News of this show has been around for almost a year now, and anything following the HBO series Hung will finally be able to see the first episode tonight. It was developed by Alexander Payne, director of About Schmidt and Sideways, and tonight’s show was also directed by him.

The plot is rather a strange one. Thomas Jane (The Mist) plays Ray Drecker, a once-famous sports star who is unhappy in his life as a school sports teacher, not to mention still suffering from a recent divorce. Seeking some extra cash, Ray decides to avail of his one great asset, his rather enormous….er….. manhood.

HBO has a reputation for being explicit, and some say that a lot of such moment fel unnecessary, like a desperate attempt to provoke and gain an audience. And while Hung could indeed feel like a poor man’s Boogie Nights, I’m confident that Alex Payne has envisioned this to be more than an excuse for puns and double-entendres. Indeed, early reviews have seen the show as a witty attempt to explore life in an America rocked by economic uncertainty.

Hung starts tonight at 10pm on HBO.