HBO sports comedy series Eastbound & Down ran for four seasons between 2009 and 2013. It was the beginning of a productive partnership between actor/writer Danny McBride and HBO who went on to pick up his show Vice Principals and will soon premiere his latest comedy The Righteous Gemstones in which McBride stars as a devious televangelist.
Co-created by McBride and his longtime collaborator Jody Hill, Eastbound & Down focused on a washed-up former pro baseball player called Kenny Powers, played by McBride. After burning one too many bridges in the major leagues, Kenny returns to his North Carolina hometown to take up a job as a substitute gym teacher at his old middle school.
Over its four-season run, the Eastbound & Down cast featured a host of big-name recurring guest stars including the likes of Craig Robinson, Matthew McConaughey and Will Ferrell (Anchorman) who was also one of the show’s executive producers. The main action, of course, centered on Kenny Powers and his long-suffering friends and family. Here’s a guide to the main cast and characters of Eastbound and Down.
Danny McBride – Kenny Powers
Foul-mouthed and crass, Kenny Powers is the Major League baseballer turned substitute gym teacher the show revolves around. Probably one of TV’s most cringeworthy characters in recent memory, Kenny is a cocky loudmouth prone to racist, sexist and homophobic slurs and is completely oblivious to how offensive he is. His fall from grace has done nothing to dampen his delusions of grandeur and he spends much of the show plotting his comeback – a journey that takes him from North Carolina to Mexico and Myrtle Beach and back again.
Steve Little – Stevie Janowski
Stevie is a former classmate of Kenny’s that also works at the middle school he takes a job at. He’s an underdog and quickly becomes the egotistical Kenny’s whipping boy. Despite this, Stevie idolizes Kenny and helps him plan his comeback.
Katy Mixon – April Buchanon
April was Kenny’s high school sweetheart until he ditched her to pursue his baseball career. At the start of the show April is an art teacher at the same school Kenny and Stevie work at and is engaged to the principal but Kenny eventually wins her back.
John Hawkes – Dustin Powers
As his surname might suggest, Dustin is Kenny’s brother. He lets Kenny stay with him and his family when he returns to their hometown but his brotherly love is soon put to the test thanks to Kenny’s frequent inappropriate behavior.
Jennifer Irwin – Cassie Powers
Jennifer Irwin (Zoom) plays Cassie on Eastbound & Down, who is Dustin’s wife and Kenny’s sister-in-law. As a good Christian, Cassie tries to be supportive of her brother-in-law but gets frustrated by Kenny and how he acts around her and Dustin’s two kids, Wayne and Dustin Jr.