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 Hank

(July 12th, 2009.  Editor)                Kelsey Grammer, Melinda McGraw, David Koechner, Macey Cruthrid and Ryan Wynott star in the half hour situation comedy "Hank", airing Wednesdays at 8pm this fall on ABC.

Hank Pryor (Grammer) has had a hard year. After two decades of success building a chain of sporting good stores into a corporate empire, suddenly a down-turn in the stock market has left him almost broke and his company the target of a hostile takeover. When he is fired from the company he founded, he elects to regroup by leaving New York and moving back to Virginia and an affordable country home where he can start over again. His wife Tilly Pryor (McGraw) and children Maddie (Cruthird) and Henry (Wynott) are not exactly thrilled about leaving their posh home in the city to move to the middle of nowhere. But Tilly is happy that Hank has agreed to return to Virginia, where she can count on the support her brother Grady (Koechner). Hank is confident he's on the road back to the top. He knows he is destined to return to greatness. And he is, just not the greatness he imagines.

Writer Tucker Cawley delivers a pilot script that has enough of a background story and enough laughs. But the big sell in this comedy is getting an audience to watch Kelsey Grammer play what is basically the same character that we have seen several times before. I suggest Cawley and his writing staff should read through as many scripts from the classic situation comedy "Green Acres" as possible. That series about a New York Lawyer who moves to the country to become a farmer could be an inspiration for a great many scripts for this series. Add a dash of "Newhart" and a little "Home Improvement" with a splash of "Mr. Mom" and this one just might go the distance. I also think Grammer should explore physical comedy, site gags and slapstick, as that would be new ground for him and it would be a wealth of comedy material.

I have seen enough sitcom pilots over the years to know that it often takes several episodes for a good comedy to hit its stride. What I look for in the pilot is a good premise, strong comedy and good chemistry among the cast. Director James Burrows does well to showcase the talents of his script and cast, but the real test is if the audience returns the next week to see what happens to these people. With this effort, I am unsure. Every member of the supporting cast must be given better lines and better situations if they are to rise above the stereotypes displayed in the pilot to become real people. So far, they are looking like they were hired to be "straight-men" not actors.

There are some talented people associated with this project, in front of and behind the camera, but that is not a guarantee of success. The Wednesday time slot assigned this series for the fall season suggests that the network has high hopes for this comedy, but the audience is always the final judge. This sitcom may not be an instant success, but like his character, if Grammer is given a chance, he just might beat the odds.

 

Editor

 

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