"Hung" swings freely into HBO's Sunday night lineup

June 28, 6:24 PMPittsburgh TV ExaminerSean Farren

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HBO's "Hung"

Not since Saturday Night Live's "Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute" sketch has there been a focus on the world's oldest profession from the male point of view.

Thanks to HBO, that's changed.

Tonight at 10pm on the premiere pay cable service, we're introduced to Ray Drecker (Thomas Jane of 61* and The Mist), a down on his luck Detroit high school coach who's willing to do anything to make a little extra money on the side.

Following his divorce and a fire that burns his house to the ground, Drecker finds himself at wit's end trying to make ends meet in this economy. Finding that his best...asset...is on his person, Drecker starts selling a package few women can resist.

Hey, you have to keep up with the Johnsons...I mean Jonses...right?

Created by Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin, the husband and wife writing team responsible for the darkly funny The Riches, Hung is HBO's latest attempt to build another strong reputation for ongoing quality series after failures like John From Cincinnati didn't connect with audiences. As (so far) directed by Alexander Payne who brought us such quirky films as Election, Sideways and About Schmidt, Hung has just the right offbeat premise to garner attention.

In the long run, we'll see if Hung has the right tools to slide into the hearts and minds of America to become a firm success story...or if it's just another flaccid attempt to revive a lineup left spent by the loss of the Sopranos and Deadwood.

Watch and decide!

I think Fred Garvin would be proud at how far we've come!