Walton Gogginsis killing it in the new Prime showFalloutas The Ghoul, AKA Cooper Howard. His steely demeanoras the immortal creature and Western action starbefore the big blast almost makes you forget that he also can ham it up with the best of them in the comedy genre. Goggins was wise to get aboard theDanny McBride/HBO train that has produced three terrific comedy dramas. AfterEastbound & Downand beforeThe Righteous Gemstones, the actor starred alongside McBride inVice Principals, which ran for two seasons in 2016 and 2017. As Lee Russell, he and McBride form a hilarious duo of children that only appear to be fully grown adults. As the titular vice principals, these are a crass and combustible couple of man-children.Goggins, in particular, is totally on form as one half of an absurd and harebrained setwho will do anything to land the principal job filled by an interloper passing over both of them.
Vice Principals
In a competitive scramble for the top position at a high school, two vice principals engage in a no-holds-barred rivalry filled with elaborate pranks and manipulations. As their feud escalates, both combatants must confront their flawed perceptions of power and the quirky realities of educational leadership.
What is ‘Vice Principals’ About?
WhenBill Murray’s Principal Welles is set to step down as the head man at North Jackson High School, both vice principals Lee Russell (Goggins) and Neal Gamby (McBride) are bucking for his job before the door has hit him on the behind. Unfortunately for these two overgrown kids, Welles has decided his successor will be someone outside the current staff. When he tabs Dr. Belinda Brown (Kimberly Hebert Gregory) from Philadelphia to assume the role of head of the school, Russell and Gamby are apoplectic. Lee and Neal are like two kids in a sandbox during a play date. They pretend to get along until the grown-ups look away. That’s when their true temperament comes out, and they start to slap at each other over the toy bulldozer. There is no love lost between Lee and Neal, and their disgust for each other and anger over Dr. Brown stealing the job drives both terrific seasons of the show.When they form an extremely shaky alliance to dethrone Dr. Brown, it creates a perfect dynamic between them.
Walton Goggins Is the Perfect Foil to Danny McBride in ‘Vice Principals’
Vice Principalsworks well because Walton Goggins is the perfect guy to get under Danny McBride’s skin. While Neal Gamby almost thrives on being a dyspeptic jerk, Lee Russell is determined to make a good impression on people. Only Gamby really knows that Russell is just as misanthropic as he is. Still,his fastidious and well-mannered exterioris the perfect facade for the malicious and diabolical goofball he is underneath. Lee’s wardrobe consists mainly of an assortment of bright bowties, cotton V-neck sweater vests, and various magenta-red pants and blazers. It’s the affected, dandy look that makes Neal cringe, and Lee knows it. Neither of the two comic players could be as effective if it weren’t for the other playing the ideal foil.Vice Principalsis a tag team effort, butGoggins has no problem keeping up with the over-the-top and bombastic McBride scene after scene. He steals many of the show’s best exchanges between the two. Even in the rare scenes where they are civilized toward each other, Goggins as Lee Russell is more compelling.
The Alliance From Hell Makes ‘Vice Principals’ Must Watch TV
The back-and-forth foul-mouthed banter between Lee and Neal makes this show worth watching. North Jackson High is intended to be in a southern state, and the heavy drawls of the leading men are what madeEastbound & DownandThe Righteous Gemstonespop off the screen in the same way as Vice Principals. But Goggins adds a snappy flair to his half of the unholy alliance. He shoots straight from the hip and doesn’t pull punches while he and McBride become so immersed in their efforts to oust Brown that they invariably alienate the rest of the eclectic and quirky faculty and work staff. Aside from Hebert, the show is elevated by a cast that includesShea WhighamGeorgia King,Sheaun McKinney, andBusy Phillips.Edi Pattersonhas a recurring roleas Jen Abbott, a woman pursuing an unrequited relationship with Gamby.
Snappy Dialogue Keeps ‘Vice Principals’ Moving at a Crisp Pace
In the first season’s second episode, “A Trusty Steed,” Lee and Neal pull up to Lee’s house curbside. Neal thinks it’s Dr. Brown’s house and turns to Lee, saying, “Is this where she lives? What a s*******”!" Lee turns defiantly and corrects him, “This my house m***** f******!” It’s a mid-century sea ranch!" This precedes a scene where the two go dumpster diving for information they can use against Dr. Brown before breaking into her house and burning it to the ground. This kind of dialogue and reckless activity keeps the show clicking along at a crisp and funny pace. It isn’t Shakespeare, but we don’t look to Walton Goggins and Danny McBride for an eloquent soliloquy. We watch Walton Goggins to see him curse up and down while dropping a giant spitwad into his mother-in-law’s tea and enjoying watching her drink it. It’s an act that makes even Gamby nauseated. And McBride created and co-wrote the scene with partnerJody Hill.Vice Principalsis precisely what you get when the people in charge of the high school children are more immature than the students.
Vice Principalsis available to stream on Max in the U.S.
WATCH ON MAX
