It’s rare for spinoffs to be as good, if not better, than the original show that spawned them. Better Call Saul is one of those rare cases that stands head and shoulders, if not above, its sister show, Breaking Bad. Over the course of its 9-year, six-season run, the acclaimed spinoff scored a staggering 53 Emmy nominations. But, unfortunately, it never won a single award, making it the most Emmy-nominated show that never actually won. Despite this “unfortunate” record though, one of the show’s writers responded perfectly.
Former Breaking Bad cast member Bob Odenkirk, who played the role of seedy mall lawyer Saul Goodman, was more than just a sarcastic comic relief character. He portrayed a nuanced and complex version of the character Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman, and it was a complete departure from his comedy background as a former SNL writer. Despite the exceptional performances of Odenkirk and his castmates, the show was overlooked by the Emmys every single season. Now, one of the show's former writers, Thomas Schnauz, expressed his thoughts on this lack of recognition from the TV Academy in a post on X (formerly Twitter), humorously writing:
WE DID IT!!!!
At least the writer is a good sport.
Better Call Saul’s predecessor, Breaking Bad, won 16 Emmys, including two awards for best drama series, during its AMC run. Which, makes Saul's loss a bit of a headscratcher, honestly. Maybe times have changed, and the awards are far more stacked, but, for my money, the Odenkirk-led show is much more layered and nuanced as it blends courtroom drama, comedy, and the crime drama we came to expect from its sister series.
Emmy wins, or no Emmy wins, though, one thing that cannot be taken away from co-showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould is they have crafted two of the most prestigious shows ever to hit the airwaves.
Now that Albercurquie’s world of drugs and crime is far in his rearview, Gilligan has a new project starring Saul alum (and Emmy-robbed) actress Rhea Seehorn. Though the mastermind behind the AMC crime series has stressed his new show is nothing like Bad or Saul, it still sounds great. And who knows, with the Kim Wexler performer in the lead, perhaps this new series will have better luck with the Emmys when the psychological sci-fi lands on the 2024 TV schedule.
Better Call Saul doesn't need Emmy wins to be remarkable. What makes the show and the other projects, including Breaking Bad and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, so special is the fact that there are multiple ways to watch and enjoy them and they all come together to build a complex and compelling story. You can stream them in release order or, if you want, do your own chronological rewatch (like we did). No matter what, I think you'll come to the conclusion that these shows deserved the acclaim they got (despite Saul's lack of wins).
Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie are all available to stream with a Netflix subscription. Physical media collectors can also pick up the Breaking Bad complete series box set, the Better Call Saul complete series box set, and El Camino on Blu-ray.
