“Hung” Manages To Be Hilariously Raunchy Without Actually Showing The Raunch

Filthiest/Best Show Title Ever

HBO has been a bit hit or miss with its original programming lately. I love “Flight of the Conchords”, but I don’t care for “True Blood” or “Eastbound & Down”. I was the one guy that liked “John From Cincinnati” so that one was cancelled. Hopefully, more people will dig the new comedy “Hung” because I would hate to see it cancelled too early.

The first episode aired last night and it sets up a pretty interesting show. Thomas Jane stars as Ray Drecker, a Detroit high school teacher/basketball coach that is very down on his luck. He has two goth kids and an ex-wife that despises him. He lives in his parent’s house and after it catches on fire, his twins go back to his ex-wife’s house and he lives in his backyard in a tent. It’s truly a pathetically sad existence.

After attending a self-help seminar, Ray is inspired to start his own business that will focus on his one true skill, which is his unusually large member. Yes, Ray becomes a gigolo.

It sounds obscenely vulgar, but other than some foul language, it’s really not. Ray is a pretty pathetic dude, but he’s not that bad of a guy. He wants to do right for his kids and take care of them, which he can’t do on his meager teacher/coaching salary. He’s actually a pretty sweet guy and it’s due to the fact that Thomas Jane is pretty likable.

The real highlight of the show so far is Jane Adams, who plays Ray’s “pimp” Tanya. Tanya is a professional poet whose big idea is Lyric Bread, which are baked goods that have small papers in them that have poetic verse written on them. Yes, Tanya is flighty and all the more adorable for it.

If you have HBO, “Hung” is definitely worth watching. It isn’t “Sopranos”-worthy, which means you run out and order the pay channel, but it’s worth seeing.