Critic Reviews

There's nothing here you couldn't imagine from the premise, but there's also nothing wrong with what's here: McGraw is a good foil for Grammer, and Grammer is good at what he does.

This isn't only "Frasier," recast as a standard family sitcom. It's "Green Acres."

The basic concept isn't bad. It's nice to see a captain of industry humbled, particularly now, but even that is unsatisfying in Hank.

The show's main strength is the admirable comic acting ability of Kelsey Grammer and decent wordsmithing by sitcom veteran Tucker Cawley. But even with those assets, Hank comes across as familiar and formulaic--something you don't mind watching but wouldn't go out of your way to see.

The comedy pivots on Hank’s painful adjustment to middle-class living, but that joke is undercut with syrupy life lessons about parental responsibility and quality time.

It just doesn't seem the best fit for Grammer. He's playing a character who's as pompous as Frasier but with less justification, less heart, less wit--and less able support.

Lacking vividly drawn characters to react against, he must use his trademark crack timing and deadpan silences to carry the show, which just makes you feel bad for the star.

It's a slight premise, and the odds of it morphing into a fresh, lively weekly adventure feel about the same. Slight.

Hank does fill a network void where family-friendly comedy is concerned, but Grammer is just going through the paces here. And I’m not sure a void actually deserves another void.

Hank is a multi-camera sitcom shot on a cheap-looking set with a forgettable supporting cast speaking rarely funny dialogue.