TVSquad

(S01E10) "You're afraid of flies or something?" - Ray

All season long on Hung, there's been one lingering question. We knew it from the moment we met Tanya, and it was solidified in last night's season finale when she sat on her couch, in dirty sweat pants, reading The Power of Positive Thinking, only to run away terrified at the sight of numerous flies. One lingering question and finally, Ray is asking it too.

What the hell made Tanya think she'd make a good pimp?

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, then a new Big Brother and the two-hour season finale of There Goes The Neighborhood (Note: CBS' schedule might be changed due to U.S. Open tennis).
  
• NBC has Football Night in America at 7, followed by the Bears vs. the Packers.
• At 8, FOX has the series finale (two episodes) of King of the Hill.
• Food Network has a new Challenge at 8.
• At 9, ABC has a new Shark Tank, then a new Defying Gravity.
• PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery! at 9.
• ESPN2 has the U.S. Open Women's Final at 9.
• Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva at 9, followed by a new Army Wives.
• MTV has the 2009 Video Music Awards at 9.
• There's a new Total Drama Action on Cartoon Network at 9.
• Also at 9: HBO has the season finale of True Blood, then the season finale of Hung and a new Entourage.
• At 10, AMC has a new Mad Men.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• A 7, NBC has a new Dateline, then Pre-Season Football, the Bears vs. the Broncos.
  
• At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother, followed by a new There Goes The Neighborhood.
• The CW has the Daytime Emmy Awards at 8.
• Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, followed by a new Iron Chef America.
• At 9, ABC has a new Shark Tank, then a new Defying Gravity.
• PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery! at 9.
• Comedy Central has Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder at 9.
• There's a new Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime at 8, then a new Army Wives.
• National Geographic Channel has the series premiere of The Human Family Tree at 9.
• HBO has a new True Blood at 9, followed by new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
• Also at 9: Syfy has the movie High Plains Invaders.
• At 10, AMC has a new Mad Men.
• HGTV has a new Design Star at 10.
• History Channel has two new episodes of Pawn Stars at 10.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, a tribute to Don Hewitt, then new episodes of Big Brother and There Goes The Neighborhood.
  
• NBC has two new episodes of Merlin starting at 7, followed by Miss Universe 2009.
• At 7:30, Disney has a new Hannah Montana.
• At 8, ABC has the finale of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, then new episodes of Shark Tank and Defying Gravity.
• ESPN has the Red Sox/Yankees game at 8.
• ESPN2 has the Little League World Series at 8.
• At 8:30, Disney has a new Jonas.
• At 9, Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva, followed by a new Army Wives.
• History Channel has the season finale of Ice Road Truckers at 9, then two new episodes of Pawn Stars.
• There's a new Iron Chef America on Food Network at 9.
• Also at 9: HBO has a new True Blood, then new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
• At 10, AMC has a new Mad Men.
• HGTV has a new Design Star at 10.
• Comedy Central has Patton Oswalt: My Weakness Is Strong at 10.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.

Check your local TV listings for more.

So I've been watching Hung (because I'm flattered that they'd base a show like that around me). It's proven to be a much more entertaining take on the premise than I expected. Thomas Jane and Jane Adams are simply perfect in their respective roles as the reluctant gigolo and his high-strung pimp. I was digging Anne Heche as his wife, and even getting his bizarre kids.

I didn't even know the show needed anything more, until Ray booked his most demanding and bizarre client yet and Natalie Zea (Dirty Sexy Money) sashayed into the room. Wow, did Hung need her. And I don't mean because she's gorgeous, though that certainly helps. What a new dynamic she's brought to everything.

• TCM has Elvis Presley movie all night.
• At 7, CBS has a new Michael Vick interview on 60 Minutes.
• NBC has two new episodes of Merlin at 7.
  
