Bob Odenkirk Books Better Call Saul Follow-Up at AMC

Better Call Saul may be ending, but Bob Odenkirk is staying put at AMC.

AMC Networks today that it had put the fast track on a new series called Straight Man, with partners Sony Pictures’ Television TriStar TV and Gran Via. Aaron Zelman and Paul Lieberstein.

Zelman and Lieberstein are adapting the project from the novel of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo, would serve as co-showrunners.

Straight Man would be Odenkirk’s third series on AMC, following Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Zelman, Lieberstein, Odenkirk, Peter Farrelly, who is on board to direct, Richard Russo, Naomi Odenkirk, and Marc Provissiero are executive producers.

“Straight Man is a mid-life crisis tale set at Railton College, told in the first person by William Henry Devereaux, Jr. (Odenkirk), the unlikely chairman of the English department in a badly underfunded college in the Pennsylvania rust belt,” reads the cabler’s official description. 

“Bob Odenkirk is just as good as it gets. We feel so fortunate to be developing a new show that would keep him at AMC after Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, two iconic series that have been beloved by millions of fans and helped define AMC and its reputation for unforgettable characters and high-quality storytelling for adults,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks.

“We’re also thrilled to be working again with our partners at Sony Pictures Television and Mark Johnson’s Gran Via to explore this compelling material.”

Said Bob Odenkirk: “I loved Paul and Aaron’s take on Richard’s excellent, entertaining novel. 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 humor in the novel and I look forward to playing this role – something lighter than my recent projects but still closely observed and smart.”

AMC Networks also announced a spinoff of Orphan Black – Orphan Black: Echoes.

The Driver, starring Giancarlo Esposito, was also recently ordered, as well as two spinoff series in The Walking Dead Universe, Demascus and Invitation to a Bonfire.

The final season of Better Call Saul premieres Monday, April 18.

The series will air in two parts, with the series finale set to air this summer.

What are your thoughts on the potential new series?

Will you watch it?

Hit the comments.

Remember you can watch Better Call Saul online right here via TV Fanatic.

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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.

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