Better Call Saul

For the Breaking Bad episode of the same name that also introduced this character, see Better Call Saul (Breaking Bad).
For the Homeland episode of the same name, see Better Call Saul (Homeland).
Better Call Saul
Genre Crime drama[1]
Black comedy[2]
Created by Vince Gilligan
Peter Gould
Starring Bob Odenkirk
Jonathan Banks
Rhea Seehorn
Patrick Fabian
Michael Mando
Michael McKean
Theme music composer Little Barrie
Composer(s) Dave Porter
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Vince Gilligan
Peter Gould
Mark Johnson
Melissa Bernstein
Producer(s) Bob Odenkirk
Nina Jack
Diane Mercer
Location(s) Albuquerque, New Mexico
Cinematography Arthur Albert
Running time 42–53 minutes
Production company(s) High Bridge Productions
Crystal Diner Productions
Gran Via Productions
Sony Pictures Television
Distributor Sony Pictures Television
Release
Original network AMC
Original release February 8, 2015 (2015-02-08) – present
Chronology
Preceded by Breaking Bad
Related shows Talking Saul
External links
Website

Better Call Saul is an American television crime drama series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. It is a prequel/spin-off of Breaking Bad, which was also created by Gilligan.[3] Set in 2002, Better Call Saul follows the story of small-time lawyer James Morgan "Jimmy" McGill (Bob Odenkirk), six years before his appearance on Breaking Bad as Saul Goodman; events after the original series are briefly explored.[4]

The first season, which premiered on AMC on February 8, 2015,[5] consists of 10 episodes. In June 2014, before the premiere of the first season, a second season was ordered,[6] which will premiere on February 15, 2016.[7]

Production

Conception

In July 2012, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan hinted at a possible spin-off about Saul Goodman.[8] In a July 2012 interview, Gilligan said he liked "the idea of a lawyer show in which the main lawyer will do anything it takes to stay out of a court of law", including settling on the courthouse steps.[9]

In April 2013, the series was confirmed to be in development by Gilligan and Gould; the latter wrote the Breaking Bad episode that introduced the character.[10]

Casting

Bob Odenkirk stars as Saul Goodman, the eponymous character of the show. In January 2014, it was announced that Jonathan Banks would reprise his Breaking Bad role as Mike Ehrmantraut and be a series regular.[11] Aaron Paul announced having had "serious talks" with Gilligan for possible guest appearances,[12] but later told The Huffington Post it was not going to happen.[13] Dean Norris, another Breaking Bad alumnus, announced that he would not be appearing, partly due to his involvement in the CBS series Under the Dome.[14] Anna Gunn also mentioned a "talk" with Gilligan over possible guest appearances.[15]

Michael McKean, who previously guest starred on an episode of Odenkirk's Mr. Show and The X-Files episode "Dreamland" written by Vince Gilligan, was cast as Saul's brother Chuck.[16] The cast also includes Patrick Fabian as Howard Hamlin, Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler, and Michael Mando as Ignacio "Nacho" Varga.[17] In October 2014, Kerry Condon was cast[18] as Stacey Ehrmantraut, Mike's daughter-in-law. In November 2014, it was announced that Julie Ann Emery and Jeremy Shamos had been cast as Betsy and Craig Kettleman, described as "the world's squarest outlaws."[19]

Development history

By July 2013, the series had yet to be green-lighted.[20] Netflix was one of many interested distributors, but ultimately a deal was made between AMC and Breaking Bad production company Sony Pictures Television.[21] Gilligan and Gould serve as co-showrunners and Gilligan directed the pilot.[6] Former Breaking Bad writers Thomas Schnauz and Gennifer Hutchison joined the writing staff, with Schnauz serving as co-executive producer and Hutchison as supervising producer.[22] Also on the writing staff are Bradley Paul, and Gordon Smith, who was a writer's assistant on Breaking Bad.[6]

In developing the series, the producers considered making the show a half-hour comedy,[10] but ultimately chose an hour-long format more typical of drama.[9] In October 2014, Odenkirk called the show "85 percent drama, 15 percent comedy."[23] During his appearance on Talking Bad, Odenkirk noted that Saul was one of the most popular characters on the show, speculating that the audience likes the character because he is the program's least hypocritical figure, and is good at his job.[24] Better Call Saul also employs Breaking Bad's signature time jumps.[25]

As filming began on June 2, 2014,[26] Gilligan expressed some concern regarding the possible disappointment from the series' turnout, in terms of audience reception.[27][28]

On June 19, 2014, AMC announced it had renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes to premiere in early 2016,[6] however, it was later reduced to 10 episodes.[29] The first teaser trailer debuted on AMC on August 10, 2014, and confirmed its premiere date of February 2015.[30] In November 2014, AMC announced the series would have a two-night premiere; the first episode aired on Sunday, February 8, 2015, at 10:00 pm (ET), and then moved into its regular time slot the following night, airing Mondays at 10:00 pm.[5] Gilligan has confirmed the likelihood of prominent characters from Breaking Bad making guest appearances, but has remained vague on which characters are to be seen.[31]

Several Breaking Bad directors returned to direct episodes, including Michelle MacLaren, Terry McDonough, Colin Bucksey, and Adam Bernstein.[4][32] Bryan Cranston was scheduled to direct an episode in 2015.[33]

Like its predecessor, Better Call Saul is set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[34]

Talking Saul

Similar to the other AMC live talk shows hosted by Chris Hardwick (Talking Dead and Talking Bad), AMC announced that Talking Saul would air after the second season premiere on February 15, 2016, and another episode will air after the second season finale on April 18, 2016.[35]

Cast and characters

Bob Odenkirk plays title character Saul Goodman in Better Call Saul.

