Straight Man

Straight Man (New York: Random House, 1997) is a novel by Richard Russo set at the fictional West Central Pennsylvania University in Railton, Pennsylvania. A campus novel, the book was inspired by Russo's experiences teaching at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Southern Connecticut State University, and Penn State Altoona.

Synopsis

Straight Man chronicles the mid-life crisis of William Henry Devereaux, Jr., the unlikely interim chairman of the English department at the fictional West Central Pennsylvania University in Railton, Pennsylvania. Notable moments include Devereaux hiding in the rafters as the faculty vote on his dismissal, and his threat to kill a goose in the campus pond each day until his department receives a budget. The novel discusses flirtations between faculty and students, satirizes academic scholarship and stardom, and portrays love and health in the season of grace.

Reception

The book was positively reviewed by Tom De Haven for The New York Times, who praised Russo's use of humor and dialogue. De Haven wrote:

The novel's greatest pleasures derive not from any blazing impatience to see what happens next, but from pitch-perfect dialogue, persuasive characterization and a rich progression of scenes, most of them crackling with an impudent, screwball energy

Television series

A television series adaptation of the novel, entitled Lucky Hank, was developed at AMC and Tristar Television, with Aaron Zelman and Paul Lieberstein as showrunners and Bob Odenkirk as executive producer in addition to starring. In April 2022, a series order was released. It is scheduled for a second quarter 2023 premiere, with an eight-episode first season. In August 2022, it was reported that Mireille Enos joined the cast. In September 2022, Diedrich Bader, Sara Amini, Cedric Yarbrough and Suzanne Cryer joined the cast. In January 2023, the series was renamed Lucky Hank from the original title of Straight Man and also revealed to premiere on March 19, 2023. The series premiered on March 19, 2023, on AMC. In December 2023, the series was canceled after one season.

References