Better Call Saul is an American television crime drama series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. It is a spin-off prequel of Gilligan's prior series Breaking Bad. Set in the early 2000s, Better Call Saul follows the story of con-man turned small-time lawyer, James Morgan "Jimmy" McGill (Bob Odenkirk), six years before the events of Breaking Bad, showing his transformation in the persona of Saul Goodman, as well as briefly explore his life some time after the events of Breaking Bad. The series also explores the situations of other Breaking Bad characters in the years prior. The show premiered on AMC on February 8, 2015 and has since finished airing its third season; the 10-episode fourth season is scheduled to air starting August 6, 2018.
Like its predecessor, Better Call Saul has received critical acclaim, particularly for its acting, writing, and directing, with many critics calling it a worthy successor to Breaking Bad. It has garnered several nominations, including a Peabody Award, 23 Primetime Emmy Awards, seven Writers Guild of America Awards, five Critics' Choice Television Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. The series premiere held the record for the highest-rated scripted series premiere in basic cable history at the time of its airing.
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Premise
Better Call Saul follows the life of the character Saul Goodman some years prior to the events of Breaking Bad. Goodman, born as James "Jimmy" McGill, is a former con artist now trying to follow a more lawful career as an aspiring lawyer in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He seeks to become a partner in the law firm which his older brother Charles "Chuck" McGill is a senior partner. However, Jimmy's work is frequently overshadowed by Chuck's past reputation, and he struggles to find a way to prove himself, even with the help of another associate in the firm, Kim Wexler, with whom he also becomes romantically involved. At the same time, Jimmy frequently takes care of Chuck, who claims to have electromagnetic hypersensitivity, a condition that makes him physically ill in the presence of anything with an electronic component and has caused him to take an extended leave from his firm and regular law work. Interspersed among Jimmy's activities are the prior histories of other Breaking Bad characters, including Mike Ehrmantraut, a former police officer who becomes involved in illegal drug trafficking schemes, and drug kingpins Hector Salamanca and Gus Fring, who help distribute drugs illegally brought to the area from Mexico.
The series also provides brief glimpses of Saul's fate after the events of Breaking Bad: he has taken on a new identity in Omaha, Nebraska as a Cinnabon manager and goes by the name Gene.
Maps Better Call Saul
Production
Conception
In July 2012, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan hinted at a possible spin-off about Saul Goodman. 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.
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.
Casting
Bob Odenkirk stars as lawyer Jimmy McGill (known as Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad). In January 2014, it was announced that Jonathan Banks would reprise his Breaking Bad role as Mike Ehrmantraut and be a series regular.
Among new cast members include Michael McKean as McGill's elder brother Chuck, having previously guest-starred in an episode of Odenkirk's Mr. Show and Gilligan's X-Files episode "Dreamland". The cast also includes Patrick Fabian as Howard Hamlin, Rhea Seehorn as Kimberly "Kim" Wexler, and Michael Mando as Ignacio "Nacho" Varga. In October 2014, Kerry Condon was cast 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."
Going into Season 3, it was announced that Giancarlo Esposito would return to play Gus Fring.
The showrunners have teased that "familiar faces" from Breaking Bad will make appearances during Season 4. They will also cast an actor for the character "Lalo", mentioned only by name in the episode "Better Call Saul" episode of Breaking Bad. Both Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul said, as of Season 3, they are both open to reappearing on the show as Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, respectively, if asked, believing that Gilligan would have a sufficiently good reason to bring them in. Paul had previously mentioned the possibility of a cameo during Season 1 but this fell through. Anna Gunn also mentioned a "talk" with Gilligan over possible guest appearances as Skyler White. Dean Norris, another Breaking Bad alumnus, stated he could not be part of the earlier seasons, partly due to his involvement in the CBS series Under the Dome. Gilligan said that by Season 3 that show had been on long enough that any reuse of Breaking Bad characters would be more than "just a cameo or an Alfred Hitchcock walkthrough", and that their appearances would be necessary for the story.
Development history
By July 2013, the series had yet to be green-lighted. Netflix was one of many interested distributors, but ultimately a deal was made between AMC and Breaking Bad production company Sony Pictures Television. Gilligan and Gould serve as co-showrunners and Gilligan directed the pilot. 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. Also on the writing staff are Bradley Paul, and Gordon Smith, who was a writer's assistant on Breaking Bad.
