Why Isn’t Everyone Obsessed With IFC’s ‘Brockmire’?

I get it. There’s a ton of exceptional television out there. How can you be expected to live a normal life and find the time to watch under-the-radar gems like Lodge 49, A.P. Bio, Fresno Falls, Russian Doll, and Comedy Central’s Corporate? You can’t. Television fans are forced to be more selective with their time. There’s no room for mediocrity and with all that in mind, I’m enthusiastically recommending IFC’s aggressively funny baseball comedy Brockmire.

Also, Fresno Falls isn’t an actual TV show… yet. If it’s not a Netflix original starring a Baldwin, Pretty Little Liars alum, or someone tangentially related to the hit Fox series Glee by 2021 I’ll eat a top hat.

Returning for Season 3 tonight on IFC, Brockmire stars Hank Azaria as disgraced baseball announcer Jim Brockmire, a quasi-functioning alcoholic with a gift for gab and undying love for baseball. Based on a character Azaria debuted during a 2010 Funny or Die sketch, the sitcom is a perfect marriage between actor and concept, highlighting Azaria’s silky vocals as he portrays the irascible yet loquacious Brockmire with bravado to spare. If you have yet to experience the show’s offbeat charms, the first two seasons are streaming on Hulu. If you’re tuning in for Season 3, you’ll be happy to know the latest installment of this wonderfully deranged IFC comedy is as funny as ever.

Season 2 concluded with the old gang reuniting as Charles (Tyrel Jackson Williams), Jules (Amanda Peet), and a newly-sober Brockmire watched the sun set from Jim’s rehab facility. Earlier in the same episode, Jim was knocking on death’s door as he smoked crack, played Russian roulette, and toyed with hitting the rockiest of rock bottoms. For most shows that tonal discord would be jarring, but Brockmire somehow manages to make it work. The IFC comedy is one of the few programs that has the requisite aptitude to balance debauchery with stealthy sentimentality, and that brand of audacious storytelling isn’t limited to season finales.

Despite Brockmire’s alcoholism driving most of the action of the series, Jim’s sobriety is a major plot point in Season 3. The show once again reinvents itself as Jim’s new job takes him to Central Florida where he finds himself doing spring training play-by-play for the major leagues. While change is typically anathema to a TV comedy, Brockmire embraces it. Season 3 features a new cast, but, thankfully, both Charles and Jules appear in the newest batch of episodes. Actress and improviser Tawny Newsome joins the series as Gabby Taylor, a softball legend who becomes Brockmire’s new co-host and potential friend, and additional Season 3 guest stars include J.K. Simmons as a cantankerous broadcaster battling cancer, the always delightful Richard Kind as Brockmire’s inept producer, Linda Lavin as Jim’s devious mother, and Martha Plimpton as Brockmire’s newest sponsor.

Season 3 is different but familiar as the added pressures of sobriety challenge Jim’s best efforts for personal growth. The debauchery is toned down in favor of more personal stories of friendship and redemption as the emotionally volatile Brockmire attempts to go against his natural inclination for self sabotage and become a better person.

Brockmire’s latest season adds a new layer of emotional nuance to a character that could’ve been fairly one-dimensional, but series creator Joel Church-Cooper strived for more and it absolutely shows. Brockmire has already been guaranteed a Season 4 at IFC, but it doesn’t appear as though this series is destined for extra innings. Azaria told the Houston Chronicle that he’s “pretty sure” next season is going to be it for the critically-acclaimed comedy.

If Season 3 is any indication, the comedy looks to be going out on top.

Brockmire Season 3 premieres Wednesday, April 3 at 10:00 p.m. ET on IFC. Seasons 1 and 2 are currently available to stream on Hulu.

Where to stream Brockmire