Better Call Saul builds a case for better class of spin-offs

It took eight words to sell Breaking Bad: “We’re going to turn Mr. Chips into Scarface.”  It was half sales pitch, half declaration of intent, and with those words, Vince Gilligan launched the brilliant AMC original drama that went from under-watched critical darling to full-blown cultural phenomenon thanks to characters and storylines that proved nearly as addictive as the high-quality crystal meth manufactured by its antihero protagonists. From January 2008 to October 2013, millions of viewers tuned in to watch Walter White (Bryan Cranston) grow, decay and transform himself from a cancer-stricken high school chemistry teacher into the ruthless drug kingpin known as Heisenberg.

So, now that nearly a year and a half has passed since the strange and terrible saga of Mr. White reached its grimly satisfying conclusion, will the world Gilligan and his team spent five seasons carefully crafting simply fade away like a majestic Albuquerque sunset? Not if a certain criminal lawyer has anything to say about it.

Gilligan has reteamed with his creative partner Peter Gould to produce Better Call Saul, a prequel to Breaking Bad focusing on the hardscrabble salad days of Walter White’s attorney Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), the smooth-talking huckster whose lurid fashion sense (check stone suits, mint green shirts, lavender pocket squares) speaks louder than his conscience. The show, which has its two-night premiere this Sunday and Monday on AMC, reveals that Saul, also known as Jimmy McGill, was once an ambitious young legal eagle whose moral edges were eroded by the tribulations of time and circumstance.

Better Call Saul has already garnered a staggering amount of critical praise, with many comparing its first episodes favorably to those of its parent series, which were shot through with nerve-jangling suspense, technical bravura and bloody bursts of mordant humor. Such a warm reception bodes well for the longevity of the show, which was renewed for a second season months ahead of its premiere date.

Contrary to AMC’s jocular advertising campaign, this is a rich human drama peppered with elements of comedy, not the other way around. True, Jimmy isn’t yet grappling with the mortal terrors Walt and his tortured protégé Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) so often had to deal with, but he still has plenty on his plate, including a once-successful older brother (Michael McKean) laid low by agoraphobia, an unfairly gifted rival attorney (Patrick Fabian) and a former flame-turned-litigator (Rhea Seehorn), who worries their personal history could jeopardize her career prospects.

Perhaps the greatest asset Better Call Saul has going for it is Odenkirk himself. The actor, best known for co-creating HBO’s subversive sketch series Mr. Show with future Arrested Development star David Cross and kick-starting the careers of alternative comedy duo Tim and Eric, is a whip-smart whirlwind of charisma who made Saul an instant hit with the fans after appearing midway through the second season of Breaking Bad. Nearly everything about the character, from his strip mall law offices (perhaps intended as a homage to Phil Hartman’s Lionel Hutz character on The Simpsons) to his sleazy but sound methods of dispensing legal advice, seemed tailor-made for Odenkirk, and viewers couldn’t get enough of him, particularly after Saul became the primary source of comedy relief in the show’s later, considerably darker seasons.

Better Call Saul also has a distinct advantage over other new series, one typically reserved for shows featuring superheroes: the benefit of a pre-established universe. Gilligan and Gould’s new story takes place roughly six years before the events of Breaking Bad, meaning there’s a deep roster of characters and plotlines to draw from if need be. Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), the Colonel Sanders of contraband, is still alive in this timeline, as are the psychotic Tuco (Raymond Cruz) and his bell-ringing uncle Hector (Mark Margolis). Who knows, we may even run into Walt and Jesse at some point.

It would, however, be a mistake for the show to lean too heavily on arbitrary fan service, however. Gilligan and Gould, to their credit, have both shot down rumors of a Walt or Jesse cameo for this season. This series is an entirely new beast, after all, and the characters who inhabit it deserve their time to shine.

In fact, the only connective tissue Better Call Saul currently shares with Breaking Bad aside from the setting and Saul himself is the crotchety presence of Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), the underworld fixer with the permanent scowl who appears to be working as a parking garage attendant in the premiere episode. Mike, like Saul, was one of the acting highlights of Breaking Bad’s initial run, and it will be a kick to see Banks back in action as the geriatric bruiser with the hidebound soul of a samurai.

So, what does the future hold for Better Call Saul? Spin-offs, even the really good ones, are never a sure thing. For every Frasier and Mork and Mindy, there’s a Joey. Gilligan knows this better than most, having masterminded the short-lived X-Files offshoot The Lone Gunmen back in 2001. For now, though, the possibilities for Saul remain endless. In a year that will see audiences travel back to Jurassic Park, Avengers Tower and even A Galaxy Far, Far Away, it’s nothing short of remarkable that a return trip to Albuquerque is likely to be the most entertaining of the bunch.

Landon McDonald is a graduate student studying public relations. His column, “Screen Break,” runs Fridays.