Better Call Saul In The Media

[David T. Cole]

Mediay!

[shapeshifter]

No surprise that this Breaking Bad prequel is getting a lot of buzz, a lot of it questionable.

This recent article looks pretty accurate/legitimate: http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/552553/20140515/better-call-saul-cast-list-premiere-date.htm

Meanwhile, Deadline.com has reported that Patrick Fabian, Rhea Seehorn and Michael Mando have been roped in to star in "Better Call Saul." The report also provided sketchy details about the roles these actors will play.

Fabian is expected to play Burt, a Kennedy-kind of lawyer. Seehorn will play an attorney named Beth, while Mando will play Spanish-speaking career criminal Eddie, according to Deadline.

Also joining the cast is veteran actor Michael McKean. He will be seen playing a character called Dr Thurber. Deadline describes this character as a "brilliant attorney who is now restricted by an unusual affliction."

"Better Call Saul" is set to premiere in November 2014. AMC has yet to announce the date.

Here's the AMC page for the show: amctv.com/shows/breaking-bad/better-call-saul-news

I'm not sure if it being a page off of the Breaking Bad section is a sign that they don't have much faith in it, or if it's a marketing thing.

Edited May 20, 2014 by shapeshifter

[shapeshifter]

Oddly, if you type "better call saul" into the Wall Street Journal blog, the search result is an article/post about how the New Mexico Law Review is dedicating an issue to legal issues related to Breaking Bad: blogs.wsj.com/law/2014/05/21/law-review-to-publish-special-issue-dedicated-to-breaking-bad

Okay. Admittedly, I'm pretty odd for doing a search of better-call-saul in the WSJ's search box--but I do similar stuff all the time as part of my job.

[stephinmn]

Supposedly, they start filiming in June. I am in Albuquerque at the moment, so would welcome any information on if they are filming here or in LA.

[shapeshifter]

Supposedly, they start filiming in June. I am in Albuquerque at the moment, so would welcome any information on if they are filming here or in LA.

Seemingly, yes, Albuquerque: kob.com/article/stories/s3454138.shtml#.U4fV5ue9KSM Edited May 30, 2014 by shapeshifter

[ASign]

Glad to hear it'll be filmed in not-LA. Watching Odenkirk kill all his scenes and playing against type in Fargo, has me salivating for this show.  

 

I wonder if they're going to update his website? http://www.bettercallsaul.com/

[PinkSprinkles]

I'm so excited for this spin-off. Saul was one of my favorite characters from BB. <3

[BetterButter]

Better Call Saul’ Delayed and Renewed

[shapeshifter]

Better Call Saul’ Delayed and Renewed

Has this ever been done before? A first season delayed and renewed?

I wonder if Bob Odenkirk's work on Fargo had anything to do with the delay.

Edited June 20, 2014 by shapeshifter

[Irlandesa]

I don't think so.  Fargo wrapped filming a while ago. 

[Ronin Jackson]

Yeah Fargo wouldn't have had anything to do with it.  I can't think of any other examples of a show getting a second season before the first season aired, honestly.  Normally networks want to wait to see how the ratings are.  They must be real confident about Better Call Saul.

[millennium]

Also joining the cast is veteran actor Michael McKean. He will be seen playing a character called Dr Thurber. Deadline describes this character as a "brilliant attorney who is now restricted by an unusual affliction."

 

Ugh.   Hated him as Lenny.   Hated him in the X-Files.   Just hate him.

[Ronin Jackson]

So BCS will not strictly be a prequel:

 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/02/showbiz/tv/better-call-saul-breaking-bad-ew/

 

This certainly opens the door for appearances by Walter White and Pinkman... when it was thought to be a prequel such appearances would have likely been gimmicky.  I think the show needs to develop it's own identity but it seems the showrunners are aware of that.

[shapeshifter]

Didn't Jessie already know Saul at the time he was first introduced on Breaking Bad? Or did Badger or Skinny Pete refer Jessie to Saul?

