Vice Principals

Vice Principals is created by the same people who created Eastbound and Down and The Righteous Gemstones so if you like that kind of humor you'll love this too. Danny McBride and Walton Goggins co-star as vice principals at a High School when the principal retires. From there it's a hilarious power struggle between the two of them as they try to become the next head principal. They are so caught up in their war against each other they didn't see an English teacher who's also going for the job. They then put their struggle aside to form an alliance to bring down the English teacher by any means necessary. Bottom line is this show is hilarious and if you haven't yet seen it you're really missing out.

Oh how I wish there were more seasons of this show.

I have to start by saying that some of the negative reviews are as funny as the show itself, if not only for the fact that they clearly miss the humor and unironically point to exactly the cringe-inducing moments of black comedy as examples of mean-spiritedness or unredeemable characters.

Duh. That's kind of the point.

Also, be wary of any review that is almost entirely predicated on one person's opinion that a particular actor is being misutilized - especially if it's obvious that this person holds that actor in inflated esteem. The acting, so far - only one episode in - is pretty spot on.

Danny McBride has a gift for depicting totally unrelatable, yet not entirely unsympathetic misanthrope. He delivers extremely inappropriate dialog without cracking the thin veneer of believability. Walton Goggins, in his characteristic Alabama accent, plays foil to McBride as a character who the viewer can believe actually likes his fellow human beings. Both of them are, in their own ways, shameless self-promoters and viciously ambitious career climbers who totally overlook the fact that they've abandoned their moral compass in pursuit of a less than lofty goal.

The only weakness I can really point to is the family scenarios and the relatively unbelievable ex-wife's new husband - a character in his mid to late 40s who dresses and acts like a one-dimensional talking Hot Topic mannequin.

I'm interested in where they take the next several episodes and I'd recommend checking it out if you like dark humor or any of the actors involved.

After the first episode, I thought I'd drop it really early, but it quickly grew up on me. Danny McBride brilliantly executed his version of Michael Scott - a character strongly mean to people around but the more you watch the more he opens up as a decent guy, which makes him so relatable. And the whole cast did a great job and every character was on their place. It was really heartwarming to see some reletionships develop through Neal Gamby's harsh demeanor. The show is captivating and funny with a few plot twists and ends with a nice touch. Can't wait to check out the next work of Danny McBride!

Here's the thing, Danny McBride's comedy is very much down to individual taste. In much the same way as Ricky Gervais's material it is meant to shock, make you cringe, make you laugh out loud and usually, in the end, make you realise that there can be moments of redemption for even the most self centred, unlikeable characters.

The interplay in this between McBride and Goggins is brilliant. Goggins's insults drip with a hilarious straightforward honesty towards McBride's Gamby whilst McBride is happy to play second fiddle in the interchanges. The begrudged respect that develops between the characters at times is then all the more heartwarming.

Simply put, if you liked East Bound and Down you will like Vice Principals. If you like Vice Principals and haven't seen East Bound and Down then make it next on your list - you'll love it. For all the people that don't like the show, that's OK too, it just means that this will become a cult classic.