What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T10 WHATS UP! March 19 - 25, 2023 ers will recall the author's wit and sense of humor in the face of seemingly impossible situa- tions. Based on his own experi- ences teaching at Southern Connecticut State University, Penn State Altoona and South- ern Illinois University Carbon- dale, Russo's input on the pro- duction side of "Lucky Hank" will only help to back up the source material's already laugh- out-loud situations. Like the book, "Lucky Hank's" first season plans to follow Hank throughout one particularly bad week in his life. As he comes face-to-face — or rather, fist-to- face — with an angry co-worker on campus, Hank reflects on his upbringing, family dynamic, past experiences, a smattering of bad decisions and more. To make matters worse, he begins to wonder if his wife, Lily (Mireille Enos, "The Killing"), is having an affair with the dean and tries to make heads or tails of a potential seduction plot in- volving peach pits. Needless to say, Hank is having a no-good, terrible week, and it culminates in a bizarre threat to a goose on local TV. With such eccentric plot de- tails to work with, "Lucky Hank" creators required an outstand- ing cast. While Odenkirk was tied to the series fairly early on (thanks to his former AMC suc- cesses), a few more familiar fac- es round out the all-star cast. Oscar Nunez, best known for his role as accountant Oscar Martinez in "The Office," takes on the role of Jacob Rose, a friend of Hank's and the dean of Ralston College, with whom Hank accuses his wife of having an affair. Hank's wife, Lily (Enos), meanwhile, is described as both "emotionally grounded" and "unflappable." As the vice-prin- cipal of their rural Pennsylvania town's high school, Lily is accus- tomed to the ins and outs of teaching in the local school sys- tem. This is what makes Hank's outrage, frustration and snark particularly hard for her to un- derstand. While she is able to maintain a fairly level head with regard to her job, watching her husband spiral out of control leads Lily to call her own life choices — namely, her marriage — into question. "Twin Peaks," "Portlandia" and "Desperate Housewives" star Kyle MacLachlan plays Hank's biggest professional ri- val, Dickie Pope. The president of the college, Pope is constant- ly stifling the professors on campus and looking for new ways to save a buck — even if it means sacrificing the more im- portant aspects of higher edu- cation. Chris Diamantopoulos ("Sili- con Valley") stars as Tom, one of Lily's exes, while Tom Bower ("Die Hard 2," 1990) adds an ex- tra layer of complication to the plot as Hank's estranged but controlling father — a man who "threatens to move close to Hank and his mother" (per Rick Porter of The Hollywood Re- porter). Jacki Gunn ("Woke"), Jackson Kelly ("V/H/S/99," 2022), Shan- non DeVido ("Difficult Peo- ple"), Olivia Scott Welch ("Fear Street: Part One - 1994," 2021), Chris Gethard ("The Dictator," 2012) and Diedrich Bader ("Of- fice Space," 1999) also star. To set the new series off on the proper foot, AMC released an official trailer for "Lucky Hank" in mid-February. While the show's first-person narrative isn't obvious from the one-min- ute, 38-second video, the tone of the series is plain as day. Com- plete with thick sarcasm, enti- tled college students, family dra- ma, suspenseful music and a unique brand of self-awareness on the part of the main charac- ter, "Lucky Hank's" trailer shows TV audiences exactly what to expect without giving any of the details away — a good tactic for drawing the right crowd in from the get-go. If you were a fan of Odenkirk's other AMC series, his 2021 film "Nobody," or if you simply can't stop watching the "Lucky Hank" trailer on repeat, chances are AMC's newest series is right up your alley. Don't miss the Sun- day, March 19, premiere of "Lucky Hank," on AMC and AMC+. continued from page T2 Luck be a Henry: TV's Odenkirk is 'Lucky Hank' TV FEATURE Mireille Enos in "Lucky Hank"