Part of the Breaking Bad franchise , it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, Breaking Bad β , to which it serves primarily as a prequel , with some scenes taking place during and after the events of Breaking Bad. Set primarily in the early to mid s in Albuquerque, New Mexico , several years before Breaking Bad , Better Call Saul examines the ethical decline of Jimmy McGill Bob Odenkirk , an aspiring lawyer and former con artist who becomes the egocentric criminal-defense attorney Saul Goodman , and Mike Ehrmantraut Jonathan Banks , a former corrupt police officer who becomes a fixer and enforcer for drug traffickers.
In addition to the primary storyline, Better Call Saul includes black-and-white flashforwards set in , after the events of Breaking Bad , which explore the consequences of Saul's actions across both series. Odenkirk, Banks, and Esposito reprise their roles from Breaking Bad , as do many others in guest appearances.
Because Saul's role in Breaking Bad had expanded beyond the writing staff's plans, Gilligan felt he could be explored further. He and Gould considered making a half-hour legal comedy featuring Saul and his various clients, but settled on an hour-long tragedy showing how he develops into the character seen in Breaking Bad.
Better Call Saul 's development began during the production of Breaking Bad 's final season in , with Gilligan and Gould serving as co- showrunners and numerous production staff returning. Gilligan left Better Call Saul early in the third season βmaking Gould the sole showrunner for the remainder of its runβthough he returned to help write the final season.
Better Call Saul received critical acclaim, with praise for its acting, characters, writing, direction, and cinematography. Many reviewers have considered it a worthy successor to Breaking Bad βsome deeming it superior to its predecessorβand one of the greatest television series of all time. At the time of its airing, the series premiere held the record for the highest-rated scripted series premiere in basic cable history.
