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94-584: Better Call Saul is an American legal crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC . Part of the Breaking Bad franchise , it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, Breaking Bad (2008–2013), to which it serves primarily as a prequel , with some scenes taking place during and after the events of Breaking Bad . Better Call Saul premiered on AMC on February 8, 2015, and ended on August 15, 2022, after six seasons consisting of 63 episodes . Set primarily in

188-416: A Panasonic Lumix GH4 camera was used. In season 4, three RED and two VariCam Pure cameras were used. For seasons 5 and 6, mostly Arri ALEXA LF was used. Each episode's title sequence features a different low-quality image that recalls Saul Goodman's days on Breaking Bad . This includes the inflatable Statue of Liberty balloon that sat atop Saul's office, a drawer of burner phones kept in his desk, and

282-485: A bus stop bench that advertised his business. Gould and Gilligan were inspired by the poor quality of early VHS tapes and the notoriously low production values of 1980s public-access television , and from the fact that Saul Goodman's ads on Breaking Bad were done in a similar style. They intended for the title sequences to appear "purposefully shitty" in order to stand out from its contemporaries, which generally had increased visual quality and production standards. Some of

376-564: A cinematographer on episodes " Namaste " (2020), " Carrot and Stick " (2022) and " Hit and Run " (2022). Seasons 1 and 2 were filmed mainly on RED Dragon cameras. Starting with season 3, Panasonic VariCam Pure were incorporated due to their extra low-light sensitivity. This allowed the crew to shoot extra wide exterior shots at night as well as during the day, and to shoot on sets in near total darkness, such as nighttime in Chuck's unelectrified house. For scenes requiring to film from cramped spaces,

470-598: A common theme from as far back as To Kill a Mockingbird in 1962 to the 2017 film Marshall . Legal drama in American film has an extensive history stemming from as early as the 1908 film, Falsely Accused! The 1950s and 1960s presented a number of legal drama films including, 12 Angry Men (1957), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), I Want to Live! (1958), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), The Young Philadelphians (1959), Compulsion (1959), Inherit

564-457: A fellow mailroom employee who completes law school and becomes one of the firm's associates, and their friendship later turns romantic. Jimmy is motivated by Chuck's success to finish college and complete a Juris Doctor degree through a correspondence law school, the fictitious University of American Samoa . After attaining admission to the bar but being denied employment at HHM, Jimmy's pursuits focus on low-paying clients, including working as

658-485: A fugitive under the identity of Gene Takavic, the manager of a Cinnabon store in Omaha, Nebraska . The flashforwards constitute the opening scenes of the first five season premieres, and make up nearly the entirety of the episodes towards the end of the series. The character of Saul Goodman first appeared during Breaking Bad ' s second season , in an episode that was also titled " Better Call Saul ". The character

752-409: A guest star in the fifth season. Plans were initially made for Betsy Brandt to reprise her role as Hank's wife Marie Schrader in a cameo in the second season, but the writer's room objected, considering the idea to be distracting for audiences. Brandt would eventually reprise the role in the final season. Other Breaking Bad cast members spoke of the potential of being on Better Call Saul . Before

846-472: A later remake of a preexisting show, is not a spin-off. This is the case in Doctor Who , where the 2005 series which begins with a new Doctor but maintains the existing continuity. An exception to this rule can be made to series such as The Transformers where the lines of continuity are blurred. If a television pilot was written but never shot, it is not considered a spin-off. When a show undergoes

940-490: A lawyer returns home for his mother's funeral. Reviews from the New York Times comment on the film's transformation into a crime story, characteristic of the legal thriller. The film itself unfolds the legal thriller's ideal courtroom drama style. The film takes place in what is deemed as a "nostalgia-tinged town". Further films such as The Lincoln Lawyer have also met similar reviews from Roger Ebert, commenting on

1034-517: A manager of a Cinnabon store, and remains paranoid about anyone discovering his past identity. This was foreshadowed in the penultimate episode of Breaking Bad , " Granite State ", in which Saul tells Walter: "If I'm lucky, a month from now, best-case scenario, I'm managing a Cinnabon in Omaha." The show's director of photography was Arthur Albert for the first two seasons, and Marshall Adams starting with season 3. Additionally, Paul Donachie served as

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1128-404: A name change, it is not necessarily a spin-off. Neither is a reboot series, a term recently invented for motion pictures, which can also occur in television (e.g. The Battlestar Galactica series of 2003 is a reboot, not a spin-off of the 1978 version ). This is distinct from a revival in that there is little or no attempt to retain continuity, or casting, with the original. A recent example

