Better Call Saul
 

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As I am sure many of y'all already know, a spinoff of "Breaking Bad" titled "Better Call Saul" will be airing in 2014. This is going to be a prequel to Breaking Bad and will be based on the character of Saul Goodman from "Breaking Bad."

I, for one, will be watching. I'm sure the majority of all of you other "Breaking Bad" fans will be as well. Might as well get the discussion going sooner rather than later.

So... what are your hopes, expectations and/or concerns with the show? Here are some of mine:

Hopes: I hope to see Saul do his thing in the courtroom. I hope to see strong, unique supporting characters. I hope to see Breaking Bad foreshadowing. I hope he has an intriguing paralegal and/or assistant. I hope to see Breaking Bad characters such as Fring, Mike, etc...whoever. I hope the show kicks ass.

Expectations: I don't expect it to be as good as "Breaking Bad" (because nothing else is, really), but I expect it to be good since Vince Gilligan is writing. I somewhat expect it to have an even balance of comedy and drama...since Saul undeniably provides a substantial amount of comedic relief in "Breaking Bad." I expect to see "courtroom Saul." I expect the "Breaking Bad" references and character cameos to be less than what I hope. If it isn't even a fraction as good as "Breaking Bad," I expect it to be better than 95% of everything else on TV, since there is some shitty shit on TV these days.

Concerns: I'd be a liar if I were to say that I didn't think this show has potential of flopping and certainly failing to meet the presumed high expectations of the audience. Don't get me wrong, I think it will be good... but I think it COULD suck if not executed properly. My main concern is Saul ultimately proving himself to be a "little dab will do ya" type of character, which would lead to a show centered around his character not working out. I am hoping that the character of Saul will not be so over-used and constantly over the top, that he becomes annoying to me, thus ruining his character for me altogether... Not saying I think this will be how it goes down...just saying I think there is a CHANCE of this being the case, which prompts me to believe that a strong supporting cast is VITAL in terms of the amount of success/quality this show will accumulate. All in all, I don't think VG will steer us in an unfortunate direction though...I think they'll pull it off.

Thoughts?

DISCUS!!!!

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Can't wait for this.

Saul was my favorite character on the show. In fact, I routinely go back and watch the episode where he appears (season 2, episode 8 or 9). Just so over the top and 98% of the time funny. But when push came to shove, the guy knew his craft well, except when Skyler kept showing him up.

Mine as well.

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I have every season of The Wire on DVD... I've had it for probably 3-4 years. However, I still haven't watched more than a few of the first episodes. Time hasn't permitted and the wife hates it and throws a fit if I mention the possibility of putting it in (whoa, that sounds funny).

How good is it?

Who is writing for this show?

It is on Mount Rushmore of TV, perhaps George Washington.
That said, it is PAY ATTENTION TV. They don't hold your hand through the plot/saga. Things happen and you need to remember what you've seen to connect all the dots.

A lot of the drama/tragedy of The Wire is seeing how little **** ups or corners cut over here, have disastrous or at least greatly demoralizing consequences over there, a beat cop who doesn't know who he's talking to on the street, and thus doesn't appreciate the value of the intel he receives, or the policy tweaks downtown to make law enforcement metrics look better on paper that result in productive operations being shuttered.
It looks at the drug game from as many angles as possible, beat, precinct, bureau, city hall, statehouse, corners, gang leaders, international suppliers, the news industry, business concerns, friends and neighbors, family, it all matters.

I think the show being "PAY ATTENTION TV" may be a contributing factor as to why my wife refuses to watch it. Not saying she's dumb (she's not), she's just...easily distracted if her attention isn't caught pretty early.

Nice...if I remember correctly from the research I did prior to TRYING to watch it with my wife, doesn't the show portray things from a different perspective in every season? Like, season 2 ends and was portrayed from gangsta's perspective, season 3 picks up on a different angle?

I share most of your concerns. I loved Saul, but I'm not sure if his act would remain entertaining as the center of a 1-hour show. Like you mentioned, they better come up with some good supporting characters.

If your hope of seeing BB characters comes true, I think that means the show is in trouble. Other than perhaps Skinny Pete and Badger, there is no reason that Saul would cross paths with Gus, Mike, Walt, Jesse or any of the other main characters. I think it would have to be a real stretch to have an appearance from any of the main BB folks.

At its base

1. the street
2. the docks
3. the brass
4. the schools
5. the news

Yeah, I agree.... I was digging into my cranium, trying to remember if he had any connection to or knowledge of Fring/Mike prior to his introduction to the show. You answered the question(s) I was asking myself...thanks mang!!!

I wouldn't mind seeing Badger and/or SP. That'd be cool, I guess.

Cool.

Vince Gilligan...same as Breaking Bad...and X-Files. Come on, man! I covered that in the OP!!!!!!:cuss::cuss::cuss:

Jk...I know, I know...needle in a haystack. :)

The a small example of level of detail, which I'll spoiler out of an abundance of caution as it does reveal plot detail, but not in a way that ruins the experience at all, IMO

Far out, dudely.

Oh, and one of the big twists on the usual plot of the drug war

I think I remember something like that from the few episodes I caught...Isn't it the same dude who played Charles on The Office?

