Wow.

That silence is the sound of disappointment. The disappointment of talents wasted and opportunities missed. Those are the two thoughts that ran through my mind constantly as I watched the pilot episode of Hank. You’ve got two guys, Kelsey Grammer and David Koechner, who are two of our funnier men in TV and film these days. They’ve done some terrific work in the past…and yet none of that talent is on display in Hank. At least, not yet.

I fully acknowledge that this is only one episode, and the pilot at that. But this first encounter with Hank does not bode well for the series as a whole. The main plot (previously wealthy NYC family gets downsized and has to return to Virginia to start life over) is not entirely compelling and almost feels too tied down to the current economic situation. It’s one thing to be timely and current; it’s quite another to use what’s reality for a lot of hard-working people as a disingenuous premise for a comedy. For instance, we’re supposed to believe that they have to sacrifice a high-end life, but when they get to their new home in “the sticks,” their new home is beautiful and huge.

Perhaps I’m just being nit-picky with these details, but ultimately, this show is just not funny. And that’s really the worst offense of all.