Who mourns for Eastbound & Down? For those of you who do, HBO has some swell, Danny McBride-tastic news for you.

HBO has announced a new series from Eastbound & Down creators McBride and Jody Hill, called Vice Principals. McBride will return to star in the new comedy series, which has been given an 18-episode series order (with option for extension). In an interesting tactic, the decision on how many episodes per season will be decided later - so no, don't expect those 18 to air in one year, but rather broken up as McBride and HBO decide on the best approach.

According to HBO’s press release, McBride’s new comedy series will follow “the story of a high school and the people who almost run it, the vice principals.”

Eastbound & Down’s David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express) and Stephanie Laing (Banshee) will executive produce Vice Principals.

Vice Principals doesn’t yet have a premiere date.

Created by Danny McBride and Jody Hill, who also created HBO's EASTBOUND & DOWN, VICE PRINCIPALS is a dark comedy series that tells the story of a high school and the two people who almost run it, the vice principals. McBride and Goggins star as the rival administrators, who are in an epic power struggle, vying for the top spot: to be school principal. The half-hour show is slated for 18 episodes over two seasons. Premieres July 2016.

The premiere of VICE PRINCIPALS will also debut on HBO NOW and HBO GO. You can watch the full episode there and catch up on all your favorite HBO programming by subscribing to HBO NOW at HBONOW.com or by logging into HBO GO (for HBO's linear subscribers).

Cancel game of thrones and make more of this please.

VICE PRINCIPALS kicks off its nine-episode season SUNDAY, JULY 17 (10:30-11:00 p.m.). Created by Danny McBride and Jody Hill, who also created "Eastbound & Down," this dark comedy series tells the story of a high school and the two people who almost run it, the vice principals. McBride and Walton Goggins star as the two administrators, who are in an epic power struggle, vying for the top spot: to be school principal. Executive producers, Danny McBride, Jody Hill, David Gordon Green and Stephanie Lang.
Read more at http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2...S63UiDdixYe.99

Fans of “Eastbound & Down” will be happy to know that “Vice Principals,” the new HBO comedy starring Danny McBride, promises the same type of debauchery. “Vice Principals,” however, is settling into the television trend of “short and sweet,” in other words — few seasons.

“The whole series is only 18 episodes and that’s it. We just wanted to make a really long movie. It’s one school year and a complete story,” McBride said at the show’s premiere. “This was an old screenplay that Jody [Hill] and I wrote back in 2006. But we needed it to be longer so we added and reworked it and broke it up into 18 segments.”

“HBO trusted us to make those episodes without anyone watching them, so they really, really trust us,” McBride said.

When asked if they would be interested in making more episodes if the first two seasons go well, executive producer and director Hill had a very simple answer.

“No,” he said. “We already shot the 18 episodes and that’s it.”

Although no strangers to success on HBO, their new show will be going up against critically acclaimed series like “Veep” and “Silicon Valley.” Executive producer and director David Gordon Green, who is also McBride and Hill’s longtime friend and collaborator, isn’t phased by the pressure since he says they’ve never been “critical darlings.”

“We march to our own beat,” Green said. “We try to tell the stories we want to tell, without compromising and we try not to follow market trends.”

“Vice Principals” premieres July 17 on HBO.

When the principal of a high school retires, his two vice principals go to extremes to land the vacant job.

Written by Danny R. McBride & Jody Hill; directed by Jody Hill.