When the promo's were shown for the spin off for Breaking Bad I was really happy to see that it was going to feature Saul as main character. I was convinced they would make it into a sitcom where we got to see all the crazy people Saul had to deal with. It's safe to say that Better Call Saul is much more serious and has let go of the comedy.
For better or worse Better Call Saul is a continuation of Breaking Bad in a lot of ways despite this being a prequel. And that was something I had to adjust to. My wish was that they would delve into the hilarious adventures of Saul and that we would get to see what he had to go through until we got introduced to him in Breaking Bad. Instead Better Call Saul is a very serious affair. Bob Odenkirk is the saving grace as he brings the finesse that is needed to give his character a lot of depth. It is intriguing to watch him struggle to do good even when the odds are stacked against him. On several occasions we are shown how certain events affect him and it makes you want to root for him to get a break and achieve whatever it is he wants to achieve. Just like Breaking Bad there is a lot of compelling drama. However the pacing is quite slow especially in the beginning. It does improve with each episode and it is a delight to see how Jimmy evolves. But it really would have been so much cooler had they made the show into a sitcom. That would have required more creativity in the writing. And it would have been one of the first spin offs to go into another direction than the original. I guess they might have thought it was very risky to do so.
In any case Better Call Saul redeems itself and is very much worth your time. Will Jimmy become the criminal lawyer we know from Breaking Bad? Let's tune in next season to find that out!
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