Edited July 6, 2014 by shapeshifter

[Uncle Benzene]

Yeah, I don't even need any Walter or Jesse on this show. It'd be fine, of course, if that happened. But I don't need it. Just having Mike Fuckin' Ehrmantraut on board is plenty good enough for me. And if Badger and Skinny Pete are around? All the better. But I think I'd prefer that this show be its own show, about Saul, and I think having Jesse (or especially Walt) pop in would run contrary to that goal. 

[halgia]

Didn't Jessie already know Saul at the time he was first introduced on Breaking Bad? Or did Badger or Skinny Pete refer Jessie to Saul?

Yeah, it was Jessie who knew Saul; I think as far as we know he knew about him from before the series started.

 

Agree that there's not much need to have Walt or Jessie come in.

[Ronin Jackson]

I think Jesse only knew Saul via reputation.  Saul had been Emilio Koyama's lawyer, and Badger's lawyer.  I'm pretty sure the first time Jesse and Saul met in person was when Walt and Jesse kidnapped Saul and took him out to the desert.

[TVFan17]

I'm totally on board with Walt or Jesse cameos, or appearances from/storylines about Gus or anyone else.   I trust that they could be done in a way that makes sense and doesn't ruin anything that we saw in BrBa.  I wasn't all that excited about Better Call Saul until I heard about Mike being on the show and the possibility of appearances by other BrBa characters down the road.  (I am aware that most folks probably disagree with that sentiment.)

 

Quite honestly, Saul is not interesting enough (to me, personally) for me to want to watch a whole series just about him, even though I suppose it would be cool to kind of briefly touch on what he did before becoming Saul, and certainly what happened to him after he disappeared into a new life, post-Walter White.  He was great as brief comic relief on BrBa, but if there had been an entire episode of BrBa only about Saul, that would have most likely been my least favorite episode of the series. 

 

In other words, I could take Saul in little doses here and there on BrBa.  His personality would likely start to grate on me after a while in his own series.  So I am hoping that whatever the writers have Mike and the other characters doing is enough to keep me tuned in. 

Edited July 13, 2014 by Sherry67

[shapeshifter]

Details emerging: http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/press-tour-better-call-saul-live-blog-with-vince-gilligan-and-peter-gould

[halgia]

It's basically nothing, but there's a little teaser:

 

Edited August 16, 2014 by Dougal
Switched to non-removed video.

[shapeshifter]

It's basically nothing, but there's a little teaser:

That video "has been removed by user," so here's the link to a Wired article with the same clip: http://www.wired.com/2014/08/this-week-in-trailers-16/

The article notes that Saul had more hair since it's a prequel.

[halgia]

Thanks @shapeshifter; I switched it to the one in that article.

[Totale]

More tease

 

[Ronin Jackson]

If that's the new theme song, it definitely sets a much different tone than Breaking Bad.  But somehow Saul and a country jingle doesn't seem like a good fit.  I noticed Dave Porter co-wrote the music... seems like confirmation he's involved in BCS.

Edited October 8, 2014 by Ronin Jackson

[shapeshifter]

More tease (... youtube.com/watch?v=mGsC_LO3oFY)

Aren't theme songs eligible for Emmys? I think it's great, and it's also a great marketing tool for the show.

[Quilt Fairy]

I think it's delightfully cheesy.

[ToastnBacon]

I can only hope that the series centers around Saul in hiding as manager of a Cinna Bon, and telling stories of his life as a lawyer.

[TVFan17]

I'm looking forward to this show's premiere next month -- and not because of Saul, but because it is something that is related to Breaking Bad!  I am hoping that the other characters on the show make it worth watching, because Saul being the main guy in every scene may be too much for me to handle.  His whole shtick could get really old for me, really fast.

