In less than a month, one of the sleaziest and most endearing lawyers in television history will return to the airwaves with the premiere of Better Call Saul, a Breaking Bad spinoff that follows the early career of Walter White’s crooked lawyer, Saul Goodman. Bob Odenkirk will reprise his role for the series, but fans hoping for a cameo from Bryan Cranston or Aaron Paul shouldn’t hold their breath.
During a Television Critics Association panel on Saturday, executive producer Peter Gould confirmed that neither of the Breaking Bad stars would appear during the first season of Better Call Saul. “We want the show to stand on its own,” he explained to Variety. Check out the Better Call Saul extended trailer below.
Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan is the brains behind this one, and just like the original series, he also shot the pilot. But while much of the Breaking Bad crew returned, the creators took steps to ensure that the new project felt different from its predecessor. Said Gould:
“We had this great advantage of the same pilot director of ‘Breaking Bad.’ We were able to sit down and talk about what’s the same, what’s different. ‘Breaking Bad’ had a handheld camera, so there was always a bit of motion. This camera tends to be more static and locked down. You feel like Jimmy is struggling against the corners of the frame.”
Gilligan also tried to draw influence from some of his favorite filmmakers, including William Friedkin and Bernardo Bertolucci. “You always steal from the best,” he said. “There are only so many places you can put the camera, [but]man, we had fun trying to reinvent the wheel.”
Despite the absence of Cranston and Paul, Odenkirk isn’t the only Breaking Bad cast member returning for Better Call Saul. Jonathan Banks will also reprise his role as enforcer Mike Ehrmantraut, as the series explores the beginning of his relationship with Goodman. “This is a different show,” he said. “And it is really good.”
Better Call Saul will have a two-night premiere, beginning on Sunday, February 8 immediately following The Walking Dead, and continuing the following night on February 9.
Better Call Saul is the prequel to the award-winning series Breaking Bad, set six years before Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) became Walter White’s lawyer. When we meet him, the man who will become Saul Goodman is known as Jimmy McGill, a small-time lawyer searching for his destiny, and, more immediately, hustling to make ends meet. Working alongside, and often against, Jimmy is “fixer” Mike Erhmantraut (Jonathan Banks), a beloved character introduced in Breaking Bad. The series will track Jimmy’s transformation into Saul Goodman, the man who puts “criminal” in “criminal lawyer.”
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