'Lucky Hank,' a comedy series produced by AMC, follows William Henry Devereaux, Jr., an English professor at Railton College. The students as well as his fellow professors join hands to impose Hank to leave the program for describing the same as "mediocre." Hank also faces problems in his personal life as his father and respected professor William Henry Devereaux reach out to him for his assistance.
Is Hank Devereaux a Real Professor?
'Lucky Hank' is a television adaptation of Richard Russo's novel 'Straight Man.' The author taught English at several prominent educational institutions in Illinois, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Maine, and the latter's experiences formed the character.
"Straight Man was the easiest of my books to write and the funnytiest," Russo said in an interview with the faculty at Eastern Washington University's Willow Springs. "He may be losing his wife, and there's something going on with his daughter. It's not like there's nothing at risk," the author said.
Russo, the dean who struggled to make ends meet under an inadequate budget, can be compared to Russo's experiences with a fellow at an institution in Maine. Hank's universal appeal to co-developer Paul Lieberstein was enlivened by the book's themes, according to TheWrap.
Is Railton College a Real College?
Railton College isn't a real college. It's a fictional West Central Pennsylvania University, where Hank teaches English in Russo's source novel of the series. Nevertheless, Railton College can be seen as a collection of four actual educational institutions where Russo taught English, which are Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Southern Connecticut State University, Penn State Altoona, and Colby College.
At Penn State Altoona, located in Logan Township, Pennsylvania, and Colby College, located in Waterville, Maine, Russo met Railton's Dean Rose, who was teaching at the place, which is similar to any English department in the world, making the novel and series relatable.
