DVD Review - Vice Principals: The Complete First Season - Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

TV-MA; 269 minutes; $19.98; Amazon

Now available on DVD from HBO Home Entertainment is the dark-comedy Vice Principals, featuring all 9 episodes on a 2-disc set. Created by Danny McBride and Jody Hill (co-creators of HBO's Eastbound & Down), the series stars Danny McBride, Walter Goggins (Justified), Kimberly Hebert Gregory, Georgia King, Sheaun McKinney, Busy Philipps, and Shea Whigham.

The series is set around the North Jackson High School, where the current principal (played by Bill Murray) is retiring. The two vice principals, Neil Gamby (played by Danny McBride) and Lee Russell (played Walton Goggins), are both wanting the job as his replacement. Unfortunately, it's not up to the principal to decide who will replace him. Instead, the school board hires college professor Dr. Belinda Brown (played by Kimberly Herbert Gregory) as the principal.

While Gamby and Russell have always been enemies, the two vice principals make an alliance to take down Dr. Belinda Brown, so one of them can become principal.

Throughout the nine episodes, the series focuses mostly on Gamby as he tries to get the new English teacher, Amanda Snodgrass (played by Georgia King), to like him. When he's not at the school, he's butting into his daughter's life (played by Maya G. Love), as he tries to outshine her stepfather, Ray (played by Shea Whigham). The rest of the time Gamby is helping Russell with some to scheme to get rid of the new principal, normally ending with hysterical results.

Exclusive Bonus Features includes:

Deleted Scenes

Blooper Reel

9 Audio Commentaries With Cast and Crew

(including Danny McBride, Jody Hill, Walton Goggins and more!)

Final Thoughts: I recall seeing advertisements for Vice Principals right before every episode of Games of Thrones last year, so naturally I did tune in to watch the series on HBO. Running about thirty-minutes per episode, the series is dark-comedy, similar in style with FXX's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and TV Land's Teachers, but slightly more vulgar.

Yes, the premise of two vice principals acting like junior high students as they battle to get rid of the new of the new principal is a bit silly, but thanks to some great acting by the cast (especially Walter Goggins) and several laugh out loud scenes, the series is actually likeable.

The picture and quality for all the episodes are topnotch. There are no special features on the set, though there are commentaries, deleted scenes, and a blooper reel. The DVD set comes with a Digital HD Ultraviolet code.

Overall, Vice Principals is a fun, raunchy, and hilarious comedy that I have enjoyed watching. I highly recommend the DVD series to others. The second and final season will air sometime this year on HBO.