In developing the series, the producers considered making the show a half-hour comedy, but ultimately chose an hour-long format more typical of a drama. In October 2014, Odenkirk called the show "85 percent drama, 15 percent comedy." 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. Better Call Saul also employs Breaking Bad's signature time jumps.
As filming began on June 2, 2014, Gilligan expressed some concern regarding the possible disappointment from the series' turnout, in terms of audience reception.
The first teaser trailer debuted on AMC on August 10, 2014, and confirmed its premiere date of February 2015. 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. In May 2015, Gilligan confirmed that more of the prominent characters from Breaking Bad would be making guest appearances in season 2, but remained vague on which characters were likely to be seen.
In June 2014, prior to the series' launch, AMC had renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes to premiere in early 2016; however, it was later reduced to 10 episodes. The second season premiered on February 15, 2016.
In March 2016, AMC announced that Better Call Saul was renewed for a 10-episode third season which premiered April 10, 2017. AMC renewed the series for a 10-episode fourth season in June 2017, and is scheduled to premiere on August 6, 2018.
Like its predecessor, Better Call Saul is set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Cast and characters
Main cast
- Bob Odenkirk as James Morgan "Jimmy" McGill, a lawyer and a former scam artist, who becomes involved with the criminal world
- Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut, a former Philadelphia police officer working independently as a parking lot attendant, and later a private investigator, bodyguard and "cleaner"
- Rhea Seehorn as Kimberly "Kim" Wexler, a lawyer formerly working at the Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill (HHM) law firm, now running her own law firm, who is Jimmy's close friend and love interest
- Patrick Fabian as Howard Hamlin, a name partner at Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill, first appearing as Jimmy's nemesis, until it becomes clear that he acts under Charles McGill's orders
- Michael Mando as Ignacio "Nacho" Varga, an upholstery shop worker who is also an intelligent, ambitious member of Tuco Salamanca's gang
- Michael McKean as Charles L. "Chuck" McGill, Jr., Jimmy's elder brother and a named partner at HHM who is confined to his home by electromagnetic hypersensitivity, expressing disdain and hostility toward his brother whom he considers to be a disgrace to the law practice
- Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring, a methamphetamine distributor who uses his fast food restaurant chain Los Pollos Hermanos as a front (season 3)
Recurring cast
Introduced in season 1
- Kerry Condon as Stacey Ehrmantraut, Mike's daughter-in-law and the mother of Kaylee Ehrmantraut
- Faith Healey (season 1) and Abigail Zoe Lewis (season 2) as Kaylee Ehrmantraut, Mike's granddaughter
- Eileen Fogarty as Mrs. Nguyen, owner of a nail salon which houses Jimmy's law office (and home) in its back room
- Peter Diseth as Bill Oakley, a deputy district attorney
- Joe DeRosa as Dr. Caldera, a veterinarian who serves as Mike Ehrmantraut's liaison to the criminal underworld
- Dennis Boutsikaris as Rick Schweikart, the attorney for Sandpiper Crossing
- Mark Proksch as Daniel "Pryce" Wormald, a small-time drug dealer who hires Mike as security
- Brandon K. Hampton as Ernesto, Chuck's assistant who works at HHM
- Josh Fadem as Joey Dixon, a film student that helps Jimmy film various projects
- Julian Bonfiglio as Sound Guy, a film student that helps Jimmy film various projects
- Jeremy Shamos and Julie Ann Emery as Craig and Betsy Kettleman, a county treasurer and his wife, accused of embezzlement
- Steven Levine and Daniel Spenser Levine as Lars and Cal Lindholm, twin skateboarders and small-time scam artists
