It looks like even the magic formula that Will Ferrell and Adam McKay created to become comedy movie mavericks doesn't work on the aptly named "idiot box." HBO's new Eastbound & Down bombed in its premiere episode and lost nearly 40 percent of the lead-in audience from Flight of the Conchords. It also only scored a measly .3 in the ratings, which is dangerously close to "HelloLarrydom."
But fear not, Ferrell freaks. This is HBO, the network that dared to mess with convention, give fledgling shows time to grow and kept Arli$$ on the air for six whole seasons.
Just about every recent HBO show has started small, but found its stride and grew to a pleasing proportion. Stop giggling.
Big Love, for instances, not only got horrible opening ratings, but even more horrid reviews. USA Today called it "mundane, colorless and boring," three subjects that the "Highlights for Children" of the newspaper industry know plenty about.
Tru Blood had the same problem with their premiere. The Los Angeles Times reported that the vampire drama debuted with just under 1.5 million viewers, a premiere that was lower than the now-defunct John from Cincinnati.
The only difference is Eastbound & Down is a little different from HBO's usual fare. The show has been injected with 30 CCs of the Ferrell-McKay trademark slapstick and testosterone humor. It's definitely for the average ESPN viewer who finds the funny in guys punching cougars and teabagging drum kits.
In other words. It's not TV. It's new territory for HBO.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-19-2009 @ 3:37PM
Will said...
What does "headed down south" mean? IS it going off the air temporarily or is the headline solely about the low ratings for the show? The headline seems fairly inappropriate regarding the 'content' if quotes from a couple of news sources counts as that.
Anyway, I like the show. It's definitely different but that's why I watch HBO. I still miss JFC....
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2-19-2009 @ 3:51PM
Cincinnati Mike said...
I hear you Will. Anymore, when I see such a headline, or I read something like "USA Today is the Highlights for Children of the newspaper industry," I immediately check the byline. At that point, I really have to be interested in the topic to keep reading.
Anyway, EB&D is such an oddity. I really like Danny McBride, but trying to build a show around such an unlikeable character is risky. If it would work anywhere, it would be HBO, I guess.
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2-19-2009 @ 3:56PM
Freak Mojo said...
I gave it a watch and it reminded me of every other Will Ferrell sports movie... and that wasn't a good thing.
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2-19-2009 @ 4:00PM
MikeD said...
I like it..it's better than 99% of the retreaded crap on tv.
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2-19-2009 @ 4:34PM
Willmore2000 said...
It reminded me of the Foot Fist Way, and I turned that off half-way through. Eastbound is just not my brand of humor. HBO is in the crapper creatively. Remember when HBO could boast about Six Feet Under, The Wire, The Sopranos, Rome, Deadwood, Extras? Now they have 1 great show - Curb, 1 good show - Entourage, and 2 OK show - True Blood and Big Love. The rest, in my opinion, is shit. Showtime has more good stuff with Dexter, Weeds, Californication, United State of Tara, and they'll have Edie Falco in a new series next, and Seth Rogen creating a new series. HBO has lost it. Whoever is the head of original programming should have been fired 2 years ago.
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2-19-2009 @ 4:45PM
David S said...
"Whoever is the head of original programming should have been fired 2 years ago." +1
This person has done more damage to HBO than Isiah Thomas did to the Knicks.
2-19-2009 @ 4:51PM
GL said...
I'll take a wait and see on this show. The opener had some moments.
Either way, it's no surprise to think the FOTC audience wasn't interested in watching it.
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2-19-2009 @ 6:03PM
Steve said...
Totally agree about the FOTC audience. The humor between these two shows could not be more different.
I'm a huge FOTC fan and absolutely hated East Bound.
2-24-2009 @ 12:32PM
spenny said...
this show is fucking hilarious, i fap it to danny mcbride nightly
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2-26-2009 @ 2:41PM
MB said...
"This is HBO, the network that dared to mess with convention, give fledgling shows time to grow and kept Arli$$ on the air for six whole seasons."
Don't forget its all the network that dared kill Deadwood to support John in Cincinatti, plus killed Carnivale. Not to mention its last sitcom, Lucky Louie got killed as well.
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3-09-2009 @ 12:51AM
Whateve said...
The show f@cking rocks!
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3-24-2009 @ 5:11PM
ifuqingloveit said...
This show is EPIC! I LOVE IT!!! Please please please don't get rid of it...
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