With Better Call Saul wrapping up this year (we're not ready, even though we're happy to see the show go out on its own terms), US network AMC was facing the prospect of a future without Bob Odenkirk. No more! The actor/writer/producer is likely to return to the fold with a new show called Straight Man.
The series would adapt Richard Russo’s novel, with Odenkirk set to star as William Henry Devereaux, Jr., the unlikely chairman of the English department in a badly underfunded college.
In the course of a single week, Devereaux will have his nose mangled by an angry colleague, imagine his wife is having an affair with his dean, wonder if a curvaceous adjunct is trying to seduce him with peach pits, and threaten to execute a goose on local television. All this while coming to terms with his philandering father, the dereliction of his youthful promise, and the ominous failure of certain vital body functions.
Silicon Valley veteran Aaron Zelman is developing the series alongside Paul Lieberstein, who was one of the lead writer/producers (and an actor) on the American version of The Office. AMC has so far ordered scripts, and if the executives like what they see, the show should be filming next year.
"I loved Paul and Aaron’s take on Richard’s excellent, entertaining novel," says Odenkirk in a statement. "Once again a project with AMC, with a focus on character depth and sensitivity. This milieu (academia) seems very pertinent to the conversations we’re all having. I am drawn to the tone of humanity and humour in the novel and I look forward to playing this role – something lighter than my recent projects but still closely observed and smart."
In related Odenkirk TV news, he's also cooking up a docu-style comedy called Guru Nation at Paramount, which in exciting news, would see him reunite with old pal and performing partner David Cross.
As for Better Call Saul, the first chunk of the final season launches in the States on 18 April (and the day after here in the UK), while the second is expected to start on 11 July.