- Míriam Colón as Abuelita, Tuco's grandmother and Hector's mother
- Barry Shabaka Henley as Detective Sanders, a Philadelphia cop who was formerly partnered with Mike on the force
- Mel Rodriguez as Marco Pasternak, Jimmy's best friend and partner-in-crime in Cicero, Illinois
- Clea DuVall as Dr. Cruz, a doctor who treats Chuck and suspects his condition is psychosomatic
- Jean Effron as Irene Landry, an elderly client of Jimmy McGill overcharged by the Sandpiper Crossing
Introduced in season 2
- Ed Begley, Jr. as Clifford Main, law partner of Davis & Main
- Omar Maskati as Omar, Jimmy's assistant at Davis & Main
- Jessie Ennis as Erin Brill, a lawyer at Davis & Main who is ordered to shadow Jimmy
- Vincent Fuentes as Arturo, a criminal associate of Hector Salamanca
- Rex Linn as Kevin Wachtell, chairman of Mesa Verde Bank and Trust and a client of HHM and Kim
- Cara Pifko as Paige Novick, senior legal counsel for Mesa Verde Bank and Trust and a friend of Kim
- Ann Cusack as Rebecca Bois, Chuck's ex-wife
- Manuel Uriza as Ximenez Lecerda, an associate of Hector Salamanca
- Hayley Holmes as Drama Girl, a film student who helps Jimmy on various projects
Introduced in season 3
- Bonnie Bartlett as Helen
- Kimberly Hebert Gregory as ADA Kyra Hay
- Tamara Tunie as Anita, a member of Mike and Stacey's support group
Breaking Bad characters
- Raymond Cruz as Tuco Salamanca, a ruthless, psychotic drug distributor in the South Valley (seasons 1-2)
- Cesar García as No-Doze, Tuco's henchman (season 1)
- Jesús Payán Jr. as Gonzo, Tuco's henchman (season 1)
- Kyle Bornheimer as Ken ("Ken Wins"), an arrogant, self-absorbed stockbroker (season 2)
- Stoney Westmoreland as Officer Saxton, an Albuquerque Police Department officer (season 2)
- Jim Beaver as Lawson, a local weapons dealer in Albuquerque (season 2)
- Maximino Arciniega as Domingo "Krazy-8" Molina, one of Tuco's distributors (seasons 2-)
- Mark Margolis as Hector Salamanca, Tuco's uncle and high-ranking member of the cartel (seasons 2-)
- Debrianna Mansini as Fran, a waitress at Loyola's Diner (season 2)
- Daniel and Luis Moncada as Leonel and Marco Salamanca, Tuco's cousins and Hector's nephews who are hitmen for the cartel (season 2, 4-)
- Jennifer Hasty as Stephanie Doswell, a real estate agent (season 2)
- Tina Parker as Francesca Liddy, Jimmy's receptionist (season 3)
- Jeremiah Bitsui as Victor, Gus' henchman (season 3)
- Ray Campbell as Tyrus Kitt, a henchman on Gus Fring's payroll (season 3)
- JB Blanc as Dr. Barry Goodman, a doctor on Gus Fring's payroll (season 3)
- Steven Bauer as Don Eladio Vuente, the head of the Juarez drug cartel (season 3)
- Javier Grajeda as Juan Bolsa, a high-level member of the Juárez drug cartel (season 3)
- Lavell Crawford as Huell Babineaux, a professional pickpocket hired by Jimmy (season 3)
- Laura Fraser as Lydia Rodarte-Quayle, a Madrigal Electromotive executive and associate of Gus Fring (season 3)
Episodes
Season 1 (2015)
Jimmy, serving as a public defender, inadvertently becomes entangled in an embezzlement case involving the Kettleman family, currently being represented by Chuck's firm Hamlin Hamlin & McGill. Jimmy schemes to become the Kettleman's lawyer, which causes Kim, the associate at HHM overseeing the case, to be demoted. Jimmy gains attention from the case, finding himself taking up several elder law cases, and discovers that Sandpiper Retirement Homes have been mishandling their residents' funds, leading to a potential multi-million class action lawsuit. Jimmy tries to offer this suit to HHM and to hire him, but Chuck secretly blocks this. Jimmy discovers Chuck's involvement and instead ends up turning the case over to HHM for counsel's fees and requiring Howard Hamlin to take over caring for Chuck. Later, Jimmy learns that the Sandpiper case has gotten too big and HHM is portioning part of the work to a second firm, Davis & Main, who want to hire Jimmy due to his knowledge of the case.
