With BREAKING BAD closing the door on a series in a way better than the vast majority of television shows, many are skeptical that lightning will strike twice when it comes to the spin-off BETTER CALL SAUL. Fans are excited to see Bob Odenkirk‘s character live on in the prequel story, but just how is it going to compare to BREAKING BAD?
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, BREAKING BAD creator Vince Gilligan revealed more details about what kind of show BETTER CALL SAUL will be and what else we can expect from the series.
On why the show won’t be a traditional thirty minute sitcom: “We’re both one-hour drama guys,” he says, but more to the point, they realized that so much of what they enjoyed about BREAKING BAD was the show’s visual elements. “So we figured, ‘Why not shoot Saul in the same way?’ Let’s shoot it in Albuquerque, let’s get as much of the crew back together as possible, and let’s do it the way we did it before so that it will be of a piece with that pre-existing fictional universe that we had so much fun creating.”
On the tone of the series: If Bad was 75 percent dramatic and 25 percent comedic, Saul will be the opposite. The challenge has been finding the dramatic tension in their lead character. Unlike Walter White, who was damaged and needy, Saul has been portrayed as happy-go-lucky until now. Says Gilligan, “We’ve had to find the ongoing itch that Saul needs to scratch, so to speak, or else we wouldn’t have much of a show.”
On who else we may see appear on screen: Both Cranston and Aaron Paul, in addition to some of Bad’s other actors, have expressed interest in making appearances, which Gilligan intends to make happen. “Personally, I’d have a hard time resisting putting all these guys in for a cameo or two every now and then,” he says, smiling at the very thought.
From the sounds of it, BETTER CALL SAUL is going to feel more like an expansion of BREAKING BAD rather than a spin-off, and that is alright by me. How great would it be to see Mike, Gus Fring, Walt, Jesse, and even Hank back, even in passing?
BETTER CALL SAUL will likely be ready for air sometime in 2014.