Cast: Danny McBride, Steve Little, Katy Mixon, Jason Sudeikis
Certificate: 15
Extra Features: Commentaries, ‘Dinner with the Schaffers’ bonus scene, deleted scenes, outtakes
Speaking at last year’s Kapow comic convention in London, Danny McBride stated that EASTBOUND & DOWN was largely inspired by British sitcoms. The influence is easy to see – with only six to eight episodes per season, his HBO comedy’s timeframe is far more like a UK series than its US contemporaries. It’s also led by a somewhat unlikable character – in the tradition of Alan Partridge, Basil Fawlty, and David Brent, Kenny Powers has a myriad of personality flaws, some of which are truly repugnant. EASTBOUND & DOWN has also adopted a trait made popular in recent comedies: it has a proper end, tying all of the story’s lose threads together in this fitting and quite brilliant third season.
The real draw of Powers’ return is the addition of his son, Toby. Once on-off girlfriend April dumps the baby on Kenny and disappears, we get to see what a truly despicable human being he’s capable of being. Scenes depicting Kenny’s ideas on parenting are amongst the finest in the series, and the new family dynamic also puts the limelight of his dimwitted sidekick, Stevie (Little), whose marriage problems make for the third season’s best material. Straw hats off to Don Johnson too, who returns as Powers’ morally dubious father and gives his son a run for his money as TV’s top selfish bastard.
Whilst Season Three may be predictable at times – most notably its conclusion – it remains one of the most fun and unique shows to come out of the US in recent years. It’s crass, hilarious, and one step ahead of most other current comedy series – he might be a rotten shit, but there are few other characters whose company you’d enjoy more for three hours than Kenny fucking Powers.
Extras: A nice little package for fans of the show, including some ace deleted scenes (in particular one in which Kenny spars filthy banter with Jason Sudeikis). A good selection of talent also sit in for commentaries.
EASTBOUND & DOWN Season Three is available to buy on Blu-ray & DVD now. It can be purchased here.