• The CW has a new Easy Money at 7.
• Retro TV has Airwolf at 7, followed by the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries and two episodes of the original Mike Hammer.
• At 8, ABC has a new Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, then new episodes of Shark Tank and Defying Gravity.
• CBS has a new Big Brother at 8, followed by a new There Goes The Neighborhood.
• There's a new Challenge on Food Network at 8.
• ESPN2 has Little League Baseball at 8.
• Also at 8: Disney has a new Sonny with a Chance, followed by a new Jonas.
• At 9, Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva, then a new Army Wives.
• HBO has a new True Blood at 9, then new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
• A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9.
• History Channel has a new Ice Road Truckers at 9, followed by a new Pawn Stars.
• At 10, AMC has the season premiere of Mad Men.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 7, NBC has a new Dateline, followed by Pre-Season Football, Bills vs. Titans.
  
• At 7:30, Disney has a new Hannah Montana.
• At 8, ABC has the premiere of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, then the series premiere of Shark Tank and a new Defying Gravity.
• CBS has a new Big Brother at 8, then the series premiere of There Goes The Neighborhood.
• Retro TV has two episodes of the original Mike Hammer at 8, then The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
• ESPN has the Red Sox/Yankees game at 8.
• At 8:30, Disney has a new Jonas.
• At 9, Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva, followed by a new Army Wives.
• USA has the season finale of Law and Order: CI at 9, then the season finale of In Plain Sight.
• HBO has a new True Blood at 9, followed by new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
• A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels, then Animal House: The Inside Story.
• History Channel has a new Ice Road Truckers at 9, followed by two new episodes of Pawn Stars.
• There's a new Web Soup on G4 at 9.
  
• Also at 9: Food Network has a new Iron Chef America.
• At 10, Comedy Central has the Joan Rivers Roast.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.
• At 1am, Cartoon Network has a new Mighty Boosh.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• Shark Week stars on Discovery Channel today.
• Travel Channel has a Man vs. Food marathon all night.
• At 7, NBC has a new Dateline, followed by a new Merlin and the conclusion of The Storm.
• At 8, ABC has Ty's British Adventure, then the series premiere of Defying Gravity.
• CBS has a new Big Brother at 8.
• At 8:30, Disney has a new Jonas.
• At 9, USA has a new Law and Order: CI, then a new In Plain Sight.
• Food Network has the season finale of Next Food Network Star at 9, followed by a new The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
• Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva at 9, then a new Army Wives.
• A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9.
• There's a new Ice Road Truckers on History Channel at 9, followed by two new episodes of Pawn Stars.
• G4 has a new Web Soup at 9.
• Also at 9: HBO has a new True Blood, then new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.
• At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new Squidbillies.
• At 12:30am, Cartoon Network has a new Mighty Boosh.
  

Check your local TV listings for more.

I must confess that I really don't pay that much attention to TV ratings. I realize that I'm just one girl, and whether I love a show or not doesn't make a wit of difference as to whether other people will love it -- and love it enough to keep it on the air. As a TV writer, I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that TV shows come and go, and sometimes nobody watches the good ones, which results in them leaving the air far too soon.

But I've found myself gravitating towards HBO shows, because they seem to be consistently good, no matter the ratings. Sometimes I'm crazy about the shows right off the bat. Such was the case with True Blood, which I review here on TV Squad.

Going in, everyone in the crowd had to know that the panel for HBO's Hung was going to consist of puns and schoolyard humor. After all, it's a show about a down-and-out guy who uses his best asset -- his manhood -- and becomes a male prostitute. So it shouldn't have been a big surprise when a reporter started the questioning by asking whether the show continues a trend of shows about "ordinary working stiffs with a secret."

It went pretty much downhill from there, aided and abetted by the show's stars, Thomas Jane and Jane Adams.

Jane, on his audition process: "I had to go into the other room to disrobe, so I wouldn't hit anyone in the eye. It's for safety."

Adams told a critic that it was interesting he was making so many penis puns "While you're holding that mike."

