Mother F'in Kenny Powers

Tonight's the first night of season 3 of Kenny Powers on HBO. If you haven't been watching it from season 1, it's time you did. He's the crassest most offensive jerk you'll ever love. He's a jerk, he's rude, he cusses every other word, he's full of himself, and yet, you love him and the show. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what a great writer can accomplish.

He's an ex-pro baseball player that everyone loves to hate. He's bitter about the fact his career was over before it started. And yet, his ego is too big to admit this, so he just acts like a pompous jerk to cover up the fact that he's miserable that he's not a pro baseball player any more.

So how does a talented writer accomplish such a feat, to get us to love a total prick? It's not easy. But it can be done. And when it's done, it's beautiful.

One way is to add comedy so we are laughing at the jerky character. They don't know they're idiots. They think they look suave. And everyone in the TV show or movie, takes this character seriously. But the audience knows better. And when we can laugh at the jerk for being a jerk, we have sympathy for him.

It's also important to have moments of them being vulnerable. Something the series writers of Eastbound & Down do a wonderful job of. There are tender moments where Danny McBride admits to being lonely, to being washed up. And during those moments, we feel for him. We see how lonely he truly is. Those moments put us on his side. They're fleeting moments, and he's quickly a jerk again. But the tender side we got a glimpse of, lasts forever in our hearts.

It's also really important to have those "pet the cat" moments. Where the jerky character has those nice moments of them helping someone out, or putting someone before themselves. It warms us up to them and lets their faults slide.

And in the case of Eastbound & Down, every other character is so darn funny and the writing is just so darn funny throughout, that we're so busy laughing, we don't really get stuck caring that Danny McBride is really probably the biggest jerk ever!

So that's how you make a jerk character likable, ladies and gentlemen. Here's to the hopes we all can achieve that in our own works someday soon.