Streaming services have been churning out series after series based on books and comics, and, more often than not, these series andminiseries have been a hitwith their target audiences. From elaborate creations of fantasy worlds like those inWheel of Timeon Prime Video orShadow and Boneon Netflix to hard-hitting and emotional dramas likeThe Handmaid’s Taleand period pieces likeBridgerton, there is no shortage of subject matter and genres to adapt to the screen.
AMC has jumped on the bandwagon for this with their new dramedy show,Lucky Hank, which is based on a single book rather than a book trilogy or series like we are used to seeing. The streaming service spared no expense in amassing a big-name list of actors and crew to help ensure that their new series will be a hit. Here is everything we know so far about AMC’s upcomingLucky Hank.
Lucky Hank: The Plot
Based on the book titledStraight Manby Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo, the series will follow the day-to-day life of the main character, William Henry Devereaux Jr. Devereaux, an abrasive man, and self-admitted born anarchist finds himself reluctantly in the position as the chairman of the English department in a severely underfunded college in the Pennsylvania rust belt.
In a 15-second teaser trailer for the show, we see very little: only a close zoom of Odenkirk’s bearded face as his voice-over gives us a small insight into his character’s personality by saying, “I’ve always been a difficult man. I specialize in minor strife and insignificant irritation. That’s my lane.” From this, we can definitely glean that his character will likely never attempt to do things the easy way. The short teaser trailer ends with a shot of a goose walking in front of Devereaux’s office door which fans of the book will recognize asa bit of foreshadowing.
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As Devereaux’s frustrations grow, we will see him enter full swing into a midlife crisis in which he is navigating the struggles of maintaining his career, fighting for more funding for his department (for which he threatens the life of the aforementioned goose to obtain the funding), and struggling through his marriage. All of this is also affecting his wife, Lily Devereaux, and causing her to rethink her life choices while also trying to keep their daughter Julie on track for her own life. The plot looks to be a hilarious mashup of nuisances, misunderstandings, threats, and mischief.
Lucky Hank: The Cast & Crew
Fresh on the heels of the final season of his showBetter Call Saul, Bob Odenkirk stars as the main character William Devereaux. When asked byEWhow he would relate to this new character and show, Odenkirk said, “I love the tone. It’s more comic. I feel like I relate to the main character, who’s a misanthrope. He’s a cranky guy, but you like him. And I just think tonally it’s great. It feels like a new mashup of comedy and drama that we’ve been on the verge of for a long time.” Cast opposite him as Devereaux’s wife, Lily, is actor Mireille Enos (Netflix’sThe Killing) and Olivia Scott Welch (Fear Street: Part One)fills the role of their daughter Julie.
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Oscar Nunez (The Office) has a recurring guest role as the dean of the college where Devereaux works. Playing William Henry Devereaux Sr. in another recurring role is Tom Bower (Die Hard 2andNixon). Other notable actors with either guest or recurring roles on the show are Diedrich Bader (Office SpaceandAmerican Housewife), Kyle Maclachlan (Twin Peaks), Chris Diamantopoulos (True StoryandSilicon Valley), and Sara Amini (Future Man). With this list of actors in either main roles or guest roles, expectations soar forthe mixture of comedy and drama.
This new AMC series is directed by award-winning producer and writer Peter Farrely (The Green Book). The author of the book, Richard Russo, is one of the executive producers of the show with both Aaron Zelman (The KillingandSilicon Valley) and Paul Lieberstein (The OfficeandKing of the Hill) serving as executive producers and showrunners. It is a veritable powerhouse team of comedy writers and producers that surely will deliver some sidesplitting laughter as we follow William through his midlife crisis.
Release Date
If you can’t get enough of Bob Odenkirk, and you’re anxious to see him in a new type of comedic role, you don’t have to wait long. The first of the eight episodes of season one is set to premiere on AMC and AMC+on March 19. In the meantime, if you want to see a sneak peek of Odenkirk’s character, the goose he threatens, and hear his voice-over description of his character, you can watch the 15-second teaser trailer.
