'Better Call Saul' Premiere News: 'Breaking Bad' Spinoff Actually A Show About 'Addiction' To 'The World of Outlaws'? [VIDEO]
AMC's highly anticipated new show Better Call Saul, a spinoff of Breaking Bad, is getting good reviews so far and it appears to be a character study like its predecessor.
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Better Call Saul already has unreasonably high expectations from Breaking Bad fans who may be looking for this show to serve as substitute. Taking place a full six years before he met Walter White (Bryan Cranston), Better Call Saul centers on a younger Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), going by his real name of Jimmy McGill. The series chronicles his journey from small-time lawyer working with Mike (Jonathan Banks) to full blown criminal lawyer.
The series comes from Vince Gilligan, who served as the show runner on Breaking Bad. Speaking with Wired, he said that Saul's story in Better Call Saul is one of addiction, though not in the traditional sense.
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It's not an addiction story in the sense of he's addicted to drugs or alcohol or gambling or sex," Gilligan explained. "It occurred to us that Saul's addiction is to the world of outlaws.
"We came to this idea that for Saul's whole life, he's struggled with the question of who he is. He has an innate understanding of life's less fortunate people - because he's been unfortunate himself, we're going to learn. And he wants to do right, but he does not want to be a chump, or a victim. And partly because of that, he's drawn toward the outlaws of the world. Not the petty crooks, but the big thinkers, the guys who dream."
It remains to be seen if Better Call Saul will turn into a hit right off the bat or if it takes a little while to catch on, like Breaking Bad. It is also possible that the show just isn't able to capture the same magic to viewers. But based on early reviews, fans don't have to worry about a lack of quality at least in the early going.
Better Call Saul is slated to debut on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.
