Television - ! Huff

Ender's_Jane · 12-20-2004, 09:36 AM

Has anyone been watching this new show on Showtime, HUFF?

I'm sort of embarrased to admit that my primary reason for checking it out was because I saw all the ads for it when Dead Like Me (which it's taking the time slot of, at this time) was still on, and I started to realize that Hank Azaria was really quite beautiful in it. Here's an actor I had, heretofore not thought of as intreguing or attractive (talented, though he may have been.) But in this--maybe it's the character or maybe just the haircut and his illustrous fluttering eyelashes--but he really is striking me right now.

Anyway but I took a chance on one of the episodes one Sunday night and found that it was really creative, well written, funny, intelligent and all of the characters are extremely rich and complex. And Hank's portrayal of Dr Craig Huffstodt, a somewhat unstable but truely compassionate clinical psychiatrist, borders on heartbreaking.

It has just the right blend of sexy edge, tenderness, somewhat unsettling plot twists, Ally McBeal-like altered reality sequences and perfectly chosen guest stars (Laura Flynn Boyle, Annie Potts, etc).

I think I'm addicted. Now, if only, I could find other people to obsess about this with me. It's only on episode 6, I think, if you haven't seen it. Check it out.

ann 3.0 · 08-04-2005, 10:41 AM

A highly successful psychiatrist, well regarded by his patients, Dr. Craig “Huff” Huffstodt (Hank Azaria) finds he loses his own sense of clarity and balance after a shattering event takes place with one of his patients. Huff begins to question everything he once held true and spirals into a major mid-life crisis.

Contributing to Huff’s inner anxieties is a home life that is far from normal. Huff’s mother Izzy (Blythe Danner) is embroiled in running verbal battles with his wife Beth (Paget Brewster) over who is more important in his life. It is bad enough that Izzy is a domineering, manipulative and disruptive influence in the Huffstodt family’s life, she also lives in an adjoining “guesthouse” above the garage of their home.

The highly unusual and awkward home life is putting a severe strain on Huff’s marriage to Beth. Nevertheless, Beth still gives Huff her unquestioned love and empathy to help him avoid a mental meltdown—as she tries to decipher and dismantle the strange grip his mother has over him. Huff’s only child, a teenage son named Byrd (Anton Yelchin), is a loving son who is caught in role reversal, growing more concerned with his dad’s own well-being.

Amidst the turmoil, Huff also finds himself randomly and often reluctantly interacting with a homeless Hungarian man whom he is never absolutely certain exists. Yet their encounters usually make Huff feel like a decent and compassionate man despite his internal chaos.

Huff’s lawyer and long-time friend, Russell (Oliver Platt), serves as his emotional and legal counsel even though the attorney has his own questionable set of moral and ethical values. It is Russell’s own dark, macabre sense of humor that usually gets Huff to put the absurdities and uncertainties of life in perspective.

Meanwhile, Huff’s younger brother and sole sibling Teddy (Andy Comeau) is figuratively and literally locked away in a private mental institution. A great irony in Huff’s life is that the brief time he spends with Teddy is when he often experiences clarity and consolation.

HUFF was created and written by Bob Lowry (Any Day Now), who also serves as executive producer along with Emmy winner Scott Winant (thirtysomething) and the Academy Award winning producing team of Mike Newell and Cameron Jones (Traffic). Hank Azaria and Nancy Sanders (Imagine That) serve as producers.

Subject · 08-04-2005, 01:19 PM

We already had a thread for Huff. So I just merged the two threads together.

Butterflygirl · 08-09-2005, 11:13 AM

Huff is one of my favorite shows!!! I want the new season to start in my country.
It's one of the best written shows!!!

I started watching it because I like the actor who plays Byrd.