Baseball exists, still. Once America’s pastime, its comfortable pace has struggled to garner attention in an increasingly frantic culture. But it has refused to die, continuing to providing occasional entertainment for ballpark patrons and convenient background noise for afternoon naps. It does have its fervent fans, though. There are those increasingly rare souls for whom baseball remains a cultural touchstone and a near religious experience, those who feel that the most beautiful phrase in the English language is “spring training” or “opening day”.

Brockmire exists somewhere in this latter group, a baseball story combined with unbelievable alcoholism and personal growth, eventually. The central concept is simple enough to begin with, though: let Hank Azaria talk as much as possible, and the meaner and more vulgar he is, the better. Think Bob Uecker’s announcer from Major League as written by Armando Iannucci. It’s not a bad starting point for a show, if maybe not universally appealing.

Thankfully, the show is well cast. Azaria’s natural charisma shines here, and he is able to carry the show’s serious moments well. To be clear, Brockmire’s alcoholism is played for laughs, but we spend enough time with him to understand his problems and his history. It’s a perfect role for Azaria, and while the show never strays too far from its comedic center, his character has enough depth to keep the show interesting even when he isn’t swearing into a microphone. 

The other leads have less screen time, but acquit themselves well. Amanda Peet is winning throughout the show, and makes a solid foil for Azaria. Refreshingly, Peet’s Jules is allowed to be something of a mess as well, if not quite the joke that the title character is. She really carries the show at times, and while the rest of the show is strong, it’s better when she is present.

Tyrel Jackson Williams serves as the other lead, Charles, the baseball team’s technical wizard and production guru. He and Azaria are a natural pair, and his growth throughout the show is a welcome parallel to Brockmire’s salvaged hope. He also provides a solid voice of youth and reason, keeping the show grounded, and providing a solid example of how to be a good friend to a bad one.

Charles and Jules are strong enough characters to carry the show on their own at times. It’s easy to picture a show based around Jules clawing her way into the boys’ club that is major league baseball, or trying to be taken seriously as a minor league owner. Maybe the rest of the owners are all eccentric crackpots, and Jules functions as the voice of reason, like a sports Arrested Development?

Charles similarly has plenty of potential here. He is a little more tied to Brockmire, which isn’t a bad thing. Seeing him grow as a person and a professional is inspiring, and the show does a nice job of exploring the challenges of his professional relationship and friendship with Brockmire. 

The rest of the supporting cast is great. J.K. Simmons and Tawny Newsome are outstanding counterparts to Brockmire in the third season. The show overall has a very good supporting cast, which it makes the most of. I want to stress that I made it this far into the review without mentioning a nasty J.K. Simmons supporting character, which should give some idea of how strong the show is overall.

So there is a lot to like here. Brockmire is definitely a pleasant surprise, easily outperforming its simple premise. It isn’t always an easy show to watch, though, and its crude humor hangs around even as the show outgrows it. This is a gross show at times. Much of the show depends on having an understanding of baseball, and beyond that, an opinion about baseball, which is a lot to ask in the current year. Also, there is an off-putting amount of Joe Buck in the show, meaning some.

Overall, Brockmire is a success, wildly so considering how well it does with a simple premise. Should you watch it with your mom? You should not. But it is very good, legitimately great at times. For something I originally put on as background noise in the early morning, it has exceeded expectations, and I can recommend watching it while completely awake.