Better Call Saul

For other uses, see Better Call Saul (disambiguation).

Better Call Saul
Text "Better Call Saul" with drawn set of balance scales to the right
Genre
Created by
Showrunners
  • Vince Gilligan (seasons 1–3)
  • Peter Gould
Starring
Theme music composerLittle Barrie
ComposerDave Porter
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes63 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Production locationsAlbuquerque, New Mexico
Cinematography
Editors
Running time41–69 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkAMC
ReleaseFebruary 8, 2015 (2015-02-08) –
August 15, 2022 (2022-08-15)
Related
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Better Call Saul is an American legal crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC. Part of the Breaking Bad franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, Breaking Bad (2008–2013), to which it serves primarily as a prequel, with some scenes taking place during and after the events of Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul premiered on AMC on February 8, 2015, and ended on August 15, 2022, after six seasons consisting of 63 episodes.

Set primarily in the early to mid 2000s in Albuquerque, New Mexico, several years before Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul examines the ethical decline of Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), an aspiring lawyer and former con artist who becomes the egocentric criminal-defense attorney Saul Goodman, and Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), a former corrupt police officer who becomes a fixer and enforcer for drug traffickers. Other main characters include Jimmy's romantic interest and colleague Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), his brother and rival Chuck McGill (Michael McKean), Chuck's law partner Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian), drug dealer Nacho Varga (Michael Mando), drug lord Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), and cartel enforcer Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton). In addition to the primary storyline, Better Call Saul includes black-and-white flashforwards set in 2010, after the events of Breaking Bad, which explore the consequences of Saul's actions across both series.

Gilligan, who created and developed Breaking Bad, and Gould, who wrote the Breaking Bad episode "Better Call Saul", began considering a Saul Goodman spin-off in 2009. Because Saul's role in Breaking Bad had expanded beyond the writing staff's plans, Gilligan felt he could be explored further. He and Gould considered making a half-hour legal comedy featuring Saul and his various clients, but settled on an hour-long tragedy showing how he develops into the character seen in Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul's development began during the production of Breaking Bad's final season in 2013, with Gilligan and Gould serving as co-showrunners and numerous production staff returning. Odenkirk, Banks, and Esposito reprise their roles from Breaking Bad, as do many others in guest appearances. Gilligan left Better Call Saul early in the third season—making Gould the sole showrunner for the remainder of its run—though he returned to help write the final season.

Better Call Saul received critical acclaim, with praise for its acting, characters, writing, direction, and cinematography. Many reviewers have considered it a worthy successor to Breaking Bad—some deeming it superior to its predecessor—and one of the greatest television series of all time.[6][7][8] It has garnered many awards and nominations, including two Peabody Awards, 53 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards, 19 Writers Guild of America Awards, 20 Critics' Choice Television Awards, nine Screen Actors Guild Awards, and six Golden Globe Awards nominations. At the time of its airing, the series premiere held the record for the highest-rated scripted series premiere in basic cable history.

  1. ^ Jensen, Jeff (January 28, 2015). "Better Call Saul". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  2. ^ Meslow, Scott (April 10, 2017). "Better Call Saul Is Finally Becoming Breaking Bad". GQ. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  3. ^ Lowry, Brian (January 21, 2015). "TV Review: 'Better Call Saul'". Variety. Archived from the original on April 11, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  4. ^ Thomas, Kaitlin (August 2, 2018). "Better Call Saul Has Evolved Into One of TV's Greatest Tragedies". TV Guide. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  5. ^ Shore, Matt (September 5, 2018). "How 'Better Call Saul's Final Season Made Perfect Use of Black and White". Collider. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Heritage, Stuart (October 11, 2018). "'S'all good, man': How Better Call Saul became superior to Breaking Bad". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  7. ^ Kelly, Stephen (June 20, 2017). "The perfect prequel: how Better Call Saul left Breaking Bad in its dust". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  8. ^ Turner, Julia (April 18, 2016). "Better Call Saul Is Better Than Breaking Bad". Slate. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2018.