Main cast

Recurring cast

Breaking Bad character reprises

Episodes

Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 10 February 8, 2015 (2015-02-08) April 6, 2015 (2015-04-06)
2 10[39] February 15, 2016 (2016-02-15)[39] April 18, 2016 (2016-04-18)[40]

Broadcast

In December 2013, Netflix announced that the entire first season would be available for streaming in the U.S. after the airing of the first season finale, and in Latin America and Europe each episode would be available a few days after the episode airs in the U.S.[41] However, the first season was not released on Netflix in the U.S. until February 1, 2016.[42]

Netflix is the exclusive video-on-demand provider for the series and makes the content available in all its territories, except for Australia and New Zealand.[41] In Australia, Better Call Saul premiered on the streaming service Stan[43] on February 9, 2015, acting as the service's flagship program.[44] In New Zealand, the show is exclusive to the New Zealand-based subscription video-on-demand service, Lightbox.[45] The episodes were available for viewing within three days of broadcast in the U.S.[46]

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the series was acquired by Netflix on December 16, 2013[47] and the first episode premiered on February 9, 2015, with the second episode released the following day. Every subsequent episode was released each week thereafter.[48]

The series premiere drew in 4.4 million and 4 million in the 18–49 and 25–54 demographics, respectively, and received an overall viewership of 6.9 million.[49] This was the record for the highest-rated scripted series premiere in basic cable history, until it was surpassed later the same year by another AMC series, Fear the Walking Dead.[50]

Reception

Critical response

Better Call Saul has received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a score of 100%, based on 68 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Better Call Saul is a quirky, dark character study that manages to stand on its own without being overshadowed by the series that spawned it."[51] On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the first season has a score of 78 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[52]

In his review of the two-episode premiere, Hank Stuever of The Washington Post graded it a "B+" and wrote the series "is right in line with the tone and style of the original, now-classic series", and that it "raises more questions in two hours than it will readily answer".[53] Stephen Marche of Esquire wrote that the first few episodes were better than those of Breaking Bad.[54] Kirsten Acuna of Business Insider declared the initial episodes "everything you could possibly want from a spinoff television series".[55] Alesandra Stanley of The New York Times wrote, "Better Call Saul is better than good: It's delightful – in a brutal, darkly comic way, of course."[56] Vulture writer Eric Konisberg noted the show was special as it was "the first spinoff of this golden age of premium cable."[57]

The second season has received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a score of 100%, based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 9/10.[58] On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the second season has a score of 86 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[59] Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine gave it a perfect four star review and wrote, "the show's writing is as economic and poetically parred. Each moment is compact, leading to the next with unpredictable, behaviorally astute precision."[60] Daniel D'Addario of Time praised the show and wrote, "in its second season, Better Call Saul allows us into a new world of complexity by deepening one of the show's pivotal relationships. It's the best-case scenario for a spin-off: a show that occupies a familiar world but opens up entirely new themes."[61]

Awards and accolades

Year Ceremony Category Recipients Result
2015 2015 American Film Institute Awards[62] Television Programs of the Year Better Call Saul Won
5th Critics' Choice Television Awards[63] Best Actor in a Drama Series Bob Odenkirk Won
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Jonathan Banks Won
31st TCA Awards[64] Outstanding New Program Better Call Saul Won
Individual Achievement in Drama Bob Odenkirk Nominated
67th Primetime Emmy Awards[65] Outstanding Drama Series Better Call Saul Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Bob Odenkirk Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Jonathan Banks Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series Gordon Smith ("Five-O") Nominated
67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards[65] Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series Kelly Dixon ("Five-O") Nominated
Kelly Dixon and Chris McCaleb ("Marco") Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series Phillip W. Palmer, Larry Benjamin, Kevin Valentine ("Marco") Nominated
20th Satellite Awards[66] Best Drama Series Better Call Saul Pending
Best Actor in a Drama Series Bob Odenkirk Pending
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or TV Film Jonathan Banks Pending
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or TV Film Rhea Seehorn Pending
68th Writers Guild of America Awards[67] Drama Series Better Call Saul Nominated
New Series Better Call Saul Nominated
Episodic Drama Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould ("Uno") Won
22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards[68] Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Bob Odenkirk Nominated
73rd Golden Globe Awards[69] Best Actor – Television Series Drama Bob Odenkirk Nominated

Home media

The first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD in region 1 on November 10, 2015. The set contains all 10 episodes, plus audio commentaries for every episode, uncensored episodes, deleted scenes, gag reel, and several behind-the-scenes featurettes. A limited edition Blu-ray set was also released with 3D packaging and a postcard vinyl of the Better Call Saul theme song by Junior Brown.[70]

References

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External links

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