Straight Man Season 1 First Look (Photos)

Don’t call Saul. 

Bob Odenkirk, hot off his Emmy-nominated turn on Better Call Saul, will soon be gracing our television screens again on AMC’s new series, Straight Man.

This time it’s as William Henry Devereaux, Jr. or Hank, a disillusioned professor who is the reluctant head of a divisive English department at a university in rural Pennsylvania. 

Hank’s mid-life crisis is fueled by difficult colleagues, the politics of academia, issues with his father, and an ornery goose. Mireille Enos (The Killing, Hanna) will play opposite the straight man as Hank’s wife, Lily, and Olivia Scott Welch (Panic, Fear Street) steps into the role of Julie, Hank’s daughter, with whom he has nothing in common.

Straight Man is adapted from Richard Russo’s novel of the same name with Aaron Zelman and Paul Lieberstein serving as co-showrunners.

The series is described as a dramedy, so this duo seems like an auspicious fit. Zelman has been writer and producer on many dramas such as The Killing, Damages, Bloodline, and Criminal Minds. Lieberstein’s background is in comedy, having written, produced, and acted on shows like The Office (He is Toby Flenderson!), The Bernie Mac Show, and the short-lived Ghosted. 

“I have loved the mix of comedy and drama in Better Call Saul,” Odenkirk told Deadline, “and this is another story with a unique dynamic, and the kind of closely observed character writing and exploration that AMC has become the touchstone for. It’s going to be fun to play and watch.”

Here’s your first look at the new AMC series.

Series description: Starring Emmy-nominated Bob Odenkirk, Straight Man is a mid-life crisis tale set at Railton College, told in the first person by William Henry Devereaux, Jr. (Odenkirk), the unlikely chairman of the English department in a badly underfunded college in the Pennsylvania rust belt.

Photos from Straight Man Season 1 Episode 1:

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