Despite its initial roots in dark comedy, as the story progressed, Breaking Bad strayed away from its comedic elements in favor of hard-hitting drama and ended up securing 16 Emmys in the process. This isn’t to say the latter seasons were entirely devoid of humor, thanks to Saul Goodman, arguably the biggest comic relief in the show.
Ironically, a character who stood out for his flamboyant and witty methods was proven to be one of the most tragic figures in the entire franchise, thanks to Better Call Saul, a show on par if not better than its predecessor. However, when the spin-off was initially conceived, Vince Gilligan wasn’t too keen on delving into this project.
Vince Gilligan wasn’t sure if Goodman was interesting enough to warrant a spin-off
Originally starting off as a running joke on set, the idea of a Saul Goodman spin-off soon garnered steam within the studio, and soon both Sony and AMC were on the table to finance this project.
On the creative side, even with the deal in hand, Vince Gilligan had little confidence about the potential of Better Call Saul. Considering Saul was pretty content with himself in BB, it didn’t occur to Gilligan that he was interesting enough to warrant a show.
He detailed (via Rolling Stone):
We came to the conclusion, after we already had the deal in hand [and] AMC and Sony had already put up the money, ‘I don’t think we have a show here, because I don’t think we have a character who could support a show.” He’s a great flavoring, he’s a wonderful saffron that you sprinkle on your Risotto. But you don’t want to eat a bowl full of saffron, you gotta have the rice, you know? You gotta have the substance.
Although Gilligan’s initial hesitancy toward BCS sounds baffling in hindsight, it’s important to note that the tragedy of Jimmy McGill didn’t exist at the time, which would prove to be the turning point in their approach to the spin-off.
Better Call Saul started to make sense after they strayed away from Saul Goodman
While Gilligan and Peter Gould entertained the prospect of taking the sitcom route with BCS, it wasn’t until they shifted away from Saul Goodman that things finally started to fall into place.
As a result, they eventually leaned toward the slow-burn aspect of the drama and prioritized Jimmy McGill’s story over his flamboyant facade in BB.
Because the show is named Better Call Saul, we thought that we had to get to this guy quick or else people will accuse us of false advertising — a bait and switch. Then lo and behold, season after season went by and it dawned on us, we don’t want to get to Saul Goodman … and that’s the tragedy.
By the time we finally witness Saul in his full glory in BCS, it was indeed a tragedy, adding a whole new layer to his stint in Breaking Bad.
Better Call Saul is available to stream on Netflix.
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