Co-creator Colette Burson got into the act, calling the member of Jane's character of Ray Drecker as "The Platonic Penis. It's the ideal penis on a certain level."

I love how blunt executive producer Steven DeKnight is about the usage of a male prosthetic on his new Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, as Joel mentioned in his report last night . "Some guys aren't as well-endowed as other guys," he says. I wonder if they were inspired by Watchmen, or made to feel comparatively inadequate to Dr. Mammoth.

What's odd to me is that while Spartacus has put thought into the fact that male nudity is a part of their world and addressed it in this manner, no one has come up with a prosthetic for Thomas Jane in Hung over at HBO. Isn't his dong the centerpiece of the whole show? Or maybe he doesn't need one *nudge* *nudge* *wink* *wink*.

Michael Lombardo and Richard Plepler of HBO held an executive session at the beginning of HBO's star-studded presentation. Among the news:

• The entire Sunday summer lineup: Entourage, True Blood, and Hung will be coming back next summer.
• They've ordered an animated series from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant based on their podcasts with the ever-entertaining Karl Pilkington.
• On a third season of Flight of the Conchords: "We're ready when they're ready."
• The pilot of Boardwalk Empire, directed by Martin Scorsese, has been delivered to HBO. It will be picked up based on what they see. They like what they see so far.
• No more Little Britain USA, but they are working with the producers to create specials with all-new characters.

More coming. Stay tuned to our Twitter feed for the latest updates.

I think HBO is getting turned on by tackling sex in unconventional ways. They've found recent success with Thomas Jane's male gigolo in Hung. And now HBO's nabbed the venerable Diane Keaton to star in an as-yet-untitled series about a feminist icon who tries to light a fire under the movement by launching a dirty magazine for women.

Hell, the idea of a dirty magazine for women is taboo enough for a TV show. Aren't we led to believe that women are above all that; that only men are depraved enough to prop up that entire industry? Suddenly, in two different half-hour comedies, HBO is taking a long hard look at female sexuality in a way that's even more scrutinizing than Sex and the City.

The original idea was to have a young feminist work at an existing porn magazine. Thank god creators Marti Noxon and Dawn Parouse changed their minds. It's much more intriguing to consider an older woman spearheading such an enterprise. I am interested in what name they ultimately come up with for the show. What would you call it?

• Discovery has a Cronkite Remembers marathon all night.
• At 7, NBC has a new Dateline, followed by a new Merlin and the miniseries The Storm.
• The CW has a new Easy Money at 7.
• At 7:30, Disney has a new Hannah Montana.
• At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother.
• TCM has High Noon at 8.
  
• Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, then new episodes of Next Food Network Star and Extreme Cuisine with Jeff Corwin.
• At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery!
• USA has a new Law and Order: CI at 9, then a new In Plain Sight.
• HBO has a new True Blood at 9, then new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
• There's a new Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime at 9, followed by a new Army Wives.
• A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9, then two new episodes of Hammertime.
• History Channel has a new Ice Road Truckers at 9, followed by two new episodes of Pawn Stars.
• Also at 9: G4 has a new Web Soup.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.
• At 12:30, Cartoon Network has a new Mighty Boosh.

Check your local TV listings for more.

For a while there, it looked like Showtime, with buzzworthy shows like Californication, Weeds and Dexter, was dominating headlines and getting all kinds of praise. In response, their ratings were rising. Meanwhile, HBO had struggled to replace The Sopranos, Deadwood and Rome when all three left the airwaves in 2006-07. New "big" shows like John From Cincinnati and Tell Me You Love Me failed to make waves with audiences.

Really, it was Dexter that started swinging the ship toward Showtime, and in so doing, brought attention to the rest of their lineup. With HBO floundering, Showtime saw an opportunity and took full advantage, offering bold new entries. Apparently there's an audience that looks almost exclusively for premium cable original programming. And everything was going so well ... until HBO managed to snag a piece of America's current fixation on vampires.