In 2008, viewers were introduced to Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) in Breaking Bad. Then, in 2015 came Better Call Saul, the prequel focused on Bob Odenkirk’s Saul Goodman. And in 2019, fans got El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. With Saul ending its six-season run on August 15, there is, of course, the question of whether this is it for that world.
“I feel like we probably pushed it doing a spinoff to Breaking Bad. I could not be more happy with the results. And then I did El Camino, and I’m very proud of that too. I’m starting to sense you’ve got to know when to leave the party. I don’t have any plans right now to do anything more with this universe,” co-creator and executive producer Vince Gilligan said during the show’s panel during the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour. However, he also noted he said the same thing at the end of Breaking Bad and would love to work with the same people, but perhaps on a different story.
Co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer Peter Gould agreed, though added, “never say never. Who knows how we’re going to feel in a couple years?”
But Saul isn’t over yet, and the co-creators know that expectations are high — for the audience watching and those who worked on the show. “If we don’t win the Nobel Prize for this, I’m gonna be very disappointed,” said Gilligan, who added, “I can talk with unabashed delight about the finale because I had very little to do with it. Peter wrote and directed it. He is a modest gentleman, so he’s not gonna talk about how friggin’ great it is. It is awesome.”
Gould admitted “it’s a lot of pressure,” but “I think those of us on the show are very happy with where it ended. I hope everybody else agrees ’cause I think the thing that I’m most proud of is I think the show is true to itself. We’re playing in the same court that we started with, and I think that’s an accomplishment.”
Odenkirk said he’s “not stressed out” after reading the script. “[Gould] and the writers have found a way to deliver on the heart of the show,” he explained, adding that he’s seen how “dialed in” the fans are to what it’s about. “Breaking Bad is such a huge monster show, and it is a cornerstone of really television and so I was always concerned about that show casting the wrong dimension onto our show as we found our feet, but I don’t think it’s happened. I think we’ve been allowed to find our own place to live and … this ending goes right to the heart of where this show found itself.”
Better Call Saul, Series Finale, Monday, August 15, 9/8c, AMC
