Worry not, Justified fans, for Walton Goggins will not be gone from the small screen for long once that FX series draws to a close. He will follow it with a jump to HBO, where he will join the new comedy,Vice Principals. The series comes from two of the creators of Eastbound And Down – Danny McBride and Jody Hill.
McBride also co-stars with Goggins in this new venture, which focuses on the team of people that have not quite made it to the top of the educational management tree – the Vice Principals. McBride plays divorcee Neal Gamby and Walton Goggins plays Lee Russell – a manipulative politician who finds himself in something of an alliance with Gamby.
The show will also feature Busy Phillips (Cougar Town) as Gamby’s ex-wife, while Shea Whigham (Agent Carter) will play her new husband, Ray Liptrapp. Liptrapp is characterized as a supportive and sincere person, but his status as newly wed to Gamby’s former spouse makes him the inevitable target of ongoing hostility.
Also on board in a creative capacity is writer-director-producer David Gordon Green, who will be executive producing. Green has an impressive body of work that encompasses both comedy and drama – including Pineapple Express, Prince Avalanche, Manglehorn and Red Oaks. Having previously been involved as producer with Eastbound And Down, his inclusion here is very encouraging indeed.
More encouraging, however, are the casting choices being made. Walton Goggins – though better known for dramatic roles – often provides comic relief in his scenes in Justified, and his delivery and timing are well-crafted. The prospect of his having a greater opportunity to demonstrate his comedic skills is intriguing, to say the least.
The details of the plot suggest that a great deal will hinge upon the chemistry between Goggins and his co-lead, McBride. We have enjoyed almost six seasons of Goggins’ easy chemistry with his Justified co-star, Timothy Olyphant, and it is reassuring to know that this ‘team player’ talent will not go to waste in his next project, Vice Principals.
