Not A Good Sign: 'Hank' Pilot Being Reshot - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 08-08-2009, 11:26 PM

WHAT: Hank
WHO: Kelsey Grammer, Melinda McGraw, David Koechner, Sasha Pieterse, Nathan Gamble, and exec producers Tucker Cawley and Mike Clements.
PREMISE: Wall Street tycoon loses everything and is forced to relocate his family back to his hometown and start over. Haven’t seen it but sources confirm to me exclusively that it’s horrible. (Watch the trailer)

11:19 am: The pilot is being reshot. Presumably to make it less horrible.

11:23 am: Grammer’s CEO has a soul! “Hank sacrificed his [golden] parachute to make other people whole,” explains Grammer. “He took the brunt of responsibility for what went wrong with his company.” Now he’s “looking at life and his family in a different way.”

11:25 am: Grammer says the perfect storm of the writers strike and Kevin Reilly joining Fox as entertainment president killed Back to You. (Reilly passed on Back to You while at NBC.) “The guy who didn’t want our show was now running the network,” he says.

11:32 am: Comparing Hank to Frasier, Grammer says, “Frasier loved clutter and conflict. This guy is not comfortable with all that stuff. He’s a simpler man. He loves the American dream. He loves the idea of making something of his life.”

11:35 am: Grammer suggests that the stress brought on by Back to You’s cancellation likely contributed to his 2008 heart attack. “It was a tough year,” he acknowledges, “and maybe it was my time to get retooled a little bit. It ended up being a great thing in my life. I’m stronger, healthier. Things are looking good.”

11:47 am: “I don’t have an aversion to [doing one-hour dramas],” says Grammer. “I just don’t like the schedule. The work schedule is untenable.” (Sounds like someone’s been hanging out with Katherine Heigl!)

11:52 am: Catfight! Grammer, who exec produces Medium, blasts CBS titan Les Moonves for initially rejecting the show, only to spend the next four years trying to copy it a la Ghost Whisperer. Moonves doesn’t score any points for rescuing the show after NBC axed it. “When they said in a press release that Medium would be a nice spinoff of Ghost Whisperer, I thought it was sort of disingenuous to say the least,” says Grammer.

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/08/...ddle-and-hank/

JulieSomoski · 08-09-2009, 12:36 AM

Gotta love Kelsey Grammar, lol. He's always spoke his mind, so I respect him for that. And, most of what he said was honest. I love how he managed to find someway to blast Les Moonves about Medium, lol.

I don't think Hank will be a bomb, but it will probably be in the bottom 2 of ABC's comedy block. If the show manages to progressively get better throughout the season, and ABC gives it the time to grow, it could turn out to be a modest hit.

ryan423 · 08-09-2009, 02:50 PM

I love Kelsey, but out of all the new sitcoms ABC is rolling out, this one I didn't even get a laugh out of the trailer. It's really a "Been there, done that" sitcom, and sadly doesn't look decent. I'll give it a shot though, but don't get any hopes up. I'd bet a lot of money it's the first show of the Wednesday night comedy line-up to get the axe.

JulieSomoski · 08-09-2009, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan423

I love Kelsey, but out of all the new sitcoms ABC is rolling out, this one I didn't even get a laugh out of the trailer. It's really a "Been there, done that" sitcom, and sadly doesn't look decent. I'll give it a shot though, but don't get any hopes up. I'd bet a lot of money it's the first show of the Wednesday night comedy line-up to get the axe.

I agree that Hank is probably the worst of the bunch, but I think this could be a show that "finds itself" as the season goes on. So, if the pilot isn't good, that's what I'm hoping happens. Unfortunately, if the pilot isn't good, people can easily switch to Old Christine on CBS.

Pavan · 08-09-2009, 06:03 PM

I saw the pilot and it was OK. Had some funny moments and then some really dull moments. The pilot is being reshot because they replaced the two kids, so this pilot I saw will not air. And the title was "Awesome Hank" rather than just "Hank." Cast changes is the only reason of the reshooting. If I had to rank the four comedies for Comedy Wednesday this would be it from best to worst:

1. Modern Family
2. The Middle
3. Cougar Town
4. Hank.

2 and 3 are close and could be flipped. Those first 3 are laugh out loud!

JulieSomoski · 08-09-2009, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pavan

I saw the pilot and it was OK. Had some funny moments and then some really dull moments. The pilot is being reshot because they replaced the two kids, so this pilot I saw will not air. And the title was "Awesome Hank" rather than just "Hank." Cast changes is the only reason of the reshooting. If I had to rank the four comedies for Comedy Wednesday this would be it from best to worst:

1. Modern Family
2. The Middle
3. Cougar Town
4. Hank.

2 and 3 are close and could be flipped. Those first 3 are laugh out loud!