 

Anyway, it has now been confirmed that we will not be seeing a Pinkman/White cameo in Season 1 (which I think that most people kind of suspected anyway)... although, the possibility for that to happen in a future season seems to be quite good, as long as the appearance is organic to the story and not silly.  And cameos by other BrBa characters sound like they could be even more likely.  There were several articles floating around today, all covering the same basic info about Better Call Saul, but some of them have extra quotes thrown in, or expanded versions of quotes, and others are shortened.  Here are some of them:

 

http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00078900.html

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/better-call-saul-no-walter-white-or-jesse-2015-1

 

http://insidetv.ew.com/2015/01/10/better-call-saul/

 

http://www.indiewire.com/article/better-call-saul-finding-its-own-voice-while-haunted-by-the-ghosts-of-breaking-bad-20150110

 

 

I know that a lot of people have said (in various places around the Internet) that they really don't want to see any cameos from Walter and Jesse (especially not Walter) on Better Call Saul -- I have a feeling that it's because they're afraid it would be done in a really ridiculous, arbitrary way, and would somehow spoil the integrity and storytelling of Breaking Bad.  But I trust that any cameos will/would be done in a clever, non-ridiculous way, and handled with much thought and care.   In fact, if anyone knows how to work something into a scene in a clever way, it is Vince Gilligan (see this piece -- http://all.theglobalpoint.com/2015/01/36-times-breaking-bad-was-the-cleverest-show-on-television/). 

 

Also, a Walt or Jesse cameo (whether they are together or separate) would not be until at least 2016, if ever.  By that point, a lot of time will have passed since the BrBa series finale, and I suspect that many of the former BrBa fans will smile a little if they catch a glimpse of Mr. White hurriedly crossing the street behind Saul or something, or fussing with Skyler as they pull up to the supermarket to buy groceries.  I welcome the cameos, and I hope they happen.  I miss Walt and Jesse -- hell, I even miss Skyler at this point.

[Quilt Fairy]

In one of the behind-the-scenes videos, Vince Gilligan mentions that he has something like 75% of the crew from Breaking Bad working on Better Call Saul; it gives me hope that it will be an excellent show.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Quilt Fairy

[ByTor]

I suspect that many of the former BrBa fans will smile a little if they catch a glimpse of Mr. White hurriedly crossing the street behind Saul or something, or fussing with Skyler as they pull up to the supermarket to buy groceries. 

Those are the kind of cameos I'd love to see.  Or maybe a re-creation of a scene that actually happened between Jesse & Walt on Breaking Bad, but with them in the background rather than the focus of the scene.

[shapeshifter]

Reading this New York Times article (Jan. 14, 2015) makes me nervous. I love Odenkirk's Saul, but the character first appeared 6 years ago, and this is supposed to pre-date that by another 6 years, which means Odenkirk is playing a 12-year-younger version of his own depiction of Saul.

Maybe it should have been a post-Breaking Bad show?

And also, can somebody please name a successful spin off that wasn't a formulaic show (L&O-ish)?

[Eeksquire]

Not recent ones - the ones that spring immediately to mind are Diff'rent Strokes (from the Facts of Life) and Mork and Mindy (from Happy Days).  Of course, I guess it could be said that sitcoms are just a different kind of formulaic than procedurals, but still.

[Ailianna]

In non-sit-com territory (where you've left off possibly the most successful spinoff--Frasier),there's Angel (BtVS), The Originals (Vampire Diaries), and (success could still be argued but it's on it's second season) Chicago PD (Chicago Fire). So sit-coms and vampires are better bets, apparently.

[shapeshifter]

Yeah, ever since I read that NY Times article in my post above, I keep thinking of X-Files and The Lone Gunmen.

I loved the 3 guys when they were in the X-Files, but then TLG was not watchable.

But Vince Gilligan is, IMO, a visionary god of a TV series writer, so if he's in control of the story, this will be great.

Still, it seems like Odenkirk is going to have to wear a toupee and be botoxed to within a inch of his id for this to look right to BrBa fans--but maybe it doesn't have to?

