The ABC freshman sitcom Hank was canceled a few days ago, hardly to anyone’s surprise since no one was watching it and the critics pretty much hated it. It was another attempt to launch a successful multiple-camera sitcom, this one created by Everybody Loves Raymond veteran Tucker Cawley. The idea for the show wasn’t bad; having a millionaire lose everything and being forced to move to a middle-class neighborhood with his family seemed probable in light of the current financial woes. However, the idea needs to be accompanied by good comedy writing and the lack of it quickly became a problem for Hank.

It was also another comeback attempt for a true star of the genre, Kelsey Grammer, who’s been trying to find his place in the industry since the end of Frasier. His last stab at it was Back to You, which wasn’t bad but audiences wouldn’t give the show a chance to mature even though Fox chose to keep it going for a while. I certainly hope that Grammer finds something new to sink his teeth into. Whenever projects like Hank and Back to You have disappointed, Grammer has always been there, working hard to carry them as far as he can. I’m sure he’ll find something eventually that does him justice.

The YouTube clip shows the trailer for Hank, which has its moments… but also a general feeling that this is simply too tame and old hat to work.

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Published 2009-11-15 00:03