S01.E01: Pilot

[peeayebee]

It's always good to see Bob Odenkirk, but I wasn't bowled away by this ep. I think there's a lot of promise with the characters, so I need to be patient. Sometimes it takes a few eps for me to get to know and enjoy a show's characters.

That student who read his story out loud was so annoying. At first I thought Hank wasn't listening at all, so I was pleasantly surprised when he gave valid observations and criticisms when the students pressed him.

[SunnyBeBe]

I’m watching it now.  I guess this is one you have to warm up to.  

[South]

Count me in!  There were so many familiar faces.  It reminds me of about 6 other shows, but not in an off-putting manner.  Thus far, the character of Lily is the best developed/nuanced.  

[cambridgeguy]

I can only imagine the chaos in real life if a department had the authority to vote their chair out of the position.  Of course, in real life most professors don't want the job - you have to deal with a bunch of extra crap and any pay raise isn't enough to justify the headache.

[cardigirl]

Thought this was a comedy. 😁 Dark, but a workplace comedy.  I enjoyed it. I thought they captured academia pretty well. 

[BusyOctober]

I liked it!  Big ensemble cast, lots of familiar faces, so I am looking forward to character development.  

Speaking as an old antiquated person born in the days of yore…before everyone got a trophy, there were grades for work turned in, zeros for work not turned in, no extra time to take tests or submit late papers, valedictorian of the class existed, Honor Society and AP classes were seen as high achievements, teachers were allowed to give criticism, and parents didn’t tell their kids the sun revolved around them, their every thought was intelligent, amazing, unique, special and creative….I absolutely laughed out loud at precious Mr. I wrote my first novel at 6,  and his Mommy and Daddy demanding apologies for telling their “gifted” child he was “mediocre” (at best).
 

 It’s one thing to support and encourage your kids throughout their lives. But to omit constructive criticism, or lessons on how to deal with failure and disappointment, or explaining not everyone outside your home will think Hannah or Jakey can shit rainbows is bad parenting IMO.

[dancingdreamer]

We loved it. It was nothing  like Better call Saul, and draws on Odenkirks acting skills. I think  this is a show, that will get better  with each week. We'll  be watching. 

[UnknownK]

Sometimes it takes half a season for actors and writers to give their characters life.

We had a Valedictorian back in my highschool days, and just one. I think with extra credit being applied for just breathing and showing up most of the time there were many tied for the position and eventually the few lower ranked students bitched enough to get the award ditched all together.

In real the life the teacher who wanted Hank removed as chair would be the one getting axed for budget cut reasons now that Hank has it position back again for 3 more years.

 

 

 

 

[cambridgeguy]

1 hour ago, UnknownK said:

In real the life the teacher who wanted Hank removed as chair would be the one getting axed for budget cut reasons now that Hank has it position back again for 3 more years.

In real life the story would have gone national (kind of surprising no one whipped out their phone to record his diatribe and post it) and the pressure would have been too great for him to ride it out.  At a bare minimum he would have been placed on leave and some poor sap would have become acting chair anyway.

[iMonrey]

3 hours ago, UnknownK said:

Sometimes it takes half a season for actors and writers to give their characters life.

Unfortunately that's too much to ask of modern audiences with all the content available nowadays.

This didn't grab me. And it needed to, because I don't love Bob Odenkirk enough to watch anything just because he's in it.

The problem with these so-called "dramedies" is that by not choosing to be either comedy or drama they sometimes fail to be either. I honestly don't know what they're going for here. It definitely feels like the show is resting on Odenkirk's popularity and appeal but at the expense of a compelling enough narrative.

I mostly just felt sorry for the wife.

[cardigirl]

On 3/20/2023 at 11:19 AM, cardigirl said:

Thought this was a comedy. 😁 Dark, but a workplace comedy.  I enjoyed it. I thought they captured academia pretty well. 

I meant, why is this in the Drama category on Primetimer? It's most definitely a comedy or a dramady. Oh well, at least I found the thread. 

Also, I'm trying to find the quote that the self-published "poet" professor says about her work. That was the most perfect line. I've watched twice, and still haven't gotten all of it. 

[cardigirl]

Just now, iMonrey said:

Unfortunately that's too much to ask of modern audiences with all the content available nowadays.

This didn't grab me. And it needed to, because I don't love Bob Odenkirk enough to watch anything just because he's in it.

The problem with these so-called "dramedies" is that by not choosing to be either comedy or drama they sometimes fail to be either. I honestly don't know what they're going for here. It definitely feels like the show is resting on Odenkirk's popularity and appeal but at the expense of a compelling enough narrative.

I mostly just felt sorry for the wife.

Did you laugh? Man, I did. The over-confident undergrad who expected to be praised for his abysmal writing, and is so shocked to find he's not going to be coddled. The raving professors of the English discipline.  LOVED IT.  I thought there was plenty of comedy. But I get that it may not be for everyone. 

Quote

Lucky Hank is an American comedy drama television series developed by Paul Lieberstein and Aaron Zelman which is based on the 1997 novel Straight Man by Richard Russo. Starring Bob Odenkirk, the series premiered on March 19, 2023, on AMC

Paul Lieberstein played Toby on The Office and was a writer for that show. I get an "Office" vibe just from the outlandishness of the behavior of some of the characters. 

There will be eight episodes, and I'm in. 🤗

 

[iMonrey]

6 hours ago, cardigirl said:

Did you laugh?

Nope.

[ALenore]

 

 

 

 

23 hours ago, cardigirl said:

 Also, I'm trying to find the quote that the self-published "poet" professor says about her work. That was the most perfect line. I've watched twice, and still haven't gotten all of it. 

 

From a review in Time.com:

“My book of sonnets on Jonathan Swift has become the benchmark in early-feminist 18th century response poetry,” 

[cardigirl]

4 hours ago, ALenore said:

From a review in Time.com:

“My book of sonnets on Jonathan Swift has become the benchmark in early-feminist 18th century response poetry,” 

OMG, thank you!!! And she delivered it perfectly!  😆

[Lone Wolf]

On 3/19/2023 at 10:21 PM, South said:

Count me in!  There were so many familiar faces. It reminds me of about 6 other shows, but not in an off-putting manner.   

The Chair, an excellent higher education-based single seasoner on Netflix came to my mind almost immediately. (Duh.)

AFAIC, Odenkirk can do no wrong (okay, maybe "Nobody"), so I'm in too. 

Edited April 2, 2023 by Lone Wolf

[Anela]

I’m personally tired of people thinking that every kid gets a trophy, and that this mindset is new.  There were always rude kids who had parents who didn’t care if they were rude.  There were teachers who would stand up for bullies versus the victims of bullying, and say they brought it on themselves.  
 

I’m enjoying this episode.

Edited November 1, 2023 by Anela