For those who live in temperate climates, the coming of spring can mean complete release from the winter blues, the decluttering of homes, and a whole lot more time spent absorbing vitamin D. Flowers bloom, birds sing, and the foliage offers a sense that all is continuing apace. For some, it also means revisiting Danny McBride's great achievement (co-created by Jody Hill and Ben Best), Eastbound & Down. Kenny Powers' (McBride) fall-rise-fall-rise journey from baseball superstar to hometown shame -- "I hurt my nose" -- is like a cold beer on a hot night. It's a show in which anything could and often did happen.

Across four seasons of relatively low-stakes storytelling blown out of proportion by the lead's delirious ego, it was apparent that HBO had something on their hands that they have kept a firm grasp on ever since. The gem, so to speak, was and remains Danny McBride,...