Hung

Thomas Jane, Jane Adams, Anne Heche, Eddie Jemison, and Rebecca Creskoff all perform extremely well on screen. They portray their characters flawlessly and allow you to vicariously enjoy the show that is Hung.

This show is difficult to label, it's more of a raw show without any bs. Many of the events aren't as climatic as one would expect, especially the season finales, but this is what makes the show so beautiful. Hung doesn't rely on overly complex drama that makes absolutely no sense in the real world, it relies on real life complications in humorous, yet dramatic scenarios.

Hung is open to interpretation, at least most of it. If you have the patience for massive character development with a smooth plot and actors who portray their characters effortlessly, then this show is a must.

I had a chance to watch episodes 1 to 4, though I'm living in Germany without HBO and I have to admit, that this show got me hooked from minute one. It's not only the actors who have convinced me - of course especially Thomas Jane, Jane Adams and Anne Heche. Actually, what I really admire is the tone of this show: it could have gotten so ridiculous, so absurd, but it's just funny and at the same time very serious. You are watching a man's struggle for money in order to get a burnt house rebuilt and to get his children back from their kind-of-strange mum, and it's getting to you. You wish this man, Ray Drecker, all the best and many "customers" as well as you wish his pimp, Tanya, that she's getting what she's deserved, a bit of appreciation for what she does. I am watching Thomas Jane's career since the stupid but very entertaining "Deep Blue Sea" and I enjoy seeing him in this leading man situation. I am very happy, that HBO has ordered more episodes and I can't wait to see the rest of this season. .. oh, sorry for my bad English :)

This new HBO series has turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It's hard not to relate to a guy who lost everything in a day and age when so many people are going through similar situations. I've been there myself and I understand a lot of his frustrations. To see him cash in on his best "asset" has proved to be very, very interesting. Would we do the same if we were in his predicament? Well, you gotta eat and pay the bills. The writing is excellent. Also, Anne Heche can consider herself very lucky to have gotten this gig. She, too, is pleasant in her role as the ex-wife and it has made me forget all her past scandals, something I didn't think could be possible. Nice, too, to see Thomas Jane in what appears to be a hit for HBO.

I am thoroughly looking forward to episode #3.

HBO continues to air innovative shows reflecting aspects of life whether they be vampires living in the South, Hollywood hotshots trying to survive show business, a polygamous family, or it's latest concept about a man taking on the oldest profession in the world which is "Hung." Ray Drekker (Thomas Jayne) a Detroit high school teacher and basketball coach was once the school's most popular boy with an athlete's scholarship and married the most popular girl in school. All falls apart when he is injured and years later his dream girl wife, Jessica (Anne Heche), leaves him for a well-to-do dermatologist. Being a high school teacher and basketball coach does not pay very well. To make things even worse, his house catches on fire forcing him to live in a tent in his backyard and his twin teenage children move back with their overbearing mother. Ray goes to one of those scam "get rich quick" seminars and finds what he is also good at and the "tool" he has: sex and very...ahem..."hung." He meets failed poet and corporate temp, Tanya Skaggle (Jane Adams), and enlists her as his pimp. The two embark on a business they hope will be successful in "fulfilling" women with happiness...will they successful? The show reflects on the subject of the economy very heavily and it's about time a show finally did. "Hung" is set in the backdrop of the economically beaten down but not out Detroit amidst layoffs and the public school system being federally underfunded. Thomas Jayne is perfect as Ray. He is your typical everyday average Joe trying going through economic hardship and through the profession of male prostitution he begins to have an understanding of women and of the direction of his own life. He continues to go on despite the ex-wife, his uptight next-door neighbor, and the economic hardships. Jane Adams is also wonderful in the part of passive aggressive but insightful Tanya. She doesn't face the same hardships as Ray, but she is lonely and sympathetic. Anne Heche is hysterical at times as Ray's overbearing ex-wife who is also going through hard times when her husband's finances take a huge a hit in the stock market. "Hung" is a show that reflects on the current economy and talks about the subject matter of male prostitution without making it look glamorous or fake.

I don't understand why the other reviewers are being so harsh on this show, especially since there's only been one episode! This is obviously a show that has to be set up first, then it will surely kick into gear and fulfill all expectations. I found the idea of this show to be hilarious, and that's something you have to think about the entire time you're watching it. To think that Thomas Jane's character is a guy that once had everything, to only be forced to survive by becoming a gigolo... It's a pretty funny premise for a show if you ask me. The cast of this show is awesome, and all you can do is root for Jane's character Ray as he struggles to get his life back on track by "pleasing" lonely women. In my opinion, you should watch this show with an open mind and don't pay attention to the other reviewers who pride themselves in thinking they are professional critics, because they're probably the same group who thought Entourage wouldn't survive after the first episode. I truly believe "Hung" is sure to surprise, and soon become another HBO classic.