Lucky Hank

Lucky Hank is an American 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. In December 2023, the series was canceled after one season.

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.

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

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. On December 8, 2023, AMC canceled the series after one season.

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
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".