On “Breaking Bad,” the infamous criminal lawyer played by Bob Odenkirk hinted that Saul Goodman wasn’t his real name. AMC confirmed that today when it released the first synopsis from the upcoming spinoff series, “Better Call Saul.” Needless to say, there are some spoilers ahead!
“When we meet him, the man who will become Saul Goodman is known as Jimmy McGill, a small-time lawyer searching for his destiny, and, more immediately, hustling to make ends meet. Working alongside, and, often, against Jimmy, is “fixer” Mike Ehrmantraut, a beloved character introduced in ‘Breaking Bad.’ The series will track Jimmy’s transformation into Saul Goodman, the man who puts “criminal” in “Criminal lawyer.”
It was also revealed that Michael McKean’s character, Chuck is Jimmy’s brother and that the bulk of the series will take place in 2002.
While speaking at the Television Critics Association Press Tour (via Hitfix ). “Better Call Saul” co-creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould addressed the rumors that the series will take place before, during and after “Breaking Bad.”
“The best way to answer this and not get yelled at is you saw from ‘Breaking Bad’ that we like non-linear storytelling,” said Gilligan. “We like jumping around in time. I would definitely point you in the direction that anything that was possible in ‘Breaking Bad’ is possible in ‘Better Call Saul.'”
Related: AMC Orders ‘Better Call Saul’ Season 2
Gilligan also took the blame for the recent delay of “Better Call Saul.”
“I am slow as mud as a TV writer,” offered Gilligan. “I always have been… We have a way of doing things that is slower than most TV shows… It was me saying to AMC and Sony, ‘I don’t think we can do this in the time allotted… Luckily, it worked out very well.”
As for the potential return of Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring, Gould seemed open to the idea but not fully committed to it. “There’s so much more we have to say about that character,” related Gould. “Having said that, we’re trying to make something that stands on its own, that has an entertainment value that’s not just seeing a series of old favorites, or ‘Remember when?’ It’s not the series equivalent of a clip show. We try to balance these things out. But I agree that there’s so much to be said about Gus.”
“Better Call Saul” will premiere in early 2015 on AMC.
