Lucky Hank Review: Bob Odenkirk Leaves Saul Goodman Behind for AMC’s Thin Academic Comedy

By wazup on March 12, 2023 Comments Closed / 105 views

Lucky Hank Review: Bob Odenkirk Leaves Saul Goodman Behind for AMC’s Thin Academic Comedy

The Pitch: William Henry Devereaux Jr. (Bob Odenkirk) — our titular Hank — is the chair of the English department at Railton College, a small and less-than-reputable academic institution prone to nurturing mediocrity. At least, that’s what Hank tells his students during a creative writing class one day, after being provoked by a student who refuses to acknowledge criticism of his technically poor writing.

Hank’s rant becomes campus-wide news fast, but it’s just one of many things on Hank’s mind: While he and his wife Lily (Mireille Enos) have a deep and loving relationship, his adult daughter Julie (Olivia Scott Welch) hasn’t quite gotten the hang yet of growing up. And there’s also the news that Hank’s father, a legendary writer and critic in whose shadow Hank has always struggled to find his own light, is retiring — and wants to speak to his son, though their estrangement is pretty intense. It all adds up to a dissatisfaction with his life that could boil up into crisis, especially as his fellow English professors consider removing Hank from his position as chair…

Higher Learning: Academia, especially for those studying the liberal arts, on the surface often seems like a peaceful place, an opportunity for students to grown and learn, for professors to nurture their nascent reasoning instincts as part of an ongoing exchange of ideas. Yet, when discussing Lucky Hank, the first thing we must do is refer back to Sayre’s Law, a concept credited to political scientist and Columbia University professor Wallace S. Sayre which boils down to “The politics of the university are so intense because the stakes are so low.”