HBO
Despite the fact that Eastbound & Down was one of the most beloved comedy TV shows of its generation, series star and creator Danny McBride says HBO wasn’t interested in any of his spinoff ideas — not even one centered on Will Ferrell’s famous Ashley Schaefer character.
While HBO might not have been interested in his Eastbound spinoffs, the network did want to remain in business with Danny McBride as they went on to collaborate on his shows Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones.
HBO passed, however, on continuing stories in the Eastbound & Down universe.
Danny McBride says he had two ideas for Eastbound & Down spinoffs, including one centered on Will Ferrell’s character Ashley Schaefer
“We talked to Will about doing an Ashley Schaefer spin-off a few years ago. But you know what? HBO didn’t even, like, listen to the pitch. They just weren’t interested in it,” McBride said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.
The second idea McBride had to continue the story was called Holy Guacamole, which would’ve been a workplace comedy following Stevie (Steve Little) and his wife as they open a Mexican restaurant.
“We had a spin-off idea after ‘Eastbound’ that was going to be called ‘Holy Guacamole,’ and it was Steve Little and his—Stevie and his wife open up a Mexican restaurant, and it was just going to be like a workplace comedy. And that, again, didn’t go anywhere. Again, they were not interested.”
Eastbound & Down ran for four seasons on HBO between 2009 and 2013, with McBride starring as Kenny Powers — a washed-up former MLB pitcher who moves back to his small North Carolina hometown to become a middle school gym teacher after his career implodes.
Co-created by McBride and Jody Hill and executive produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay through their Gary Sanchez Productions, the show is widely regarded as one of the defining American comedies of its era. Ferrell appeared in multiple episodes across seasons one and two as Ashley Schaeffer — a flamboyant, unhinged BMW dealer.