Meet the Lucky Hank cast: who's who in the dark comedy

Shannon DeVido, Cedric Yarbrough, Suzanne Cryer, Arthur Keng, Alvina August, Nancy Robertson and Haig Sutherland
Shannon DeVido, Cedric Yarbrough, Suzanne Cryer, Arthur Keng, Alvina August, Nancy Robertson and Haig Sutherland (Image credit: Sergei Bachlakov/AMC)

For many, the obvious draw for the new AMC series Lucky Hank is going to be Bob Odenkirk, the Emmy-nominated actor who is coming off an acclaimed run on Better Call Saul. But the Lucky Hank cast is more than just its leading man.

Lucky Hank is based on the novel Straight Man by Richard Russo, following the mid-life crisis of the head of the English department, Hank Deveraux, at a small college in rust belt Pennsylvania. In addition to Hank, the story follows his fellow professors, students and family, who are being played by a talented ensemble of performers.

Let's meet them all with this look at the Lucky Hank cast.

Bob Odenkirk as William Henry "Hank" Devereaux Jr. 

Bob Odenkirk in Lucky Hank

Bob Odenkirk in Lucky Hank (Image credit: Sergei Bachlakov/AMC)

William Henry "Hank" Devereaux Jr. is miserable — 80% miserable by his estimation. After his career as an author never took off, he finds himself in the unglamorous role of head of the English department at Railton College. Between his students, his colleagues and a number of personal issues that arise, Hank is fed up.

Bob Odenkirk is best known for his role as Saul Goodman first on Breaking Bad and then in his own spinoff series, Better Call Saul. He is also beloved for his early comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David (the David being David Cross), as well as roles in Nobody and Little Women. He is also starring in a remake of classic bad movie The Room in 2023.

Mireille Enos as Lily Devereaux

Mireille Enos in Lucky Hank

Mireille Enos in Lucky Hank (Image credit: Sergei Bachlakov/AMC)

Lily is Hank's more optimistic wife (she says she's only 30% miserable). While she tries to see things with a more positive outlook, Hank's mood and quirks, as well as other outside factors, can sometimes get in the way of that.

Mireille Enos is best known among TV viewers for her roles in Big Love and the US version of The Killing, though she has been providing her talents to titles like the Brad Pitt blockbuster World War Z, The Catch, Good Omens and Hanna.

Oscar Nuñez as Dean Jacob Rose

Oscar Nunez in Lucky Hank

Oscar Nuñez in Lucky Hank (Image credit: Sergei Bachlakov/AMC)

While Hank heads up the English department, he still has a boss in Dean Jacob Rose. Though, Hank is not the easiest person to be a boss for. While managing Hank and the other big personalities of the school, the dean also may be dealing with a much bigger problem.

No stranger to dysfunctional workplaces, The Office's Oscar Nuñez takes on the role of Dean Jacob Rose. Some of Nuñez's other roles include People of Earth, Mr. Iglesias and Disenchanted.

Jackson Kelly as Bartow Williams-Stevens

Jackson Kelly in Lucky Hank

Jackson Kelly in Lucky Hank (Image credit: Sergei Bachlakov/AMC)

Bartow is the student that Hank gets in an argument with to kick off the series. He is an aspiring writer that has a bit of inflated ego about his own talent.

Lucky Hank is Kelly's biggest role to date, though he has previously been in V/H/S/99, The Good Doctor and the 2023 Netflix movie We Have a Ghost. He also provided a voice in the Oscar-nominated animated short My Year of Dicks.

Suzanne Cryer as Gracie DuBois

Suzanne Cryer in Lucky Hank

Suzanne Cryer in Lucky Hank (Image credit: Sergei Bachlakov/AMC)

Gracie DuBois is one of the more vocal members of the Railton English department, not only generally opposed to Hank but also warring with fellow professor Paul Rourke.

Suzanne Cryer's breakout role was on Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, but more recently she has starred in The Fosters, Silicon Valley and All Rise.

Cedric Yarbrough as Paul Rourke

Cedric Yarbrough in Lucky Hank

Cedric Yarbrough in Lucky Hank (Image credit: Sergei Bachlakov/AMC)

A tenured professor at Railton, Paul Rourke seems to revel in being a bother to his fellow teachers, but has a particular rivalry with Gracie DuBois.

Most viewers will know Cedric Yarbrough from either his role on Reno 911! or The Goldbergs, but some of his other credits include BoJack Horseman, Speechless, The Boss and Black Dynamite.

Shannon DeVido as Emma Wheemer

Shannon DeVido in Lucky Hank

Shannon DeVido in Lucky Hank (Image credit: Sergei Bachlakov/AMC)

Emma Wheemer is another professor in the English department played by Shannon DeVido. DeVido's credits prior to Lucky Hank include guest spots on Law & Order: SVU, Difficult People, The Other Two and she was a panelist on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore

Sara Amini as Meg Quigley

Bob Odenkirk and Sara Amini in Lucky Hank

Bob Odenkirk and Sara Amini in Lucky Hank (Image credit: Sergei Bachlakov/AMC)

Also part of the English department at Railton, Meg Quigley holds a second job as a bartender in the town. Sara Amini takes on the role. Some of her other credits include CSI: Vegas, Future Man and Mack & Rita

Diedrich Bader as Tony Conigula

Diedrich Bader and Bob Odenkirk in Lucky Hank

Diedrich Bader and Bob Odenkirk in Lucky Hank (Image credit: Sergei Bachlakov/AMC)

Working at Railton but outside of the English department, Tony is Hank's best friend and one of his key outlets when he is trying to actually deal with his feelings.

Diedrich Bader has more than 200 acting credits to his name, but some of his most notable include voicing Batman on the HBO Max original series Harley Quinn, Better Things, Veep, The Drew Carey Show, Napoleon Dynamite and Office Space.

Additional Lucky Hank cast

Among the other professors that make up the English department at Railton College are Alvina August (Animal Control) as June Washington-Chen, Arthur Keng (As We See It) as Teddy Washington-Chen, Nancy Robertson (Corner Gas) as Billie and Haig Sutherland (Stargate Universe) as Finney.

In addition Olivia Scott Welch (Fear Street) plays Hank's daughter Julie while Lilah Fitzgerald (Monster High: The Movie) plays a character named Ava. There are also guest appearances from Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), Tom Bower (Raymond & Ray), Chris Diamantopoulos (Silicon Valley) and Brian Huskey (Veep).

Lucky Hank airs on Sundays on AMC.

Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.