When it comes actors I consider kings of television, there are few that I think of off the top of my head. One is Bryan Cranston (from Breaking Bad), or perhaps Jason Bateman from Ozark, or even Pedro Pascal with the most recent HBO hit, The Last of Us, but one who has been in my mind for over a decade is Bob Odenkirk.
While he’s had a very long and prosperous career, his most recent outing as the criminal lawyer Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill certainly showed just how capable he is on both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. And now, with the latter drama all done, Odenkirk is moving on to his next series – Lucky Hank on AMC.
But, what is Lucky Hank going to be about, and who else might be starring in it? Here is everything we know about the upcoming series.
Lucky Hank Premieres On March 19 On AMC
Mark your 2023 TV schedule, because Lucky Hank is going to be coming to our television screens very soon. It was announced by the network that Lucky Hank is going to be premiering on both AMC and AMC+ on March 19th – which, at the time of writing this, in January 2023, is not that far away.
AMC already has several shows lined up for 2023. Mayfair Witches premiered already, and soon enough the new The Walking Dead spinoff shows will begin to release, from Fear the Walking Dead’s last season to the newest series, Dead City, so adding a new show such as Lucky Hank will surely mix some things up, and I am excited to see it.
Bob Odenkirk And Mireille Enos Will Star
Obviously, as mentioned earlier, Bob Odenkirk is set to star as the main character of Lucky Hank, playing William Henry Devereaux Jr., and the story will be told in the first person.
Apparently, Odenkirk was ready to sign on for the role by the time he talked to the showrunners. In an interview with Slash Film, Paul Lieberstein, one of the showrunners, confirmed that Odenkirk signed on almost as soon as he got the chance to speak to him:
By the time I talked to Bob, he was 100% in. He loved this character and wanted to do it.
Set to co-star with Odenkirk is Mireille Enos, who will be playing Hank's wife, Lily Deveraux, according to Deadline. When it was announced that she would star opposite him in the series, the showrunners, Lieberstein and Aaron Zelman, spoke about how excited they were to have her on board:
We could not be more thrilled to have Mireille on board to play Lily. She brings with her a steamer trunk full of dramatic chops, an unflinching eagerness to explore character, and a megawatt smile that absolutely lights up every Zoom. She’s a delight.
Both of these actors have collectively done so many amazing things. Obviously Odenkirk is known for many parts besides his main role in the Breaking Bad universe, and he’s appeared in other movies such as the fun action film Nobody (which is getting a sequel), The Incredibles 2, Little Women, and more.
Mireille Enos has appeared in many television shows, such as The Killing, Sex and the City, Big Love, The Catch, the Amazon original show, Good Omens, and others, so it’s super exciting to see her in another big TV show such as this one.
Diedrich Bader, Sarah Amini, And More Will Also Star
So, we already know who is going to have the starring roles in the upcoming series but who is going to be playing the supporting roles? Thankfully, we have an idea of that, too. According to Deadline, Diedrich Bader, Sara Amini, Cedric Yarbrough, and Suzanne Cryer have all signed for roles for Lucky Hank.
All of their roles are known. Bader is going to play Tony Conigula, a close friend of Hank's and a professor at the same school he teaches at. Amini is going to play Meg Quigley, a professor looking for tenure who has some money problems. Yarbrough is going to play the poetry professor, Paul Rourke, someone who is afraid of commitment since he’s been in multiple marriages, and considers himself Hank’s rival. Cryer is playing another poetry professor, Gracie DuBois.
Also added to the series, according to The Wrap, are Oscar Nunez, Tom Bower, Chris Diamantopoulos, and Kyle Manlachlan. Nunez is playing Dead Jacob Rose, Bower will be William Henry Deveraux, Sr., Diamantopoulos signed on as Tom Leska, and Maclachlan portrays Dickie Pope, the president of the college.
This is a stacked cast, with members who were a part of The Office cast to people who starred in big-time HBO shows like Silicon Valley. The series is already looking very lucky with these castings and I can’t wait to see what they bring to the table.
The Show Is Based On The Book “Straight Man”
Throughout this article, you’ve heard me bring up colleges, professors, and so much more, and I’m sure you’re wondering what the heck Lucky Hank is even about. The new AMC show is going to be an adaptation of Straight Man, written by Richard Russo.
According to the AMC press release, we are going to follow Odenkirk's William Henry Devereaux, Jr., who is tasked with running the English department at a college. However, the college he teaches at, Railton, is located in the Pennsylvania rust belt and is severely underfunded. Many other teachers and professors are constantly at odds with him, and he has his own personal issues, so running this department will be harder than anyone could imagine.
The Show’s First Season Will Have Eight Episodes
Also revealed by AMC, it was confirmed that Lucky Hank is going to only have eight episodes in its first season. We don’t know if there’s going to be a second season, or if there's a possibly that it will have more episodes if it's renewed, but eight definitely sounds like a solid number to get the story going.
You Can Watch The Teaser Trailer For Lucky Hank Now
While the teaser trailer for Lucky Hank doesn’t show much, we do see a slow zoom-in to Odenkirk’s face with a voiceover speaking about what is to come. Be sure to check it out below.
I am so excited for this series, and I can’t wait to see what it brings to viewers. Are you as excited as I am to see Odenkirk back on the small screen?
