Two and a half years after the conclusion of Eastbound & Down, Danny McBride is back at HBO with a new half-hour comedy series called Vice Principals. HBO brought the first two episodes to SXSW this year, and while they do suggest that the show runs the risk of spiraling out of control with silly and superficial jokes, they also wrap up in a way that suggests that Vice Principals could possibly grow to support that humor.McBride stars alongside Walton Goggins as the two vice principals of Lincoln High. Lee Russell (Goggins) is all smiles and struts around school donning some very snazzy suits whereas Neal Gamby (McBride) is loud, obnoxious and has a habit of making scenes when disciplining the students. When the principal (Bill Murray) is forced to retire, Gamby and Russell assume it’s a battle between the two of them to replace him so do everything in their power to sabotage the other and score the gig. However, when the superintendent reveals that he’s bringing in the celebrated Dr. Belinda Brown (Kimberly Hebert Gregory) for the job, they decide to push their differences aside and work together to bring her down.As one might expect, McBride and Goggins make a brilliant pair, but you do need to wade through tons of unoriginal and repetitive gags in order to get to the more promising material. The idea of two vice principals fighting for a vacant principal position makes for a strong start, but Gamby and Russell’s insult driven back-and-forths grow tiresome fast. There are also some especially hateful arguments. And while some jokes may earn laughs, they also make it tough to like the characters. A good deal of the comedy in the first episode also relies on very familiar and touchy topics - in fact, it manages to squeeze in jokes about bullying, guns and anti-feminism in a matter of minutes. Perhaps it’d be nice to find some levity in such subject matter once in a while, but Vice Principals addresses them in such uninspired, heavy-handed ways that the jokes aren’t funny, and also feel rather inappropriate.