TV Review: 'Brockmire' Returns to the Booth for Raunchy Baseball Fun

One of the surprise comedies of 2017 was the debut of “Brockmire” on IFC. The series is built from equal parts redemption story, raunch comedy, and absurdist storytelling. There are very few shows that can be as funny as this one, resulting in a weird but hilarious romp. Hank Azaria brings the titular character to life in one of the strongest performances of his career. Azaria's Brockmire is every bit as incompetent as Selina Meyer and almost as into drugs as Kenny Powers. The combo results in one of the funniest comedies on television centered around a great comedic performance.

In the first season, Brockmire (Azaria) helped the town of Morristown, Pennsylvania save their minor league baseball team. He embraced the digital age with the help of tech guru and de facto manager Charles (Tyrel Jackson Williams). Several big league teams came calling Brockmire's number, and as the industry rallied around him, he got one step away from calling Major League Baseball again. Despite this, Brockmire finds himself stuck in a showdown with announcer Rej (Utkarsh Ambudkar). This begins a crazy tale of absurdity and raunchy comedic jokes that feels at home with Apatow comedies.

The center of the show is the undeniably hysterical performance from Azaria. His character is an incredible mix of pure Id and mania. Azaria is able to sell the absurd stylings of Brockmire's announcing, imbued with pop culture references to boot. Even as the character venues dangerously close to cartoon character status, Azaria's ability as an actor keeps him tethered to reality. While this kind of person would likely find his way into jail in real life, Azaria's charm makes you wish him success on the journey toward redemption.

A hidden gem that the show is starting to really place front and center is Williams. Williams felt pigeon-holed in the geek role last season. This year, he takes agency into his own hands. In the year between the events of Seasons 1 and 2, he has embraced a life as Brockmire's caretaker. Beyond that, he's found a way to harness Brockmire's success to give him a sense of style and flair that his old life would never have afforded him. Williams plays this new Charles well, and fits in enough of the old Charles where the character just makes sense. Williams may end up becoming a breakout star from this show and has the comedic chops to make waves in the future.

Finally, the writing vastly improves on standard raunch comedies it has been compared to. The jokes are absurdly funny, even as Brockmire walks into extremely offensive territory with his announcing. While Brockmire's eyes have opened substantially since "the incident" that kicks off the series, he's still a person trying to do good on some level. He drinks and drugs up his life to hide his fears about mortality. Yet there's something undeniably sweet about the man that's still present. The show gives us little moments of this character. This proves necessary as we're often surrounded by evidence of his problematic lifestyle. It's a tightrope, but one that audiences have embraced with many characters in TV past.

While "Brockmire" may be one of the most leud shows on television, it's a fun and hysterical ride. There's a lot more than the thin surface of this show. Combining good writing with some really fun performances, "Brockmire" is a comedy worth investing your time into. With short seasons (eight episodes) and 30-minute episodes, the series an easy to watch home run.

What do you think of the premiere of "Brockmire" season 2? Can the show sustain its insanity? Let us know in the comments below! 

"Brockmire" airs on Wednesday nights on IFC. You can catch up to the first season on Hulu now.

GRADE: (★★★½)

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