Lucky Hank, the television series based on Richard Russo’s 1997 novel, Straight Man, will premiere in March, Deadline reports.
The show, which stars Mr. Show and Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk, will air its first episode on March 19 on the network AMC and its streaming service, AMC+.
The novel and series follow author and professor William Henry Hank Devereaux Jr., played by Odenkirk, whose life is thrown into disarray by a series of disappointing developments. A critic for Kirkus gave the novel a starred review, writing that the main character’s voice is “the perfect vehicle for another of Russo’s irresistible revelations of the agreeable craziness of everyday life.”
According to IMDb, other cast members include Mireille Enos (World War Z), Hayley Sales (Deadpool 2), Olivia Scott Welch (Fear Street), Chris Gethard (Broad City), and Jackson Kelly (Portrait of a Young Man). Deadline reports that Oscar Nunez (The Office) and Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks) will guest star.
Peter Farrelly (Green Book) is directing, with Paul Lieberstein and Aaron Zelman writing. Farrelly, Odenkirk, and Russo are among the show’s executive producers.
AMC dropped a short trailer for the series. It’s a long shot of a bearded, stern-looking Odenkirk, with the actor saying in a voiceover, “I’ve always been a difficult man. I specialize in minor strife and insignificant irritation. That’s my lane.”
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.