Raise your hand if you’ve kind of missed Jimmy McGill since August 2022. We’re all sad, but the good news is that Bob Odenkirk is coming back to AMC as Lucky Hank. This is the actor’s third project with the network, after Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. At the Television Critics Association’s 2023 Winter Press Tour, AMC announced that the show would debut in Spring 2023. They also showed a teaser video for the show. But more about that later. The story of Lucky Hank is about William Henry “Hank” Devereaux Jr., who is the bitter and grumpy head of the English department at the made-up Railton College. The show is about how his “difficult” personality affects everyone around him and, to some extent, his own life. The show is made by Aaron Zelman and Paul Lieberstein. It used to be called Straight Man and was based on Richard Russo’s 1997 novel of the same name.
You could think of Lucky Hank as a spiritual sequel to Better Call Saul, even though they have nothing to do with each other. This is because the success of Odenkirk’s previous projects on the network led to this comeback. In Breaking Bad and its spin-off Better Call Saul, he played the shady lawyer Saul Goodman, who was a fan favorite. During their runs, each of these shows was so popular that it became a part of television history. Better Call Saul was seen as a great example of a well-made prequel or spinoff that goes above and beyond what fans want, and it earned Odenkirk several Emmy nominations and wins. If this story of success is any indication, Lucky Hank might be the third success for the AMC-Odenkirk partnership.
Before the drama series Lucky Hank comes out on the network and on streaming services in March, check out our handy guide to learn about the show’s plot, trailer, release date, cast, characters, and everything else we know so far.
Note from the editor: The most recent trailer was added to this article on February 17.
Watch the Lucky Hank Trailer
We’ve already seen a few trailers for Lucky Hank, and they’re sure to get you excited about the show. The one-minute teaser above starts with Hank Devereaux’s voiceover, and then cuts to a close-up of his face. The way Odenkirk looks as this character is very different from how he looked as Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman and in his most recent movies. As Hank, he has a thick, graying beard that is well-groomed and a receding hairline. He also wears glasses, which right away makes him look like an experienced professor. The clip as a whole has a serious but darkly funny tone, which seems to be what the story of the show is going for. From a coworker hitting him in the face with a binder and breaking his nose to a goose walking around his office door, this drama series has a very low-key sense of humor.
On February 15, we finally got a long trailer for Lucky Hank, which you can watch in the player below. Keep coming back to this page to see the newest Lucky Hank trailers and teasers, which we’ll post as soon as they come out.
When Is Lucky Hank Coming Out?
The first episode of Lucky Hank will air on AMC on March 19, 2023. On the same day, you will also be able to stream the series on AMC+.
How Many Episodes Are There in Lucky Hank?
From what we know so far, Lucky Hank will have eight episodes, and each one will be between 40 and 60 minutes long. After the first episode, a new one will come out every week.
Who’s In the Lucky Hank Cast?
In addition to Odenkirk, Lucky Hank has a long list of well-known actors and actresses from both the big and small screens. The ensemble cast includes Emmy-nominated Mireille Enos (The Killing), Oscar Nunez (The Office), Tom Bower (Die Hard 2), Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), Chris Diamantopoulos (Silicon Valley), Diedrich Bader (Space Force), Olivia Scott Welch (Fear Street), Sara Amini (CSI: Vegas), Cedric Yarbrough (Reno 911! ), and Suzanne Cryer (Silicon Valley), among William Henry “Hank” Devereaux Jr., played by Odenkirk, is the show’s main character. He is the head of the English department at Railton College and calls himself “a difficult man” who “specializes in minor strife and small irritations.” His wife Lily, who is played by Enos, is the opposite of him. She is the vice principal of the local high school, and people say that she is “solid and steady.”
In other parts, Nunez plays Dean Jacob Rose, Bower plays Hank’s estranged father William Henry Devereaux Sr., MacLachlan plays the college president Dickie Pope, Diamantopoulos plays Lily’s ex-boyfriend Tom Loring, Bader plays Tony Conigula, Scott Welch plays Julie Devereaux, Amini plays Meg, Yarbrough plays Paul Rourke, and Cryer plays Gracie DuBois.
Who Are the Creators of Lucky Hank?
The movie Lucky Hank is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Straight Man, which came out in 1997. The book was turned into a movie by Aaron Zelman and Paul Lieberstein, who also run the show. Zelman is a TV writer and producer who has been nominated for an Emmy. He is best known for his work on Law & Order, Criminal Minds, and Damages. He also made the TV show Resurrection for ABC.
Lieberstein is an actor, screenwriter, TV director, and TV producer. He is best known for his role as Toby Flenderson on The Office, which was a huge hit. He was also in charge of the show from the fifth to the eighth season. He has also been in episodes of The Mindy Project, The Newsroom, and Song of Back and Neck and directed them. As a writer and producer, he is best known for his work on the sci-fi sitcom Ghosted and some episodes of Space Force. The series is led by Daniel Attias (Homeland), Jude Weng (Black-ish), and Peter Farrelly (Loudermilk). Zelman and Lieberstein, along with Odenkirk, Farrelly, Richard Russo, Marc Provissiero, Mark Johnson, and Naomi Odenkirk, are also executive producers.
What Is the Story of Lucky Hank?
The story of Lucky Hank takes place at the fictional Railton College, which is in the Pennsylvania Rust Belt. The story is told from the point of view of William Henry Devereaux, Jr., who is the head of the English department at a college. The series is called a “mid-life crisis story” because it is about Henry/Hank, who has to deal with the problems in his life while doing everything he can to keep the college going. On one side of the story, Hank’s life seems to be falling apart. On the other, Hank’s wife looks back at her whole life and starts to look for new ways to change herself while also trying to keep their adult daughter on track.
