Lucky Hank - What We Know So Far
Throughout the past decade, AMC has demonstrated time and time again that they are all-in on Bob Odenkirk. From the moment he first joined the cast of "Breaking Bad" in 2009, the prolific actor and comedian started to steal the spotlight whenever he was on screen, quickly turning the sarcastic criminal lawyer Saul Goodman into a fan-favorite character.
Despite the fact that Odenkirk was only supposed to star in three or four episodes, the character went on to become a major player throughout the next three seasons of "Breaking Bad." Goodman became such a beloved character that AMC greenlit his very own spinoff series following the show's finale (via Variety). "Better Call Saul" explored the story of how a small-time lawyer named Jimmy McGill slowly transformed into the manipulative career criminal Saul Goodman, and ran for six seasons on AMC.
The series received immense critical acclaim and catapulted Odenkirk into superstardom as one of the most prominent actors in all of television. Now, it seems like AMC is returning to the well once again for the upcoming series "Lucky Hank," which sees Bob Odenkirk in its titular role. Here's everything we know so far about "Lucky Hank."
When will Lucky Hank be released?
Fortunately for fans of Bob Odenkirk's past work with AMC, "Lucky Hank" will actually be released very soon, as the series is set to premiere on March 19, 2023. According to Deadline, the series will be available on both AMC and AMC+, and will consist of eight episodes.
Although it's certainly exciting to learn that this new series is premiering so soon, we still don't have any concrete word on what time the show will air, and where it will fit into the schedule between some of AMC's other shows. Indeed, it's worth noting that another massive AMC series has already been moved out of the spring lineup just as "Lucky Hank" has earned a March premiere date. The highly anticipated "The Walking Dead: Dead City" has been delayed and given a June release date (via Deadline).
As such it will be interesting to see what time the series actually airs, and what time the episodes become available on AMC+, as "Lucky Hank" is one of only a few AMC series to premiere so early into the new year.
What is the plot of Lucky Hank?
Although both of Bob Odenkirk's prior AMC projects came from entirely original stories, "Lucky Hank" is actually an adaptation of the novel "Straight Man" by Richard Russo, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "Empire Falls." The story of "Lucky Hank" is delivered in first person through the eyes of William Henry Devereaux Jr. (Odenkirk), who works as a chairman for Railton College –- a struggling Pennsylvania school located along the "rust belt" that serves as the backdrop for many of Russo's novels (via Deadline).
Caught in the throes of a mid-life crisis, Devereaux's life begins to spiral out of control due to his increasingly erratic behavior, leading to some tough choices for himself and for his wife Lily (Mireille Enos). As with all adaptations, there's no telling what will remain the same and what might be changed from Richard Russo's source material. There is no doubt that fans of "Straight Man" will be eagerly awaiting the release of "Lucky Hank" to see how the story translates to the small screen.
Who is starring in Lucky Hank?
As previously mentioned, AMC's "Lucky Hank" is headlined by "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" star Bob Odenkirk, playing the titular role of William Henry Devereaux Jr. The rest of the cast is also rounded out by some pretty significant names from across both television and film. Mireille Enos (Netflix's "The Killing") plays Devereaux's wife, Lily, while "Die Hard 2" star Tom Bowers appears as Deveraux's elderly father, William Henry Devereaux Sr.
Other cast members include "The Office" star Oscar Nunez, who appears as the dean of Railton College, "Silicon Valley" star Chris Diamantopoulos as Lily's ex, Tom Leska, and Kyle MacLachlan, who famously played detective Dale Cooper in David Lynch's iconic mystery drama "Twin Peaks," appearing as Railton College's President, Dickie Pope. All told, it's clear that "Lucky Hank" has managed to secure an extremely impressive cast — one which can certainly rival the talents of its prolific leading man.
Is there a trailer for Lucky Hank?
We have yet to receive a full-length trailer for "Lucky Hank," though a teaser was released alongside the announcement of the series' March 19th release date. This teaser, which can be found on the official AMC+ YouTube account, gives fans their first glimpse of Bob Odenkirk as William Henry Devereaux Jr. — complete with a full beard, a less-than-full head of hair, and a sharp pair of glasses.
The teaser itself consists of only two shots: a zoom-in on Devereaux's face as he chews his lip, and a brief shot of his office door, complete with a label that reads "HANK DEVEREAUX ENGLISH DEPT. CHAIR." Absurdly, we also see a goose walking around just outside of Devereaux's office, which serves as a small bit of foreshadowing for the story to come. The goose should seem awfully familiar to any fans who have read Richard Russo's "Straight Man."
A narration from Deveraux also gives us a bit of insight into what kind of mischief he'll get up to in "Lucky Hank," saying, "I've always been a difficult man. I specialize in minor strife and insignificant irritation. That's my lane." Although it's very likely we will receive a longer trailer at some point in the future, this brief teaser is still sure to get plenty of fans excited for the imminent release of "Lucky Hank."