1222-693: A parking lot kiosk at the Albuquerque Convention Center for where Mike worked in the first few seasons, the Old Bernalillo County Courthouse as the local courthouse, and two nearby office buildings in the North Valley, including Northrop Grumman 's, that collectively are used for the HHM office spaces. Jimmy's back office is located in an actual nail salon, which the producers accommodated by working with

1316-472: A proper way to have them fit into the story. Principal photography for Better Call Saul ' s six seasons took place from June 2, 2014, to February 9, 2022. Like its predecessor, Better Call Saul is set in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico , with filming primarily taking place at Albuquerque Studios . Gilligan directed the pilot. Additional filming was done in March 2022, after principal photography for

1410-448: A public defender. He later begins to build a practice in elder law , which leads to a prolonged lawsuit against a nursing home chain he discovers is defrauding its clients. He and Chuck begin working together on a class-action suit, which Chuck quickly turns over to HHM, squeezing Jimmy out. Jimmy begins to unravel due to Chuck's constant belittling, sabotage, and vindictive behavior toward him. Jimmy's life and career begin to intersect with

1504-497: A series regular. New cast members included Michael McKean as McGill's elder brother Chuck. McKean previously guest-starred in an episode of Odenkirk's Mr. Show and Gilligan's X-Files episode " Dreamland ". Rhea Seehorn auditioned and got the role of Kimberly "Kim" Wexler in April 2014, her character being described as "prestigious attorney ... whose hard life is complicated by her romantic entanglements with somebody else at

1598-510: A setting that actually reflects what occurs in the world. Legal dramas may present stories of the miscarriages of justice , such as persons wrongly convicted of a crime they did not commit. At times, stories may involve the moral implications of police misconduct , such as placing or tampering with evidence , such as in the 1993 film In the Name of the Father . More often, legal dramas focus on

1692-509: A spin-off featuring Saul as a thought experiment. With the growth of Saul's character, the writers saw ways to explore the character further. While filming the Breaking Bad episode " Full Measure ", Gilligan asked Odenkirk his thoughts on a spinoff. In July 2012, Gilligan publicly hinted at the idea, stating that he liked "the idea of a lawyer show in which the main lawyer will do anything it takes to stay out of court", including settling on

1786-555: A sufficiently good reason to bring them on the show. Paul mentioned the possibility of a cameo during the first season but this fell through. Both Cranston and Paul would eventually appear in the final season. Dean Norris , who was also a starring cast member on Breaking Bad , stated he could not be part of the earlier seasons, partly due to his involvement in the CBS series Under the Dome . However, he reprised his role as Hank Schrader as

1880-480: Is a new series containing characters or settings that originated in a previous series, but with a different focus, tone, or theme. For example, the series Frasier was a spin-off of the earlier series Cheers : the character Frasier Crane was introduced as a secondary character on Cheers , and became the protagonist of his own series, set in a different city, in the spin-off. Spin-offs are particularly common in sitcom . A related phenomenon, not to be confused with

1974-548: Is denied over lack of remorse for Chuck. After faking mourning, he successfully appeals and practices as "Saul Goodman". Gus learns Nacho attempted to kill Hector and blackmails him into undermining the Salamancas. Mike escorts engineers who evaluate Gus's industrial laundry site as a potential underground meth lab. Gus hires Werner Ziegler to oversee construction, but Mike is ordered to kill Werner when he goes AWOL to spend time with his wife. Hector recovers from his stroke, but

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2068-421: Is mute and can only move his right index finger. His nephew, Lalo Salamanca, arrives to run Hector's business, and learns some details of Gus's construction project. In 2010, Gene is hospitalized after his collapse and later discharged. He becomes uneasy when a taxi driver with an Albuquerque Isotopes air freshener seems to recognize him. The series was renewed for a fifth season on July 28, 2018, just prior to

2162-427: Is revealed to be psychosomatic. After Jimmy sabotages Chuck's insurance, Howard urges him to retire, but Chuck sues HHM in spite. Howard buys him out of the firm, leading Chuck to commit suicide. Gus prevents Hector's assassination, and Mike attacks Hector's trucks to steal $ 250,000 on Gus's orders. To launder the money, Gus arranges for Mike's hire as a contracted security consultant at Madrigal. Hector plans to take over

2256-558: Is the 1987 series Beauty and the Beast , rebooted as the 2012 CW television series Beauty & the Beast , which keeps only the main premise of a female law enforcement official aided by a man-beast, the New York City locale, and the names of the two main characters. The CW's Beauty & the Beast was later rebooted again as a HBO Max series starting in 2023. NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999-), which

