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This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Arts & Entertainment

Check It Out: Eastbound & Down TONIGHT on HBO

One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.

One of a handful of baseball cards you can download from the HBO site. Photo courtesy HBO.

Let’s assume you’re a reasonably intelligent person who also has HBO. It would be easy to assume, then (since you are reasonably intelligent) that at 10 o’clock tonight you will be watching Flight of the Conchords on your HBO-enabled viewing box of choice. Again, seems reasonable enough.

Why, then, in your reasonably-sized brain, would you ever have the idea to change the channel once FOTC is off, when Eastbound & Down premieres immediately afterwards?To be blunt, you’d have to be a fucking idiot. And we’ve scientifically reasoned that you’re not an idiot. All the better for you, since the latest vehicle for comedy all-star Danny McBride is absolutely friggin’ hilarious. LAist got a sneak peek at the premiere episode that is airing tonight at 10:30p on HBO. McBride stars as Kenny Powers, a once-promising MLB pitcher who quickly lets his bad attitude, ignorance, and blatant racism get in the way of his future, and is bounced from the league with little fanfare and more than a few catcalls. Still holding on to his strong self-image, Powers returns to his hometown and takes the vacant gym teacher position at his former high school, while hoping to reignite some of the sexyfuntime he had with a former fling who is now engaged to the principal (Andy Daly).

If you don’t know the Danny McBride name you surely know the face. It is the face of some of the funniest parts of Tropic Thunder, the high-pitched “thug liiiiiife” soundbyte from the Pineapple Express trailer that you wouldn’t stop quoting for a month, and other top-notch spots in Superbad, Hot Rod, Drillbit Taylor. Oh, and he wrote and starred in The Foot Fist Way, the film-circuit darling that got picked up by Gary Sanchez Productions and given a home under the wing of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Speaking of which, you’ll never guess who’s producing Eastbound & Down...yup. You ARE smart.

And it would be a downright travesty to not mention co-start Andy Daly, one of the best current character men around. His turns on television haven’t always given him his due, but if you’ve ever seen him performing around LA or picked up his comedy CD Nine Sweaters, you know this man is pure magic.

Eastbound & Down: tonight, 10p. HBO. Just after Flight of the Conchords, dummy. Do it.

One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.

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