Yeah, and Luther on BBC

So do you guys expect this show to be primarily a comedy or primarily a drama/dramedy?

They have said that it's going to be a dark comedy

Very nice, very nice.

did someone just ask if the wire is good? jfc

You want me to put out effort?!

WTF!?

If Gilligan is writing it will do just fine.

I hope to see Badger and Skinny Pete now and then.

I hope that it will answer the question of what about Gus' past in Chile made him untouchable. Mike worked for Gus and Saul, so Gus backstory could conceivably come up.

I hope Kuby and Huell are on the show.
Bill Burr (Kuby) is hilarious but he didn't get much of a chance to show it.
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Gotta be honest, I'm surprised by all of the Saul love. I liked his character, but he was middle of the road for me. I'll tune into the show, but I'm worried it will flop.

LMAO No, homeslice. I thought I made it clear at the end of my reply that I understood, for I know that sifting for shit in some of my verbose posts is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

No. I asked, "how good is it?" Phrased it that way because I know it is good, just wanted to know the extent. Haven't seen it yet and I've owned it forever.

:)

It all depends on the supporting characters, IMO.

The Gilligan factor makes me optimistic to an extent.

Really? I loved it. Cracked me up. I think Saul in the courtroom, as others have said, could be fantastic. But with spinoffs, you just never know.

My thoughts exactly. People are hoping the brilliance of Breaking Bad will somehow carry over into this spinoff based on a minor character. I think an entire series centered around Saul will wind up being tedious and uninteresting.

So this evidently kicks off in November of 2014??? I thought it was supposed to begin in the Spring of 2014. Ugh.

Jonathan Banks announced as a series regular.

This is starting to sound like a "back door" Breaking Bad. I hope they go with a different ten and style and don't just copy BB.

It does make sense though since he was his PI well before Walt & Co. turned up, same goes for Gus. There's actual valid reason for their appearance other than just to redo BrBa.

Awesome.

Couldn't do the show without Mike, iMHO.

http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/jona...ul-1201073358/

More on the prequel/sequel rumor:

On this special sweeps episode of Better Call Saul, Bryan Cranston returns!

Better Call Saul Song.

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Since the Breaking Bad thread is closed, I'll put it in here.

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Damn it wrong thread

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Awesome!

When does it come out?

Two night premier on February 8th and 9th (a sunday and monday) at 10/9c.

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this

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Tonight!!

Early reviews all positive.

Can't wait. What a goo combo Walking Dead, and Better Call Saul.

Low expectations going in

Cinnabon ROFL

In Omaha

OH MY

THAT'S A JAW-DROPPER IF I'VE EVER SEEN ONE.

I couldn't sit through it

Mother****ing tuco

I thought it was good. Not Breaking Bad-esque, but still good.

Loved the Tuco part.

This.

I tried to give it a chance but I just don't have patience for shows like this.

Not bad.

meh gave it a chance couldn't make it through.

It's the first episode and they're laying groundwork. Given what we already know about Saul, we need a pretty significant backstory.

I thought the cold open was extremely well done. Much like Saul, I kept waiting for a bomb to go off at any time. It truly helps you understand how thoroughly Walt ****ed over everyone in his path.

I thought he had good chemistry with McKean as well.

Tuco is the last person on Earth I would have expected.

I recall in one of the Breaking Bad episodes where he and Walt were discussing getting out and starting a new life, Saul mentioned something about ending up in Omaha. I guess he did.

When they were both in the fixer's basement while he was making new identities, Saul quipped about managing a Cinnabon in Omaha.

I expected McKean to play something of a slimeball. Looks like he's slightly nuts, but not sleazy (so far anyway).
Anyway, the BB connections will be interesting as long as they don't get too far-fetched with it.

I didn't make it through it either...

cause my dvr cut out halfway through Walking Dead and didn't record it. :(

Yes, that's it.
I did think it was a little confusing though. That was a flash-forward (I assume). And he made the Cinnabon in Omaha quip in the past.
That seems like an oddly specific quip for it to actually come true. It made me re-think the time line for a second.
Maybe he had an 'in' at Cinnabon and knew he could get a manager gig there?
Just seems weird.

I really liked it. It is pretty awesome that we get another episode right away tonight.

It's on again tonight

I really liked the slow play of the first episode for a couple of reasons. As previously mentioned Saul's backstory would need plenty of details to properly develop as the basis of the series. Second, the slow play of the first episode was worth it because I knew at some point it would pay off and boy did it. Can't wait for tonights episode.

No wonder some good series get cancelled after a season.


There are too many impatient people out there.

It is probably very tempting to jump right into the Saul we know, but taking the time to develop him slowly as his own lead character is the best way to go, even if some people can't handle that it is "slow."

Agreed. It was a good setup. He's now broken "bad" as an ambulance chaser.

Yeah, I set it to record last night once I discovered the error. Also the 2nd half of the premier is tonight.

yep, people dont want to wait a few episodes for characters to develop. There are tons of good shows that get the axe because of it.

Really enjoyed the first episode. Hope it continues in the same vein.

The first season of Breaking Bad didn't exactly storm out of the gates the first few episodes.

Yeah, a prime example of "slow" television is most of S1 of Breaking Bad.