Hung

I’d never really thought of Thomas Jane as funny before. At least not intentionally funny, although he does come close to unintentional in stuff like Deep Blue Sea, The Mutant Chronicles and especially 2004’s The Punisher. In HBO’s new series “Hung” he is surprisingly subtle and sly in his humor, much the way the show slips in all the double entendres into the dialogue and backgrounds.

“Hung” follows the path of down and out teacher Ray Drecker (Jane) as he tries to put his life back on track by utilizing his greatest asset – look at the show’s title and use your imagination – and becomes a male escort. The pilot does move a bit slow and it doesn’t seem as though the series will really get rolling until the second or third episode. It should be something Jane is used to, just like a superhero story, you have to do the origin first. This slowness is partially induced by all the hype HBO has been giving the show. Before it aired, we all knew the premise, and now it becomes a waiting game before we actually get there.

That said, I really enjoyed it, and can’t wait for more, even if it’s a while to get to the ‘meat’ (sorry) of the story. Also in the cast is a wasted Anne Heche (unless they plan to give her more to do soon) and Jane Adams who I think has a lot of potential here. And that’s what it’s really about with “Hung,” waiting and potential. I hope it lives up to the hype.


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