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I suspect that many of the former BrBa fans will smile a little if they catch a glimpse of Mr. White hurriedly crossing the street behind Saul or something, or fussing with Skyler as they pull up to the supermarket to buy groceries.

A restaurant of some sort seems to be the most common cameo setting I've seen; it gives viewers a better chance of spotting it. Maybe Walt could be picking up fried chicken for dinner on his way home.

[shapeshifter]

Alan Sepinwall has seen the first 3 episodes. He gives a positive review without any real spoilers, but purists might not want to read: http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-better-call-saul-a-breaking-bad-prequel-with-promise/

[kevshah95]

Really looking forward to this show. As it turns out, Dean Norris may return as Hank Schrader later down the road...

 

http://www.calltosaul.com/dean-norris-may-return-hank-schrader-better-call-saul/

 

It could be cool to see the whole Breaking Bad gang show up slowly throughout the course of this series. It would be tough, though, because they'd all have to look 6 years younger. That could be tough for characters like Walter Jr. and Jesse since they were so young during BB's first season.

[6 MeowMeowBeenz]

Yeah, I don't see Flynn or Jesse being able to pull it off. But really, that's OK. And since the show seems to be comfortable with shifting timelines, maybe we get a glimpse of them in their futures. 

[TVFan17]

I was thinking that the Walter/Jesse cameos (I am not expecting full episodes surrounding them) would be separate, although it would be fun to see them together.  We could get a glimpse of Walter (with or without Skyler) in his pre-Heisenberg days (and with hair), but he doesn't interact with Saul.  He's just doing something in the background, or he can be overheard talking on the phone or something -- or picking up chicken, as LoneHaranguer suggested above.

 

We could catch a glimpse of Jesse -- or at least hear someone say something definitively -- to clue us in as to what's become of Jesse in the post-Heisenberg days, when the timeline jumps 6 years ahead from where it starts.

 

I never even thought about Flynn, but I guess he could be seen in the post-Heisenberg time frame with Skyler or Marie or something.

 

Krysten Ritter was asked if there was a chance that she could possibly pop up as Jane on BCS, and all she said was that no one has called her or asked her to appear (yet), but that she will be watching the show.

 

I think that Hank, Gomez and Gus would make the most sense for eventual pre-Heisenberg appearances (aside from Badger, Skinny Pete, Huell and Kuby) -- not just cameos or fleeting glimpses, but actual, full episodes or multi-episodes. Surely Hank must be working on some cases that Saul gets tangled up in here and there?  And yet, it sounds like Dean Norris is one of the least likely people to appear, based on the comments he has made about it in various places.

 

Other than Mike, and possibly seeing Skinny Pete, Badger, Huell and Kuby in Season 1, I think that any other Breaking Bad character appearances will be saved until at least Season 2 (2016), if not later than that.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Sherry67

[Bryce Lynch]

I'd love to see Saul in a bar where Twaughthammer is playing "Fallacies", with Jesse on the drums of course.

 

I'd also like to see "KENWINS" represented by Saul, maybe on a vehicular homicide charge.   

 

And while I'm sure it will never happen, I think it would be great if they had occasional appearances by Walt and Skyler giving glimpses into how Walt's other transformation took place.  By that, i mean how did this brilliant, highly educated, hard working, man, with an intense love  passion for his field and both outstanding theoretical and practical knowledge of it, ended up becoming a milquetoast high school teacher, who for a 2nd job, didn't think he could do better than working a cash register and occasionally wiping down cars for the world's worst boss, with the world's worst eyebrows.  In some ways, I think that story could be as fascinating as his journey from "Mr. Chips to Scarface".

[TVFan17]

Bryan Cranston appeared on the SAG Awards last night, and I was noticing that his beard is once again taking on a Heisenberg-esque appearance.  (But he has a full head of hair, of course.)  He could very well have just gotten attached to that beard style, but I thought, "Hmmm...I wonder if Vince Gilligan is going to have Bryan shoot some footage for an eventual cameo on Better Call Saul, and then just hang on to it until it's the right time to use it."  

