HBO has picked up the melancholic comedy "Hung" for a third season with a 10-episode order to run in 2011.
Nice!! - Thomas Jane - we love Ray in Hung for HBO © Glenn Harris / PR Photos
The series stars Thomas Jane, who strips down in the opening with one of the best TV soundtracks of any show.
Jane plays Ray, a divorced, down-on-his-luck Detroit high-school coach moonlighting as a male prostitute, thanks to his special asset.
MFA degree under her belt yet woefully awkward, Jane Adams shines as Tanya, the novice poetry-loving flesh peddler who seeks out a real old-school black pimp for advice, and romance too.
Rounding out the cast is willow in the wind, Ray's ex Anne Heche, now missing her well endowed simple husband, despite all the free Botox she can get with her affluent Doctor second husband.
The show also stars Eddie Jemison, Rebecca Creskoff, Gregg Henry, Sianoa Smit-McPhee and Charlie Saxton.
The penultimate episode of Hung's second season on Sunday averaged 2.5 million. Its season finale airs Sept. 12.
The other female pimp is red-headed savvy Lenore, the polar opposite of Tanya, who loves to show off nekkid and toys with Ray. She even hunts him down in the middle of school to shake him down for the Tanya - Frances money -- her cut so that she can retain her power over Tanya, and money that Ray believes was returned to Frances.
Old-school Charlie the pimp and Tanya are flirting with a relationship, until he breaks it down for her in pimp speak: "You got one white man 'ho, who don't do dudes, and he bring you more headache than cash!"
Now Frances' new man Mike, who works with Ray, is clueless to the nature of all this behind the scenes money exchanging. He thinks he has met a nice woman and hit if off, and Frances is happy so she keeps paying Tanya to "keep" Mike, who is hers regardless of any money; he likes her.
Well, Ray finally realizes that Tanya lied about returning the money to Frances, and has been shunned by Mike who is mortified that Frances is paying for his company.
Ray tracks Tanya down at her office, and he finally corners her and Tanya breaks down, but not without a big swipe at Lenore and Ray: "You know what happens to good people, Ray? They get shit on! Good people have their best friends stolen by mean, conniving, red-headed bitches [Lenore]!"
Now, Jess (Heche) Ronny are finally on the outs as Jess's rash is back and he knows why. She wants to keep her comfort, the money, the house, the easy life but Ronny isn't doing it for her physically, and she misses her old familiar, Ray.
Meanwhile, evil Lenore plants the seeds of workplace warfare with Tanya's peer and client, Horny Patty. Horny Patty name calls Tanya in front of the whole office, continually calling her "T-Brain" as Tanya, already at a frazzled end of her rope, says "Don't call me T-Brain," and then whips Horny with her belt!
So, the end of the last show leaves us with the inevitable Jess and Ray reunion, but when the moonlight fades to the harsh sunlight, will Jess go scrambling back to her Louis Vuittons, free Botox and maid?
Will the school district get the needed funding to rehire the laid-off teachers? Will we ever get to see Ray fully frontal nekkid? Will the great hummus war escalate? Will Ray and Jess's kids get the Kelly Osbourne treatment and skinny down with a make over? Will Tanya ever learn to dress herself?
Another season to see if we all make it out of this shitty economy alive.
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