Jasmine Sahu is well suited with this new American drama exclusive to Dave.
Lois Cameron explains why this series is much more than your average cosy period drama.
The last episode of this series sees Sherlock and Moriarty attempt to solve the final problem with devastating consequences.
With major cast changes afoot, Jacob Martin ponders whether Being Human can live up to its own scarily high standard.
You read it right, Hung ... And, yes, it is that kind of hung. It’s as clear and simple as the title makes it out to be. This new Channel 4 dramedy is about a man with a big penis.
I have to admit I was expecting little from this show. I thought there would be a couple of predictable jokes and similarly predictable characters. I was wrong. The first episode of “Hung” proved to be a very enjoyable hour of television.
So what makes it any good? For the most part, the acting of Thomas Jane (who plays main character Ray Drecker). I was aware before watching Hung (which has completed its first season in the US) that he already has a Golden Globe nomination for Best Comedy Actor under his belt. His character Ray has genuinely lost everything. The washed-up basketball legend turned high-school teacher seems helpless as his life falls apart around him. He’s divorced, hates his job and to top it all off, his house burned down (it’s easy to feel sympathy for him!). Out of all this humorous misfortune stems his idea to make some money using his biggest asset.
The pilot episode has a circular storyline. Showing us at the beginning of the episode that Ray is on his way to his first job in the oldest profession in the world, and following it with how he got there. The show is narrated by the main character, and the narration is possibly the best thing about Hung. It gives Thomas Jane some really fantastic lines outside of the dialogue of the show (“When did life become something you buy?”) and some humorous asides (“My big dick is all I’ve got”).
The other central character is Tanya Skagle (played by Jane Adams). Tanya is a poet who once taught Ray’s high school class. The two meet again at a seminar to get rich quick (at which they are told to identify their “one winning tool”). I was at first confused by what role Tanya would serve. It’s clear by the end of the episode though, once Ray comes clean to her about his intentions, that she takes some delight in accepting the role of becoming his ‘pimp’.
The first episode ends on a positive note with Ray being able to give his son $50 to buy tickets to a concert. However, it’s a case of ‘all the gear and no idea’ for the protagonist. Ray earned that money out of sympathy and it’s obvious he’s a complete novice at his new job. Leaving the first episode with a healthy amount of direction means I’m going to be watching again next week. I recommend you suspend any doubts you may have and give Hung a go. It’s unconventional and really rather amusing; it most definitely has the makings of a very good show.
You must log in to submit a comment.
