Lucky Hank

Lucky Hank is an American black comedy-drama television series developed by Paul Lieberstein and Aaron Zelman based on the 1997 novel Straight Man by Richard Russo. Starring Bob Odenkirk, the series premiered on March 19, 2023, on AMC.
Synopsis
An English department chairman at an underfunded Pennsylvania college, Professor Hank Devereaux walks the line between midlife crisis and full-blown meltdown, navigating the offbeat chaos in his personal and professional lives.
Cast and characters
Main
Bob Odenkirk as William Henry "Hank" Devereaux, Jr.
Mireille Enos as Lily Devereaux
Cedric Yarbrough as Paul Rourke
Diedrich Bader as Tony Conigula
Olivia Scott Welch as Julie Devereaux
Sara Amini as Meg Quigley
Suzanne Cryer as Gracie DuBois
Recurring
Nancy Robertson as Billie Quigley
Arthur Keng as Teddy Washington-Chen
Alvina August as June Washington-Chen
Haig Sutherland as Finny
Shannon DeVido as Emma Wheemer
Jackson Kelly as Bartow Williams-Stevens
Daniel Doheny as Russell
Oscar Nuñez as Dean Jacob Rose
Anne Gee Byrd as Laurel Devereaux
Glynis Davies as Leslie
Guest
Brian Huskey as George Saunders
Kyle MacLachlan as Dickie Pope
Chris Gethard as Jeffrey Epstein
Chris Diamantopoulos as Tom Loring
Jennifer Spence as Ashley
Tom Bower as Henry Devereaux Sr.
Catherine Keener as herself
Episodes
Production
Development
The series was originally announced to be in development at AMC and TriStar Television in April 2022 under the name of the book it was based on, with Aaron Zelman and Paul Lieberstein as showrunners and Bob Odenkirk as executive producer in addition to starring. Two weeks later, the project had been given an eight-episode series order. In January 2023, the series was renamed Lucky Hank, and the first images were released.
Casting
After Odenkirk's involvement was announced with the show itself, in August 2022, it was reported that Mireille Enos joined the cast. The following month, she was joined by Olivia Scott Welch, Diedrich Bader, Sara Amini, Cedric Yarbrough and Suzanne Cryer. It was later announced that Alvina August and Arthur Keng would join the cast as married professors, June and Teddy Washington-Chen.
In January 2023, it was announced that Oscar Nuñez, Kyle MacLachlan, Tom Bower, and Chris Diamantopoulos would join the cast as guest stars.
Filming
Filming of the first season of Lucky Hank took place from September 2022 to December in various locations around Greater Vancouver, Canada, including the Municipal Hall and Ladner Leisure Centre in Delta, British Columbia.
Release
Lucky Hank was announced as part of AMC's spring 2023 programming slate. On January 10, 2023, a specific premiere date of March 19, 2023, was announced. The series had its first screening at the 2023 SXSW Festival on March 11, 2023.
Reception
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes has reported a 93% approval rating, with an average rating of 7.5/10, based on 44 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "With the fortune of Bob Odenkirk in its favor, Lucky Hank makes ennui essential viewing with a comedy rooted in relatable human behavior". Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, has assigned a score of 70 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
References
External links
Lucky Hank on AMC
2020s American black comedy television series
2020s American college television series
2020s American comedy-drama television series
2023 American television series debuts
AMC (TV channel) original programming
English-language television shows
Midlife crisis in television
Television series about educators
Television series based on American novels
Television series by Sony Pictures Television
Television shows filmed in Vancouver
Television shows set in Pennsylvania