What To Know About ‘Lucky Hank,’ And Shop The Book It’s Based On

Bob Odenkirk returned to TV and the AMC network with a new role that isn’t Jimmy McGill, Saul Goodman, or Gene Takavic. The actor and comedian is the star of the network’s latest dramedy, Lucky Hank.

Odenkirk stars as William Henry “Hank” Devereaux, Jr., the English department chair at an underfunded Pennsylvania college who’s always toeing the line of a midlife crisis.

In an interview with Decider’s Kayla Cobb, Odenkirk described the role by saying, “In Hank’s world, the way he perceives himself, everybody else is a nut and a clown, and he is the only sane one. He is always rolling his eyes and making wisecracks about their silly behavior.”

The new series also stars Mireille Enos, Cedric Yarbrough, Diedrich Bader, Olivia Scott Welch, Sara Amini, and Suzanne Cryer. New episodes of Lucky Hank air every Sunday on AMC and stream on AMC+ ($8.99/month).

Is Lucky Hank Based On A Book?

Yes! Lucky Hank is based on Straight Man, the 1997 novel by Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Russo. The campus novel was shaped by Russo’s own experiences teaching and working at universities and is known for humorous quips despite the midlife crisis at the story’s center.

The series was initially also titled Straight Man, before a last-minute name change in January 2023.

Where Can I Buy Straight Man?

You can buy Straight Man in three formats: paperback, e-book, and audiobook.

You can get the paperback of Straight Man from Amazon ($11), Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org ($17), which supports independent bookstores.

Straight Man is also available from Amazon as an e-book ($13). The digital copy is compatible with the Kindle app for mobile devices and tablets, and for all models of the Amazon Kindle. We recommend the Kindle Paperwhite ($140), which has a 6.8-inch glare-free screen and promises weeks of battery life on a single charge.

If you prefer listening to your books, you can get the audiobook of Straight Man from Audible or the independent equivalent, Libro.fm. Both services cost $14.99/month to get one credit monthly; new subscribers can also claim a free audiobook upon subscription.