The pilot for HBO’s new show Vice Principals, “The Principal”, lays the groundwork for a school year’s worth of hijinx and tomfoolery – think lots of phallic jokes, and then some.
Behind the camera, Vice Principals finds Danny McBride teaming up again with Eastbound and Down‘s co-creator, Jody Hill. In front of it, McBride’s Neil Gamby faces off against Walter Goggins‘ Lee Russell, two men united by an ambition to rise above their station as the vice principals of North Jackson High, but who otherwise have very little in common besides an intense mutual disregard.
Gamby is the resident authoritarian; patrolling the halls, he doles out rough justice to pupils and condescension to colleagues. A fan of pairing his short-sleeve shirts with sweater vests, he’s all short back and sides, and sensible shoes. In contrast, Russell is a beguiling sycophant with a laugh like a hyena; he dresses like a deranged dandy and his hairstyle gives him a mildly electrified look.
The series commences with the pair joining outgoing school principal Welles (Bill Murray in a brief cameo) for the pledge of allegiance at the hoisting of the star-spangled banner on campus. Noble words and aspirations rapidly give way to juvenile bickering as Gamby and Russell squabble over who amongst them has the better claim to Welles’ soon-to-be empty chair.
It is assumed that one of them stands to take the reins. The superintendent of the school district, however, has other ideas and, much to the collective chagrin of Gamby and Russell, Dr Belinda Brown (Kimberly Hebert Gregory) arrives to take charge. She is from out of town – an African American woman with a Masters from Berkeley. An ideal appointment, it would seem, but not in the eyes of Gamby and Russell. Let the scheming begin.
“The Principal” certainly provides enough laughs and intrigue to justify attending class next week. The cast is strong and the production – particularly the energetic, percussive soundtrack – is slick. The query is whether Gamby and Russell develop into fully-fledged characters or whether they remain caricatures, adults trapped in a very adolescent rivalry. The weakest moments in the pilot are the numerous verbal altercations between the two, which are more puerile than funny.
There’s plenty of potential here but some homework to be done.
Vice Principals airs in the US on HBO. It will start airing on the Comedy Channel in Australia on August 22nd.
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