Hung (TV series)

Last updated
Hung
Hung.png
Genre Comedy drama
Created by Colette Burson
Dmitry Lipkin
Starring Thomas 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 languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes30 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersColette Burson
Dmitry Lipkin
Alexander Payne
Michael Rosenberg
Noreen Halpern
John Morayniss
Running time28 minutes
Production companiesTennessee Wolf Pack
E1 Entertainment (2009–10)
Entertainment One (2011)
HBO Entertainment
Original release
Network HBO
ReleaseJune 28, 2009 (2009-06-28) 
December 4, 2011 (2011-12-04)

Hung is an American comedy-drama television series that 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 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]

Contents

Plot

Hung follows Ray Drecker (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 penis as an opportunity to make money. The episodes center 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).

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 10June 28, 2009 (2009-06-28)September 13, 2009 (2009-09-13)
2 10June 27, 2010 (2010-06-27)September 12, 2010 (2010-09-12)
3 10October 2, 2011 (2011-10-02)December 4, 2011 (2011-12-04)

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Production

The show's pilot was directed by film-maker 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. [3] In December 2011, HBO announced the cancellation of the series, ending it after three seasons. [4]

For his role as Ray Decker, Thomas Jane was nominated three times as Best Actor for a Golden Globe.

The theme song for Hung is "I'll Be Your Man" by The Black Keys [5] 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.; [6] and from 2010-2011 was shot in Stage 7 at the Paramount Studios.

Home media

DVD releases
Season Region 1 Release Date Region 2 Release Date Region 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

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. [7] The show received many nominations during its run. [8]

Casting Society of America, USA
Golden Globe Awards
Primetime Emmy Award
Satellite Awards
Writers Guild of America Award

Notes

  1. Credited as Analeigh Tipton; Tipton came out as non-binary and changed their name in 2021. [2]

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References

  1. "Keck's Exclusives: Hung Takes a Transgender Turn". TV Guide Network . Lions Gate Entertainment. tvguide.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-10. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  2. Nolfi, Joey (June 3, 2021). "America's Next Top Model star Lio Tipton 'proud' to come out as queer and non-binary". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  3. Nellie Andreeva (December 18, 2008). "HBO picks up 'Hung'". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  4. Molloy, Tim (December 20, 2011). "HBO Cancels Hung, Make It in America, Bored". Reuters . Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  5. James Cook (December 18, 2008). "HBO Picks Up Thomas Jane's 'Hung'". TheMovingPicture.net. Archived from the original on May 31, 2009.
  6. Dan Desmond (April 16, 2010). "HBO's 'Hung' puts West Bloomfield gym in spotlight". The Oakland Press .
  7. "Hung". metacritic.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Hung". IMDb. 28 June 2009. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2016.