"Eastbound & Down"

HBO comedy following the adventures and misadventures of has-been pitcher Kenny Powers (McBride) trying to squeeze every last hope of ever returning to professional baseball before having to concede to a normal life. The first season immediately launches to an excellent start, with Powers being forced to return to his hometown of Shelby to be a substitute middle-school PE teacher; but about halfway through the season, the story begins to go from raunchy and crude to just downright cheap and trashy, especially when anti-hero Powers begins to get everything he wants without deserving any of it. After a very disappointing first-half of Season 2, the show begins to pick up again, but it never reaches the satisfaction found in the first three episodes of the series. Another downfall is too many funny and/or likable characters coming and going, with every co-star being a mere recurring character (except for Steve Little, who doesn't really earn his keep until the end of Season 2). Still, despite its flaws, you can almost always count on a laugh; there are even some surprisingly emotional moments during the season finales, which is not easy to do with this type of comedy. McBride's humor fits the role perfectly.