Based on the promos, that's exactly how I'd rank them as well. Modern Family is clearly going to be hilarious (I can't wait for it!). As strong as The Middle may be, the 8pm ones are probably going to struggle at first regardless. It will definitely be interesting to see if the CBS comedies will be able to hold up against them.

08-08-2009, 11:26 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	Not A Good Sign: 'Hank' Pilot Being Reshot WHAT: Hank WHO: Kelsey Grammer, Melinda McGraw, David Koechner, Sasha Pieterse, Nathan Gamble, and exec producers Tucker Cawley and Mike Clements. PREMISE: Wall Street tycoon loses everything and is forced to relocate his family back to his hometown and start over. Haven’t seen it but sources confirm to me exclusively that it’s horrible. (Watch the trailer) 11:19 am: The pilot is being reshot. Presumably to make it less horrible. 11:23 am: Grammer’s CEO has a soul! “Hank sacrificed his [golden] parachute to make other people whole,” explains Grammer. “He took the brunt of responsibility for what went wrong with his company.” Now he’s “looking at life and his family in a different way.” 11:25 am: Grammer says the perfect storm of the writers strike and Kevin Reilly joining Fox as entertainment president killed Back to You. (Reilly passed on Back to You while at NBC.) “The guy who didn’t want our show was now running the network,” he says. 11:32 am: Comparing Hank to Frasier, Grammer says, “Frasier loved clutter and conflict. This guy is not comfortable with all that stuff. He’s a simpler man. He loves the American dream. He loves the idea of making something of his life.” 11:35 am: Grammer suggests that the stress brought on by Back to You’s cancellation likely contributed to his 2008 heart attack. “It was a tough year,” he acknowledges, “and maybe it was my time to get retooled a little bit. It ended up being a great thing in my life. I’m stronger, healthier. Things are looking good.” 11:47 am: “I don’t have an aversion to [doing one-hour dramas],” says Grammer. “I just don’t like the schedule. The work schedule is untenable.” (Sounds like someone’s been hanging out with Katherine Heigl!) 11:52 am: Catfight! Grammer, who exec produces Medium, blasts CBS titan Les Moonves for initially rejecting the show, only to spend the next four years trying to copy it a la Ghost Whisperer. Moonves doesn’t score any points for rescuing the show after NBC axed it. “When they said in a press release that Medium would be a nice spinoff of Ghost Whisperer, I thought it was sort of disingenuous to say the least,” says Grammer. http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/08/...ddle-and-hank/
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08-09-2009, 12:36 AM	#2
JulieSomoski Roseanne Reboot - March 27! Forum Veteran Join Date: Nov 06, 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 7,558	Gotta love Kelsey Grammar, lol. He's always spoke his mind, so I respect him for that. And, most of what he said was honest. I love how he managed to find someway to blast Les Moonves about Medium, lol. I don't think Hank will be a bomb, but it will probably be in the bottom 2 of ABC's comedy block. If the show manages to progressively get better throughout the season, and ABC gives it the time to grow, it could turn out to be a modest hit.
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08-09-2009, 06:03 PM	#5
Pavan SO News/Reviews Director Administrator Forum Superstar Join Date: Feb 17, 2000 Location: Linden, NJ (Where Hal Linden got his last name from!) Posts: 26,815	I saw the pilot and it was OK. Had some funny moments and then some really dull moments. The pilot is being reshot because they replaced the two kids, so this pilot I saw will not air. And the title was "Awesome Hank" rather than just "Hank." Cast changes is the only reason of the reshooting. If I had to rank the four comedies for Comedy Wednesday this would be it from best to worst: 1. Modern Family 2. The Middle 3. Cougar Town 4. Hank. 2 and 3 are close and could be flipped. Those first 3 are laugh out loud!
	__________________ SitcomsOnline.com News Blog -- The best news out there! SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews -- We are #1 in reviews!

08-09-2009, 02:50 PM	#3
ryan423 Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 15, 2007 Posts: 1,829	I love Kelsey, but out of all the new sitcoms ABC is rolling out, this one I didn't even get a laugh out of the trailer. It's really a "Been there, done that" sitcom, and sadly doesn't look decent. I'll give it a shot though, but don't get any hopes up. I'd bet a lot of money it's the first show of the Wednesday night comedy line-up to get the axe.