I am – Hercules!!
An unusually sharp and unusually funny sitcom from “The Riches” husband-and-wife writing team of Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin,” “Hung” follows handsome, newly divorced Detroit high school coach Ray Drecker, whose economic circumstances inspire him to start using his gargantuan willy to pursue a career as man-whore. The series stars Thomas Jane (“The Punisher”!) as the oversized “happiness consultant,” Jane Adams (“Frasier”) as his pimp and Anne Heche (“Men In Trees”) as his ex-wife. As directed by Alexander Payne (who’s made a career crafting hilarious portraits of deluded losers like “Election,” “About Schmidt” and “Sideways”), the pilot offers a lot of cunningly undersold character comedy -- the kind that could be easy to miss if the viewer isn’t vigilant, so all are encouraged to keep eyes and ears open. There’s an attention to detail that’s rare in Payne’s realm of independent filmmaking and almost non-existent in television. The series starts out exceedingly well, with Drecker giving a hilariously uninspiring speech to his terrible basketball team. (I’m still chuckling about the player who guesses the coach’s discussion of the dung beetle’s lifestyle might be a plea for “more man-to-man coverage.”) I laughed again at the early montage of fire hazards in Drecker’s post-divorce cabin home. I laughed when I realized Drecker’s daughter was a really convincing actress. I laughed again when misfortune finally fully stripped away Drecker’s neighborliness. I laughed at the blunt high-decibel contempt that spilled out of Drecker’s ex-mother-in-law. I laughed at the Adams character’s unhinged, high-pitched vocalizing as Drecker sent her rocketing into orgasm. That’s a lot of laughter for just the first half-hour. There’s a lot of talk in a get-rich-quick class Drecker attends about finding “the tool” that will bring success, but the term is played more to further the plot than solicit a giggle. Material like this is tricky, but the creators are careful to keep the characters relatable and Payne keeps the pilot's tone far from the domain of sex-romp. Jane brings movie-strength charisma to Drecker and even the smallest parts in the pilot are exceedingly well cast. The standout is Adams, who demonstrates at times almost otherworldly comic acumen as the poet-turned-temp who turns out to be a bit of a marketing genius. I say add “Hung” to your DVR; it’s season-passworthy. Variety says:

… wryly funny … Boasting fine performances by Thomas Jane and Jane Adams, coupled with sharp writing, "Hung" really does offer those willing to pay for it (HBO, that is) a bountiful package. …

The Hollywood Reporter says:

… pretty darned funny, especially once you get past the 45-minute pilot and into the half-hour regular episodes (smaller is better, actually). …

The New York Times says:

… oddly beguiling, a downbeat screwball comedy in R-rated clothing. … really comes alive after Mr. Jane teams up with Jane Adams …

The Los Angeles Times says:

… attempts to be a surprisingly subtle study of modern adulthood in difficult economic times. (In case you don't get this, it's set in Detroit.) In this it occasionally succeeds, but at a cost to the sexual farce or frisson one might expect from such a setup. Regrettably, the word "flaccid" often comes to mind. …

The Chicago Tribune says:

… Perhaps we still expect too much from HBO; not every show is going to be the next "Sopranos" or "Deadwood." But "Hung," it must be said, is less than advertised.

The San Francisco Chronicle says:

… Who knew that when HBO announced it was green-lighting a series called "Hung" about, let's see, a well-endowed man, it would end up being kind of endearing? It's also funny, which is good since "Hung" is a comedy. And it's unexpectedly sweet and has depth … The pilot, directed by Alexander Payne ("Sideways"), is superb, and the first handful of episodes (there are 10 in the season), prove that the writing is consistently strong, the characters multidimensional and the tone assured and surprising in its depth. With "Hung," HBO might have found its next big thing.

The Newark Star Ledger says:

… has more to offer than just John Thomas jokes. Amidst all the sniggering humor about how Ray has been taught to "do your best with the gifts God gave you" is some smart comedy about the state of 21st century America in general, as well as a superb lead performance from Thomas Jane. … Lipkin's previous show, FX's "The Riches," also was a dark series about the emotional cost of illegally getting rich quick, but it seemed almost allergic to laughter, despite the presence of the normally funny Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver as its stars. And that made Lipkin's various sociological points difficult to sit through. This time, Lipkin and Burson seem to have recognized that with a great endowment comes great responsibility to make jokes about it -- especially if those jokes then provide cover to talk about everything else.

The Boston Globe says:

… Like many half-hour cable series, particularly those on Showtime, “Hung’’ leans heavily on the black comedy, but pathos is never far away. … it’s this grounding in character drama that helps “Hung’’ transcend its gimmicky genital premise. For me, the best part of “Hung’’ is Adams, who makes Tanya a brittle joy with neurotic lines such as, “My mother was right, I’m too desperate to be liked.’’ …

The Washington Post says:

… Ray Drecker is supposed to be a lovable loser, that furry fixture of the modern sitcom, but he's about as lovable as snakes on a plane -- either the actual occurrence or the horrendous movie of that name. Drecker is a shuffling, fumbling imbecile whose run of bad luck seems largely the result of his own stupidity. Who cares if he's miserable? … The number of plays on the word "tool" seems uncountable. … "I don't think it's funny; I think it's sad," someone says near the end of the premiere, and as happens frequently with new shows, it sounds too much like self-criticism. …

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:

… one of those shows that's amusing and may make viewers nod in recognition of a familiar character type or behavior. But "Hung" is not a laugh riot. … It's possible that "Hung" will lighten up as time goes on. The weak ending to Sunday's pilot is trite and feels like a half-hearted effort to be uplifting. It doesn't work. But the end of the fourth episode is almost sweet …

Entertainment Weekly says:

… Hung's awkward tone (partly intentional, since the pilot was directed by Alexander Payne, writer-director of that gem of awkward comedy Sideways) becomes frustrating. The series needs to commit: Either evolve into a funny, sexy stud-romp or hang it up. …

USA Today says:

… The pity, for those who might get hung up on the premise, is that there are moments when Hung has the makings of both a smart social satire and a sweet romantic comedy. It's just that its virtues have been buried under the kind of meandering plots and underpowered dialogue that mark so many TV comedies these days, which seem unable to decide whether they'd rather be unfunny comedies or insufficiently serious dramas. Indeed, the episodes tend to be so shapeless and leisurely paced, you might be watching a very long movie that just happened to get cut up into random segments. …

10 p.m. Sunday. HBO. Follow Herc on Twitter!

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