2350-542: The AFI 100 Years... series lists of films, which celebrate the greatest films in American cinema. Likewise, To Kill a Mockingbird received even more acclaim, garnering three academy awards out of eight total nominations at the 35th Academy Awards , appears on seven of the AFI's ten lists celebrating the greatest films, including ranking as the best courtroom drama, and selected for preservation United States National Film Registry by

2444-552: The Better Call Saul theme song by Junior Brown . In 2002, Jimmy schemes to represent Craig Kettleman, accused of embezzlement, leading to encounters with psychotic drug lord Tuco Salamanca and his lieutenant Nacho. Jimmy also cares for his brother Chuck, who is housebound with electromagnetic hypersensitivity . While pursuing elder law , Jimmy learns of seniors being defrauded by the Sandpiper retirement community. As

2538-640: The Breaking Bad production company Sony Pictures Television . As Sony and AMC began to commit to a spinoff, Gilligan and Gould worked on what it would be about. They initially considered making it a half-hour show where Saul would see various clients – celebrities in guest roles – in his strip mall office, similarly to Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist , but they had no idea how to write for this type of format. They eventually fell back to planning for hour-long episodes. Gilligan described Breaking Bad as being "25-percent humor, 75-percent drama", and speculated that they would reverse that for Better Call Saul . While

2632-483: The Breaking Bad timeframe, was a man who had come to accept himself, and recognized the potential of telling the story of how Saul got to be that person. While several of the characters are lawyers in the show, Gilligan and Gould did not want to write a legal show, but instead a crime show, but one that would necessitate some legal elements. To help in these areas, the writers spoke to real lawyers and spent time observing cases at Los Angeles Superior Court , observing that

2726-573: The Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Other countries also premiered legal dramas or courtrooms dramas in the early 1900s, such as the French silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928). Other legal drama films have not focused on even the practice of law, such as Paper Chase , a film presenting the difficulty and anxiety of entering law school. Legal thriller films provide introspection into

2820-420: The class action lawsuit against Sandpiper grows, Chuck suggests giving it to his law firm, Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill. Jimmy receives a small of counsel fee and a share of any future settlement, but is blocked from participation. Jimmy learns Chuck sabotaged his legal career out of resentment. After the death of an old friend, Jimmy finds success when Davis & Main, another firm HHM brought in to assist with

2914-425: The cold open in the first five season premieres, but would be fully explored in the last four episodes of the series. The first teaser trailer debuted on AMC on August 10, 2014, and confirmed its premiere date of February 2015. On November 20, 2014, AMC announced the series would have a two-night premiere; the first episode aired on Sunday, February 8, 2015, at 10:00 pm (ET), and then moved into its regular time slot

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3008-503: The first episode of Breaking Bad . During this period, where a majority of the series takes place, Saul Goodman mainly practices as a lawyer in Albuquerque, New Mexico under his birthname Jimmy McGill. The secondary timeline takes place in 2010, following events of Breaking Bad ' s finale , where Saul has fled Albuquerque and hides in Omaha, Nebraska under the alias Gene Takavic. This later timeline would be shown only in

3102-405: The fourth season , and would be promoted to the main cast for the fifth. Similar to Nacho, Lalo had been a character mentioned only by name in the same Breaking Bad episode "Better Call Saul". Before the second season, Gilligan confirmed that more Breaking Bad characters would appear on the spin-off, but remained vague on which ones were likely to be seen. By the next season, Gilligan said that

3196-717: The third season —making Gould the sole showrunner for the remainder of its run—though he returned to help write the final season . Better Call Saul received critical acclaim, with praise for its acting, characters, writing, direction, and cinematography. Many reviewers have considered it a worthy successor to Breaking Bad —some deeming it superior to its predecessor—and one of the greatest television series of all time. It has garnered many awards and nominations , including two Peabody Awards , 53 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards , 19 Writers Guild of America Awards , 20 Critics' Choice Television Awards , nine Screen Actors Guild Awards , and six Golden Globe Awards nominations. At

3290-564: The Salamanca organization by engineering his imprisonment. Hector Salamanca, cartel elder and Tuco's uncle, confronts Mike. Mike attempts to assassinate Hector, but is mysteriously interrupted. In 2010, Gene accidentally locks himself in the dumpster room when closing out the Cinnabon for the night. Instead of alerting police, he spends the night waiting for the janitor to open the door. AMC announced on March 15, 2016, that Better Call Saul

3384-734: The Sandpiper case, offers to hire him. In 2010, Gene manages a Cinnabon by day, but in the evening reminisces about his life as Saul by watching a VHS tape of his old television advertisements. Prior to the series' launch, on June 19, 2014, AMC renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes to premiere in early 2016, which was later reduced to 10 episodes. The season premiered on February 15, 2016, and concluded on April 18, 2016. It released on Blu-ray and DVD in region 1 on November 15, 2016; bonus features include audio commentaries for every episode and several behind-the-scenes featurettes. In 2002, Jimmy works as an associate at D&M, but quits after his ostentatious legal style doesn't mesh with