 

That seems like it could be a possible scenario at some point -- in fact, it could be done with Flynn or even Jesse, depending on what kind of cameo was involved (in other words, an actual speaking role, or just something 'in the background' of a scene) -- shoot something before their appearance or age changes too much, and then hold on to it in case it's ever needed for cameo reasons. 

 

If anything like this were done, it would all have to be done under a huge veil of secrecy, I'm sure, but as long as it was a quick cameo and not extended footage covering many scenes it could probably be pulled off before too many people caught on.

Edited January 27, 2015 by Sherry67

[King of Birds]

nm

Edited January 28, 2015 by King of Birds

[Quilt Fairy]

I'm not going into this with the hope of a random Bryan Cranston or Aaron Paul cameo, I'm watching because it's Vince Gilligan and I'm convinced he will produce a quality show. They've been running little 4-5 minute behind-the-scenes, meet-the-characters clips on AMC, and every once I've seen has piqued my interest.

[Pike Ludwell]

Today's "Fresh Air" on NPR had an extremely positive review of the first episode.

[AuntiePam]

Odenkirk was on The Daily Show last week.  He and Jon Stewart have been friends for a long time, since before either of them were popular or [gasp] had their own show.  Their shared joy at their success made me all verklept. 

 

Odenkirk's an extremely handsome man, something I hadn't noticed before, maybe because of the way he wears his hair as Saul.

[ElsieH]

Is it weird that the name of the show is Better Call Saul when the main character isn't Saul yet and goes by Jimmy? I wonder if he will become Saul fairly early on. And did they ever say why he would have changed him name in the first place?

[Uncle Benzene]

Is it weird that the name of the show is Better Call Saul when the main character isn't Saul yet and goes by Jimmy? I wonder if he will become Saul fairly early on. And did they ever say why he would have changed him name in the first place?

 

Chuck already suggested that Jimmy refrain from riding on his (and his firm's) coattails by using the McGill name. And Jimmy made a stink about it being suggested that he shouldn't use his own given name. I don't know whether the change to Saul Goodman will happen sooner or later, but I suspect it'll be one hell of a big deal on the show, and for Jimmy personally. Does the firm, or Chuck, persuade him? Or does he end up wanting to distance himself from all that?

 

Either way, this show will probably never be BrBa, but these kinds of questions lead me to believe it's gonna be great in its own right.

[Ronin Jackson]

Is it weird that the name of the show is Better Call Saul when the main character isn't Saul yet and goes by Jimmy? I wonder if he will become Saul fairly early on. And did they ever say why he would have changed him name in the first place?

 

I don't think so... .there's definitely a story to be told in how Jimmy becomes Saul, and I'd be surprised if it happens early.  He may don the moniker "Saul" fairly soon, but becoming "Saul Goodman" with the established persona he had when we first him in BB... the slick, cunning lawyer to the worst criminals who would cross any line to do his job... I suspect that would take at least the entire first season.

[SignGuy]

Is it weird that the name of the show is Better Call Saul when the main character isn't Saul yet and goes by Jimmy? I wonder if he will become Saul fairly early on. And did they ever say why he would have changed him name in the first place?

They did say it, on Breaking Bad. Saul himself explained he went with a more Jewish moniker to attract more clients. Even insinuated it got him more black clients, or something along those lines.

[peeayebee]

Get a free Cinnabon and more!

 

the real Cinnabon chain will give away one free mini-bon per person at its 704 U.S. locations on Monday between 5 and 9 p.m. (local time), packaged in Saul-themed boxes. And from Monday through March 3, visitors who tweet a selfie at the stores using the hashtag #SaulSelfie will be entered in a sweepstakes to win a year's supply of Cinnabon baked goods. Three prize winners weekly will also receive $100 Cinnabon gift cards.