'Vice Principals' Season 1, Episode 1 Review

Image from Indiewire

By Darian Scalamoni

            Danny McBride is one of those actors that you love or you hate, and though I enjoyed him in one of my favorite comedies, Tropic Thunder and I loved the HBO series Eastbound & Down that he starred in, I’m not the biggest fan. I view his comedy chops as very one note and repetitive, this is very obvious within his newest HBO show, Vice Principals.

            Vice Principals is a look inside the minds of two men who are vice principals at a high school who are vying for the job of principal which is left vacant as the long reigning principal (played by Bill Murray) retires to be by the aid of his dying wife. The two vice principal roles are played by McBride and also recent Tarantino mainstay, Walton Goggins. McBride’s Neal Gamby character is known as the stricter principal who is the enforcer within the school. Goggins’ Lee Russell is the more likable vice principal but also wants to take over the principal position. They both get a rude awakening when the superintendent decides to bring in Dr. Belinda Brown from Philadelphia as the new principal of the South Carolina high school.

            The series overall has no substance. The comedy doesn’t provide any real laughs and even sometimes, is extremely offensive and racist. Eastbound & Down was outlandish in nature but week by week provided laugh out loud moments, Vice Principals has no real humor as well as no interesting story. I will continue to give this show the 3-episode test (thanks Josh Macuga), but based on one episode, I wish I wasn’t.

1/10