll last the season, but won't get renewed.
March 4, 2009 | Reply
Set the DVR to record the repeat last night, so that I could do my own personal decision after three episodes. But instead I got half an our of runover from the tennis match.
I took it as a sign. I'm done with the show.
March 4, 2009 | Reply
Good move. And it was a sign.
March 14, 2009 | Reply
[this is good] The show will have a love-hate relationship with viewers. It resonates great with the 18-35 market. Don't give up hope yet, episode 4 will draw u back