Alternate Title: I didn’t know we’d be getting a Friday Night Lights spin-off about Tim Riggins so soon

Sue Naegle, new president of HBO, has picked up her first show. It’s called Hung. Here’s a synopsis from Variety:

Hung opens on a man who was once a high school sports legend, but is now plodding along in middle age as a struggling father and high school basketball coach. His luck begins to change, however, when he figures out a way to use his best asset.

They’re referring to his penis.

The show is created by Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin, creator of FX’s The Riches. Hopefully this show, along with Alan Ball’s vampire series True Blood, will reinvigorate HBO’s schedule, which has been sagging after the finales of two of their best known series (The Sopranos and The Wire) and a string of misses (John From Cincinnati, Tell Me You Love Me).

Read the rest of the article here.

John Adams - Photo: Kent Eanes/HBO

Alternate Title: “Abigail Adams’s European Vacation”

The program begins with John waking up to a knock at his door and new information stating that the British have surrendered. Whatever sickness he was suffering from is now gone! I’m sure it was psychosomatic, stemming from an obscene amount of worrying about his nation. Only John Adams, right?! Suddenly, the Dutch are like, “Hey, you know what? That money you wanted earlier? You got it, bud. All America had to do was win a war!” Reeling off of two successes, Adams calls up Abigail and says, “What are you doing later? You wanna come over?”

The reunion of Abigail and John was pretty heartwarming for me. Forget Ray and Debra, it’s these two that have the best relationship on television. They have nothing but love for each other, and each one understands the other completely. Abigail knows her husbands faults, that his ego can sometimes get the best of him, but it’s her advice that helps him get to the position he eventually reaches. She compliments him perfectly, and is just as important to American history as he is. He refers to her as his “dearest friend,” and he truly has complete faith in her suggestions. “No man wants to appear a fool before his wife,” he says, expressing his esteemed opinion of her while also severely underestimating the appeal of Married…With Children.

[Read more]

John Adams - Photo: Kent Eanes/HBO

Alternate Title: “Adams and Franklin Go To France!”

When I first heard the synopsis for last night’s episode of John Adams, I expected zany confrontations between Adams, Ben Franklin, and French policemen. The required chase scene would culminate in a hallway with many doors in which Adams and Franklin try to evade police by running in and out of various rooms. Instead, I got 70 minutes of brilliant performances and tense drama. Maybe next time.
[Read more]