5. A Great Show Of HBO Quality
Eastbound & Down is a product of one of contemporary televisions most successful companies, HBO. If you watch TV in 2013, and Im sure a lot of you reading this do, then you will be familiar with shows produced by them. The list of shows reads as a popular-culture register, including well-known titles such as The Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones, Sex & The City and Boardwalk Empire. Incidentally, did you know HBO is an acronym for Home Box Office? I honestly didnt. But it makes sense. Home Box Office is a suitable name for such a production company. The quality of the programming is very high, and HBO can be said to be responsible for shaping modern television audiences expectations. In terms of Eastbound & Down, the quality of the production shines through. Created by comedy writers Ben Best, Jody Hill and star Danny McBride, the talented screenwriting was complemented by an experienced production team. Anchorman producer Adam McKay, and star Will Ferrell, contributed to Eastbound & Down as executive producers while Funny or Dies co-founder Chris Henchy played a part in the production. Direction came from Jody Hill and David Gordon Green, plus a host of guest directors. Behind the scenes footage shows how screenwriters, directors and actors easily collaborate whilst the cameras are rolling; to deliver some of the most fluid ad-libbed and hilarious scenes. Capable actors took leading roles Danny McBride starred as Kenny Powers, Katie Mixon as April, Steve Little as Stevie while established and award-winning names filled supporting roles. These names included John Hawkes appearing as Kennys brother, Will Ferrell as the enigmatic Ashley Schaeffer, and actors Matthew McConaughey, Don Johnson, Michael Peña, Adam Scott and Jason Sudeikis all had their turn as well. On paper this line-up looks promising, and in practice they created a uniquely appealing, high quality show with many different dynamics.