Hung (TV series)

Hung is a comedy-drama television series which ran on HBO from June 28, 2009, to December 4, 2011. It was created by Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin and stars Thomas Jane as Ray Drecker, a struggling suburban Detroit high school basketball and baseball coach who resorts to male prostitution. The second season premiered on June 27, 2010, and concluded its 10-episode run on September 12, 2010. The third season premiered on October 2, 2011, and concluded its 10-episode run on December 4, 2011. The series was cancelled after three seasons.[1]

Hung
GenreComedy-drama
Created byColette Burson
Dmitry Lipkin
StarringThomas Jane
Jane Adams
Anne Heche
Eddie Jemison
Sianoa Smit-McPhee
Charlie Saxton
Rebecca Creskoff
Gregg Henry
Lennie James
Stephen Amell
Opening theme"I'll Be Your Man"
by The Black Keys
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes30 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)Colette Burson
Dmitry Lipkin
Alexander Payne
Michael Rosenberg
Noreen Halpern
John Morayniss
Running time28 minutes
Production company(s)Tennessee Wolf Pack
E1 Entertainment (2009–10)
Entertainment One (2011)
HBO Entertainment
DistributorWarner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original networkHBO
Original releaseJune 28, 2009 (2009-06-28) –
December 4, 2011 (2011-12-04)
External links
Website

Plot

Hung follows Ray Drecker (Thomas Jane), a high-school basketball coach in the suburbs of Detroit who is short on money. He is also the father of twin teenagers (Charlie Saxton and Sianoa Smit-McPhee), who move in with their remarried mother (Anne Heche) after a fire damages the childhood home Ray still owns. With no insurance to cover the damage from the fire, Ray is left without many options. With the help of a friend, Tanya (Jane Adams), Ray decides to use his above-average sized, 9-inch penis as an opportunity to make money. The episodes centre on Ray's attempts to maintain a normal life while starting his business as a prostitute. Together, Tanya and Ray start their business, "Happiness Consultants".

The second season focuses on the complex dynamic between Ray and his two pimps, Tanya and Lenore (Rebecca Creskoff). Lenore, a life coach whom Tanya brought in to help them in the early stages of the business, began taking over Happiness Consultants late in the first season, as she believes she can take Ray into new business areas and views Tanya as an obstacle.

The third season has Tanya and Ray forced to compete for clients against Lenore and her younger gigolo Jason (Stephen Amell).

Production

The show's pilot was directed by filmmaker Alexander Payne, who served as executive producer along with Burson, Lipkin, and Blueprint Entertainment. Burson and Lipkin's script was the first major purchase by the network's new entertainment president Sue Naegle in April 2008. This led the writers to immediately work on five more episodes for the series, a total of 10 episodes. On December 18, 2008, HBO announced picking up the series for its first season, which ran from June 28, 2009, to September 13, 2009. On July 30, 2009, HBO announced it had renewed the series for its second season, which ran from June 27, 2010.[2] In December 2011, HBO announced the cancellation of the series, ending it after three seasons.[3]

The theme song for Hung is "I'll Be Your Man" by The Black Keys[4] from their debut album The Big Come Up (2002).

Much of the show was filmed in the suburban Detroit cities of Royal Oak, Hamtramck, White Lake, Troy, Walled Lake, Clarkston, and West Bloomfield, Michigan.[5]

Cast and characters

Main
  • Thomas Jane as Ray Drecker is a former star athlete turned high-school teacher/coach and single dad, who becomes a prostitute to provide a better life for himself and his children.
  • Jane Adams as Tanya Skagle is a former flame of Ray's who reunites with him later on. She takes on the role of his pimp after proving to have the optimism to make money in the business.
  • Anne Heche as Jessica Haxon is Ray's ex-wife who is trying to build a relationship with her children as they drift away from her. She also finds herself drifting from her new husband, Ronnie.
  • Charlie Saxton as Damon Drecker is Ray and Jessica's son. He partakes in goth-like activities and is unsure as to his exact sexuality. He has issues with his mom, and he has an unhealthy fixation on his sister and is much more comfortable around his father.
  • Sianoa Smit-McPhee as Darby Drecker is Ray and Jessica's daughter and Damon's twin. Darby has had issues with her boyfriend and is very close to her brother, often a source of support.
  • Eddie Jemison as Ronnie Haxon (seasons 1–2, recurring season 3) is Jessica's new husband who is starting to become more about business than romance, causing both Jessica and himself to drift to outside romantic sources.
  • Rebecca Creskoff as Lenore Bernard (recurring season 1, seasons 2–3) is a life coach who is introduced to Ray by Tanya to bring in clients. Eventually, Lenore proves she can be a better pimp than Tanya, and the two are currently battling for his attention.
  • Gregg Henry as Mike Hunt (recurring season 1, seasons 2–3) is Ray's good friend and assistant coach. He is becoming suspicious of Ray's behaviour and is worried about being laid off as the school begins cutting costs.
  • Lennie James as Charlie (recurring season 2, season 3) is Tanya's pimp mentor.
  • Stephen Amell as Jason (season 3) is a young prostitute found by Lenore to serve as competition against Ray.

Recurring season 1

Recurring season 2

Ray's one-episode customer

Recurring season 3

Episodes
Main article: List of Hung episodes

Reception

Hung was well received by critics. For its first season, the series' reviews equated to generally positive, with special mentions made to Thomas Jane and Jane Adams for their lead performances.[6] The show received many nominations during its run.[7]

Casting Society of America, USA
  • 2010: Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Pilot (Comedy): Lisa Beach & Sarah Katzman (Nominated)[7]
Golden Globe Awards
Primetime Emmy Award
  • 2010: Outstanding Cinematography for a Half-Hour Series: Uta Briesewitz (Episode: "Pilot") (Nominated)[7]
Satellite Awards
Writers Guild of America Award
  • 2010: Best Screenplay – New Series: Colette Burson, Ellie Herman, Emily Kapnek, Brett C. Leonard, Dmitry Lipkin, and Angela Robinson (Nominated)[7]

Distribution

DVD releases
SeasonRegion 1 Release DateRegion 2 Release DateRegion 4 Release DateEpisodesDiscsBonus Features
1June 22, 2010September 13, 2010August 4, 2010102Disc 1: Audio commentary on episodes 1 and 4 with the creators and executive producers of the series Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin. – Disc 2: About Hung. • Women Hung. • Personals Ray and Tanya. • Audio commentary on episode 8 with the creators and executive producers of the series Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin and writer Brett C. Leonard.
2September 27, 2011October 17, 2011TBA102TBA
3September 4, 2012TBATBA102TBA

References
  1. "Keck's Exclusives: Hung Takes a Transgender Turn". TV Guide Network. Lions Gate Entertainment. tvguide.com. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  2. Nellie Andreeva (December 18, 2008). "HBO picks up 'Hung'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. Molloy, Tim (December 20, 2011). "HBO Cancels Hung, Make It in America, Bored". Reuters. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  4. James Cook (December 18, 2008). "HBO Picks Up Thomas Jane's 'Hung'". TheMovingPicture.net. Archived from the original on May 31, 2009.
  5. Dan Desmond (April 16, 2010). "HBO's 'Hung' puts West Bloomfield gym in spotlight". The Oakland Press.
  6. "Hung". metacritic.com. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  7. "Hung". IMDb. 28 June 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
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