The general consensus is that January is the dreariest month of the year, therefore it's the best time to cosy up on the sofa to watch some quality television. A promising start is made by a travel documentary with a difference: Between Earth & Sky II (TVB Pearl; Tuesdays at 9.30pm), in which a hot-air balloonist travels the world to 'meet traditional communities who live in remote parts'. It's an intriguing concept and young French explorer Sebastien Lafont is an energetic presenter who vows to take us to destinations that are uncontaminated by the modern world, to 'forgotten kingdoms' and to 'meet the world's last tribes'. Thus this four-part second series kicks off with The Last Bedouins of Arabia - Jordan, which is followed by Sons of the Sun - Peru, then The Last Maya Lords - Mexico and finally A Journey Through Time - Bolivia. The enthusiastic Monsieur Lafont invites himself into homes to eat, sleep and party. His hosts are repaid with a trip in his balloon. It's a charming idea, as sundry characters experience what will probably be the ride of their lives. You can't fault Lafont's intentions - he is knowledgeable about the areas he visits and its inhabitants and he genuinely attempts to become involved in their daily routines by helping with chores and joining them for meals and conversation. Sadly, the latter is somewhat one-sided, because most of his hosts don't speak English. Instead, the voice of a translator has been dubbed over their responses, which gives the programme the feel of a hard-hitting news documentary at times. Most distracting is Lafont's accent, which is so heavy it's difficult to comprehend what he's saying. Also, his approach is clearly unrehearsed with the result that his spontaneous comments are sometimes refreshing but just as often baffling - those you can understand, anyway. What saves this series are the stunning views of the remote locations filmed from the balloon. Anyone with a sense of adventure watching this could easily imagine themselves journeying in such an enchanting manner to largely unexplored sections of the globe. And surely that's the point of a travel show. Precisely what the point of new drama Hung is remains to be seen (HBO Signature; the first two episodes aired last night and the series continues with double episodes starting at 10pm from tonight until Wednesday, with an encore of five episodes a night, starting at midnight, on January 10 and 11). The main protagonist is Ray Drecker (Thomas Jane, above), a man whose star appears to be in the descendant. The former high-school hero - who was envied by the boys for his sporting prowess and admired by the girls for his good looks and ... ahem, well-endowed physique - is on a losing streak. The ex-star football player turned history teacher and basketball coach married his high-school sweetheart, Jessica, played by Anne Heche, had twins and enjoyed a rosy existence for nearly 20 years. Then she dumped him for her dermatologist and Ray was forced to move into his late parents' old house with the twins. During a bitter row as she is leaving him, Jessica takes a vicious swipe at Ray's ego, listing the attributes that once attracted her but are sadly no longer in evidence - 'except for one thing'. It's clear from the start where this is headed. It's a pretty pathetic concept for a TV series - so last century! It might have worked had it been funnier or the characters easier to empathise with. But it isn't and they aren't. Hung's creators should be hanged.