Season 2 (2016)
Jimmy is put in charge of outreach for the Sandpiper case, but there are very few responses from potential class members from traditional mailings. Jimmy does improper face-to-face solicitation to draw in class members, but Chuck points out this runs afoul of state law. Instead, Jimmy creates his own ad targeted to seniors and airs it without getting its approval by his senior partners. While the ad draws in many clients, Jimmy is reprimanded, and Kim, who was aware Jimmy was making the ad, is further shunned and demoted down to document review at HHM. To try to regain her position, Kim runs through her old contacts, and eventually is able to arrange a meeting between HHM and Mesa Verde, a large regional bank. Though HHM secures the deal, Howard denies Kim any of the credit. Jimmy, who has quit out of Davis & Main, leads Kim to quit HHM and establish her own firm co-located with his as to share the overhead costs. She nearly resecures the Mesa Verde deal herself but Chuck interjects to block her. In revenge, Jimmy makes falsified copies of all the deal papers with an incorrect address, which, when HHM and Mesa Verde present to the government, are forced to put the deal on hold; Chuck becomes paranoid and is convinced Jimmy fakes it, while Kim is able to come in and take back Mesa Verde for herself. When Jimmy next visits Chuck, Chuck feigns illness to bring Jimmy to confess falsifying the documents, which he records on tape.
Season 3 (2017)
Chuck plots for Jimmy to learn of the existence of the taped conversation through Kim. Jimmy breaks open Chuck's door and breaks the tape, but Chuck has Howard and a private investigator hiding nearby to witness this, allowing him to issue a criminal offence against Jimmy, which can include having his license to practice law pulled. At the hearing, Jimmy creates a situation where Chuck's electromagnetic hypersensitivity was tested, putting his sanity into question; Jimmy is only blocked from practicing law for a year. To try to cover his part of the shared office, Jimmy turns to producing commercials for local businesses under the name "Saul Goodman", but Kim still is forced to take on extra clients to fully cover expenses, leading to sleep deprivation and causing her to crash her car and break her arm. HHM's insurance learns of Chuck's condition from the trial and threatens to raise their rates as a result, and while Chuck tries to work with a doctor to avoid his hypersensitivity symptoms, Howard ultimately buys Chuck out of his share of HHM, terminating him from the firm. Jimmy tries to make amends, but Chuck refuses to listen, and his hypersensitivity symptoms return. After a fit of tearing out the wiring from his home, Chuck purposely knocks a gas lantern over and starts a fire.
Talking Saul
Talking Saul is a live aftershow hosted by Chris Hardwick, which features guests discussing episodes of Better Call Saul. The show uses the same format as Talking Dead, Talking Bad, and other similar aftershows also hosted by Hardwick. AMC announced that Talking Saul would air after the second season Better Call Saul premiere on February 15, 2016, and again after the second-season finale on April 18, 2016. It returned following the season 3 premiere and finale.
Season 1 (2016)
These episodes discuss season two of Better Call Saul.
Season 2 (2017)
These episodes discuss season three of Better Call Saul.
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. However, the first season was not released on Netflix in the U.S. until February 1, 2016.
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. In Australia, Better Call Saul premiered on the streaming service Stan on February 9, 2015, acting as the service's flagship program. In New Zealand, the show is exclusive to the New Zealand-based subscription video-on-demand service, Lightbox. The episodes were available for viewing within three days of broadcast in the U.S.
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the series was acquired by Netflix on December 16, 2013, 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. In India, the series is broadcast on Colors Infinity within 24 hours of the U.S. broadcast.
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. 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.
Reception
Critical response
Better Call Saul has received a very favorable response from critics.
Season 1
On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has a rating of 98%, based on 59 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." 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".
Season 2
On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has a score of 97%, based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Better Call Saul continues to tighten its hold on viewers with a batch of episodes that inject a surge of dramatic energy while showcasing the charms of its talented lead." On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the second season has a score of 85 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Season 3
On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has an approval rating of 97% based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 8.82/10. The site's critical consensus is, "Better Call Saul shows no signs of slipping in season 3, as the introduction of more familiar faces causes the inevitable transformation of its lead to pick up exciting speed." On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the season has a score of 87 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Awards and accolades
Ratings
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. The second season was released on Blu-ray and DVD in region 1 on November 15, 2016. The set contains all 10 episodes, plus audio commentaries for every episode and several behind-the-scenes featurettes. The third season was released on Blu-ray and DVD in region 1 on January 16, 2018. The set contains all 10 episodes, plus audio commentaries for every episode and several behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Comics
AMC has released two digital comic books for Better Call Saul. The first, titled Better Call Saul: Client Development, released in February 2015, in advance of the series premiere, details the history of Saul and Mike, acting as a spin-off of the Breaking Bad episode that introduced Saul. In February 2016, in advance of the second-season premiere, AMC released Better Call Saul: Saul Goodman and the Justice Consortium in the Clutches of the Judgernaut!
References
External links
- Official website
- Better Call Saul on IMDb
Source of article : Wikipedia
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