Now, Grammer and Heaton are together once again on ABC’s Wednesday comedy block, but, thankfully, they are starring in separate vehicles. Their toxic chemistry - sitcom bickering at its most grating - no longer threatens. Heaton’s show, “The Middle,’’ has some genuine promise, as a kind of “Malcolm in the Middle’’ family farce. But first, at 8 p.m. on Channel 5, comes Grammer’s “Hank,’’ a junky sitcom that isn’t old school so much as mold school.
Look, I loved Frasier Crane. He was a great character: pompous, ridiculous, fussy, and ultimately - aww - a good guy. For such a snoot-head, he was surprisingly beloved by audiences. But by the end of the 11-season life of “Frasier,’’ during which syndicated reruns had been wallpapered all over local channels, I was ready to say goodbye to him for good. But apparently Grammer was not, and once again he has brought back the character, this time named Hank Pryor, for more huffing and puffing.
“Hank’’ is meant to have a timely spin, since Hank is a high-powered CEO who’s fired from his Manhattan job and moves with his family to small-town Virginia. He’s a victim of the recession, and his solution is to find a low-pressure job and really get to know his wife and two kids. But the jokes, the laugh track, and the performances seem more like throwback to 1980s sitcoms, with David Koechner playing the eccentric local brother-in-law who pops in for a few yuks like a ghost from “Newhart.’’ Can Hank the controlling corporate boss become a regular guy and play ball with his son?
Sadly, Hank’s wife is played by Melinda McGraw, who was so dynamic in season 2 of “Mad Men’’ as Bobbie Barrett. On “Hank,’’ she’s reduced to being little more than the exasperated spouse. She gets sucked into the maw of the multi-camera mediocrity.
