Image via Complex Original
Almost a year and a half has passed since AMC consoled Breaking Bad fans with news that a spin-off centered on (arguably]) its most magnetic supporting character was in the planning stages. An official greenlight came not long after, and thus the nervous waiting period began. After all, most TV spin-offs end up being garbage or at best, mediocre cash-grabs spotlighting a character who works best in small doses in a vehicle that inevitably falls far short of the original. Was AMC greedily about to tarnish Breaking Bad's legacy while ruining our opinion of Saul Goodman in one fell swoop?
Well, we've seen the first two episodes, and while Better Call Saul doesn't quite begin on Breaking Bad level—which boasts one of the best pilot episodes of all time—thankfully, it's off to a strong enough start. Unless you've embarked on a Netflix binge recently, it's probably been awhile since you've immersed yourself in the Breaking Bad universe. So here's a handy Better Call Saul primer to get you fully prepared for what to expect from this Sunday's series premiere (10PM EST) and the debut season overall.
It's a prequel, but it starts after the events of Breaking Bad.
In the scene pictured above, from Breaking Bad's penultimate episode, Saul's making preparations to go into self-imposed witness protection in the aftermath of the Walter White empire's implosion. When Better Call Saul begins, we see our favorite lawyer in Normcore exile, a contrast so stark from his previous lifestyle that the entire sequence is in black and white. From there, the action jumps back to Saul's old days, but who knows? We may visit the future again before the season (or the series) is over.
Saul isn't actually "Saul."
And what do the old days entail, exactly? The show is basically an origin story, detailing how a downtrodden, struggle-public defender became sleazy attorney-at-law Saul Goodman, literally. In the pilot we learn Saul is actually Jimmy McGill, a lawyer with all of zero clients for whom a name change might prove extremely beneficial. Like any good prequel does, the first seeds of what will become his eventual identity are planted in Jimmy's mind early in the first hour.
Saul the loner lawyer has a family.
In Breaking Bad, Saul isn't exactly a sociopath, but he's very much a self-involved opportunist with no priorities above himself (although, as the show went on, his advice to Walt and Jesse does admittedly go above and beyond paid counsel), a few paid bodyguards, and an equally opportunistic receptionist. But in Better Call Saul, one of the most intriguing supporting characters is Michael McKean's Chuck McGill. The exact family connection isn't specified, yet, but he's a recluse with a mysterious illness (read: probably cancer) and a successful law firm that's dicking him over. Judging from his first appearances, he's going to be the conscience on Saul/Jimmy's shoulder, trying to sway him from the dark side of the law. We know how that battle ends.
Mike's in the house.
As long as Saul's story remains firmly prequel-minded, there will never be any room (or good reason, beyond a blatant wink—please, no) for a Walter White or Jesse Pinkman cameo. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for other BB alums to stop through, especially the criminal element, given Saul/Jimmy's burgeoning reputation. First up, good ol' Mike Ehrmantraut, who transcends mere cameo status: he's got second billing on the main cast list. Remember, Mike's first formal entry into the BB universe came via Saul as a "cleaner" equipped to take care of Jane's death when Jesse discovers her lifeless, post-OD/post-Walt-murder-by-inaction body.
As it turned out, Mike's true employee status and ultimate loyalty belonged to Gus, and his interactions with Saul always carried an undercurrent of disdain, to say nothing of one or two actual threats. As teased in a promo AMC released several weeks back, at the start of Better Call Saul, Mike and Saul/Jimmy's relationship already has that adversarial tension, but keeping with the theme of small beginnings, the fearsome fixer is but a lowly parking attendant. For now.
A Walter White appearance is already on the books.
No, Walter White, esteemed meth kingpin and The One Who Knocks, probably won't make a proper cameo on Better Call Saul, nor should he ever. In Breaking Bad we met Walt at the very beginning of his dark journey into the criminal underworld; there's no reason for him to ever cross Saul's path, to say nothing of Saul's first appearance in which all signs point to that being their first encounter. And if the series flashes forward again, well, Walt's dead. But Bryan Cranston will still be on set. He's scheduled to direct an episode of BCS later this season, and if you don't think that's worth getting excited about, revisit the Breaking episodes he directed ("Seven Thirty-Seven," "No Más," and "Blood Money"). They held up as some of the most visually memorable episodes in a series that was already teeming with A1 director talent. Whichever episode of Saul Cranston directs, it will no doubt be very easy on the eyes.
It already has a second season.
So don't worry about investing in a show that might not stick around. Whether Saul gains a latter-season Breaking Bad level audience from jump or not, AMC believes in it enough to give it the advance renewal. The first season will consist of 10 episodes; 13 for season two are already on deck for winter 2016. Also be sure to remember that while Monday night is Saul's regular time slot, the series premiere will actually go down on a Sunday.