Bob Odenkirk has quietly been a central figure in television for more than a decade, debuting his sketchy fixer lawyer Saul Goodman onBreaking Badin 2009. A lot of eyeballs were on the iconic story of a meek school teacher turned meth kingpin and the colorful cast of characters his new world ofdrug-slingingbrought along, most notably Goodman. The sleazy attorney that Odenkirk brought to life became a staple of the series, to such an extent that he got his own spinoff,Better Call Saul,which just ended its six-season run on AMC in 2022. Odenkirk got his start writing forSNLandThe Ben Stiller Showand evolved into a formidable performer over his decades of experience.
WithBetter Call Saulcoming to an end, what’s next for the actor? Aside from his solid film career with hits likeNobody,Odenkirk will return to AMCforStraight Man, a drama-comedy set at a reeling Pennsylvania college. The series is based on a 1997 novel of the same name by author Richard Russo. The premise of the series screams “quirky,” making it a perfect fit for the misfit that is Odenkirk. Here’s everything we know aboutStraight Man.
Straight Man: The Plot
As mentioned, the series centers around the small andstruggling collegein Pennsylvania, with Odenkirk playing William Henry Devereaux, Jr., the cynic head of the school’s English Department. The series will be from the first-person perspective of Devereaux.
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The behind-the-scenes of higher education is a comedic goldmine, as it can be a pretentious and overly serious place that doesn’t take well to rough around the edges grumps like the character Odenkirk will likely portray. They’re quoting prose while he’s rifling off smart-aleck remarks. Sticking it to smarmy academics is a tailor-made fit for Odenkirk
The story is also described as a midlife crisis tale, with outside influences also taking hold in the character’s arch, namely Devereaux’s wife and teenage daughter.
“I love the tone,” Odenkirk said in anEntertainment Weeklyinterview. “It’s more comic. I feel like I relate to the main character, who’s a misanthrope. He’s a cranky guy, but you like him. And I just think tonally it’s great. It feels like a new mashup of comedy and drama that we’ve been on the verge of for a long time. [It’s like] you took a very fun show — like a Parks and Rec — and you said, ‘Let’s slow down and get to know these people and have their internal battles be a little bit more of the subject matter.'”
Straight Man: The Cast & Crew
Odenkirk will supply most of the star power forStraight Man,with a supporting cast of mostly unknowns filling out the roster of the college ranks and life at home. Odenkirk has proven himself to be a more than capable central character and engine of series and films. He’s an unlikely leading man, but he pulls it off with charm.
The surrounding cast members include Mireille Enos as Lily Devereaux, a more grounded yin to her husband’s lightly unhinged yang. “We could not be more thrilled to have Mireille on board to play Lily. She brings with her a steamer trunk full of dramatic chops, an unflinching eagerness to explore character, and a megawatt smile that absolutely lights up every Zoom. She’s a delight.” said Zelman and Lieberstein in an interview withDeadline.
Olivia Scott Welch (Fear Street: Part One - 1994)as Hank, Chris Gethard (The Heat, The Other Guys)as Jeffrey, Jackson Kelly as Bartow Williams-Stevens and Arthur Keng (First Love)as Teddy Washington-Chen.
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Behind the camera, Peter Farrelly of the famed Farrelly Brothers tandem behind such classics asDumb and DumberandThere’s Something About Marywill serve in a director role. Farrelly has obviously honed some serious comedic chops in his decades of work in film, so this bodes well for a series with a sly comic premise.
Scripts will be coming from scribes Paul Lieberstein and Aaron Zelman. Lieberstein is best known for his work behind the scenes, on the page and on camera forThe Officeas producer, writer and Toby Flenderson, Michael Scott’s soft-spoken HR nemesis. Lieberstein has also done work onKing of the Hill.Zelman is known mostly for series likeThe Killing, Criminal Minds and Law and Order.
Release Date
Straight Manwill debut on AMC in 2023 with an eight-episode slate to explore the life and times of Odenkirk’s Devereaux.
Bob Odenkirk has shown tremendous range since rising to mainstream stardom, and even before that with his early purely comedic fare. From the nervous but resilient grifter that is Saul Goodman to his butt-kicking regular guy turn as Hutch MansellinNobody,Odenkirk has cemented himself as a legit leading man who will be able to anchor a series likeStraight Manwith ease and a wry smile.
