The beloved spin-off prequel of Breaking Bad starring Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul, is quite a considerable success. The show has been appreciated by fans worldwide. While the show enjoys massive success, it might not have been there.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Bob Odenkirk revealed that he was very doubtful about accepting or not making the series and had been convinced by his children.
In my mind, if you want to do a procedural series, even if you set it in Albuquerque, you could probably shoot it in Los Angeles. The idea was that each week Saul had a different client and he would solve their cases without going to court. He is a lawyer who has never set foot in a courtroom.
However, creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould agreed that a one-hour drama series would be shot per episode and set in Albuquerque. Fortunately, Bob Odenkirk’s sons came to save the day.
Although they hadn’t seen Breaking Bad, they knew the series. Their friends had seen it. They knew it was beautiful, people liked it, and they wanted me to do it. They talked to me that day, and I believed them when they said they would help at home and that it could be acceptable. So, I took the opportunity.
Odenkirk told Gilligan and Gould that they needed to make Saul more sympathetic.
He was a lot of fun in Breaking Bad. When everyone else put a gun to his head, Saul made jokes. He was shabby. He didn’t take care of anyone. I think he’s a hard person to root for if all you see is his version of him from Breaking Bad.
Thus was born the Jimmy McGill seen in Better Call Saul.
Jimmy is the man behind the man. He is charming, but he also has a severe side. Saul is a cynic, while Jimmy is not at all. He is an idealist whose heart has been broken too many times. True cynics either don’t have a sincere love of the world or never have. But he is a man who somehow actively affects the world through the character of Saul Goodman because he feels he is so offended and so hurt by some for what happened, as you see in Better Call Saul.
