If you appreciate the finer (read: funnier) things in life, then you likely spent part of last summer watching IFC’s miniseries, The Spoils Before Dying. The six-episode comedy was “adapted” from reclusive “author” Eric Jonrosh’s (Will Ferrell) “acclaimed novel” about a 1950s musician who gets caught up in a dangerous murder investigation. Starring Michael K. Williams, Maya Rudolph, and Kristen Wiig, the miniseries was the bigger, jazzier follow-up to the similarly grandiose The Spoils Of Babylon, and an improvement on its formula in almost every way. At the conclusion of her TV Club reviews, Emily L. Stephens called it “a joyous dance on the line between intensity and inanity.”
If you’re hoping to get in step with this “joyous dance,” then you’re in luck: The Spoils Before Dying hits DVD shelves on July 7 and, in celebration of its release, The A.V. Club is giving away two copies for free. For your chance to win, simply send an email to [email protected] with the subject line “The Spoils Before Dying.” Be sure to include your name and mailing address in the body of the email. U.S. entrants only. On Thursday, June 2, we’ll select two winners from our eligible entries and notify them shortly thereafter. Estimated retail value for the prize package is $24.98. You can read the synopsis and watch the trailer for the miniseries below.
The series centers on Michael Kenneth Williams as Rock Banyon, who becomes the prime suspect in the double murder of his occasional lover Fresno Foxglove (Maya Rudolph) who is found dead with another man. Panicked, Rock splits for Mexico where he reunites with his one-time big band singer Delores DeWinter (Kristen Wiig). With 72 hours to clear his name or fry in the electric chair, Rock and Delores embark on a dangerous quest for the truth that takes them into an abyss of sex, drugs, betrayal, and of course, jazz. While his world crumbles, Rock’s hard-charging manager Alistair St. Barnaby (Haley Joel Osment) pressures him to record a mainstream jazz album.