3478-454: The Wind (1960), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), and To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Arguably, 12 Angry Men and To Kill a Mockingbird stand as the cornerstones of early legal dramas, garnering extensive acclaim, recognition, and awards. Despite underwhelming box office performance, 12 Angry Men was nominated in three different categories at the 30th Academy Awards and appears on half of

3572-401: The actual practice of law, legal dramas may also misrepresent the character of lawyers in general. The lawyers in question fall under different variations, the character representations include the zealous heroic lawyers fighting to save their client's case, or putting criminals in jail, another is the sleazy distrustful attorney performing morally questionable acts to win the case, another may be

3666-638: The airing of the fourth season. The fifth season was not expected to air until 2020; according to AMC's Sarah Barnett, the delay was "driven by talent needs". The 10-episode fifth season would start airing with a special Sunday broadcast on February 23, 2020, with following episodes to air on Mondays until the season concluded on April 20, 2020. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD in region 1 on November 24, 2020; bonus features include cast and crew audio commentaries on every episode, deleted scenes, and various behind-the-scenes featurettes. Legal drama Legal dramas typically portray moral dilemmas that occur with

3760-459: The attorneys' point of view when faced with these difficulties. For instance, in The Practice , a television legal drama series revolving around a firm of criminal defense attorneys, a common theme presented is the difficulty of defending clients known or believed to be guilty. Finally, many legal dramas present themes that reflect politicized issues. In the 1960 film, Inherit the Wind ,

3854-468: The blue background again and display the title and creator credits. Before the show resumes, they again briefly flash to another new image that will be seen later on in the episodes. The complete series was issued on Blu-ray and DVD in region 1 on December 6, 2022. The set spanned 19 discs and included 70 hours of bonus features. Better Call Saul ' s episodes are split between two main timelines. The primary timeline begins in 2002, six years before

Better Call Saul - Misplaced Pages Continue

3948-558: The bulk of the activity in these cases was downtime while waiting for others to complete actions. Gilligan and Gould began as co- showrunners for the series. Former Breaking Bad writers Thomas Schnauz and Gennifer Hutchison joined the writing staff, with Schnauz serving as co-executive producer and Hutchison as supervising producer. Also joining the initial writing staff were Bradley Paul and former Breaking Bad writer's assistant Gordon Smith . Having learned several lessons from Breaking Bad related to foreshadowing without writing

4042-428: The business of Nacho's father, so his son attempts to kill Hector by sabotaging his angina medication. Hector suffers a stroke during a confrontation with cartel lieutenant Juan Bolsa, which renders him comatose. In 2010, Gene points mall security guards towards a shoplifter during his lunch break. Later, a stressed Gene suddenly collapses during his work. Following the third season's end on June 27, 2017, AMC renewed

4136-411: The challenge often taken by lawyers in legal thriller films. For example, a young public defender has to handle the challenging case of a woman charged with murdering her husband. The film features elements of a conventional courtroom drama, such as the heroic lawyer, shady characters, and a law firm setting. Within the film, there are plot twist characteristics of the legal thriller genre. Furthermore,

4230-487: The conflicted lawyer who is forced into a moral dilemma of having to defend a guilty client. These representations are not reflective of how lawyers act in real life as their job is to remain neutral to the law and ensure every person gets a fair and equal trial, regardless of their guilt. Speaking at a screening of 12 Angry Men during the 2010 Fordham University Law School Film festival, US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor stated that seeing 12 Angry Men while she

4324-491: The continuity with Breaking Bad , including tracking minor character traits and assuring small details from the previous show were kept correct if brought up again. Gilligan left the Better Call Saul writing staff early in the third season to focus on other projects, resulting in Gould becoming sole showrunner. This transition had been planned since the show's debut. Upon his departure, Gilligan expressed his hopes to return to

4418-406: The courthouse steps. In April 2013, Better Call Saul was confirmed to be in development by Gilligan and Gould. In July 2013, before the second half of Breaking Bad ' s final season aired, Gilligan said he and Gould were still working out ideas for the spin-off, but a deal had not yet been made. Netflix was one of many interested distributors, but ultimately a deal was made between AMC and

4512-408: The discrimination and public fear of HIV/AIDs carriers. In 1996, The People vs. Larry Flynt portrays the early years of Hustler Magazine and issues of obscenity and freedom of speech. You Don't Know Jack (2010) is a fictional biographic film about Dr. Jack Kevorkian and the legal actions he faced as a result of providing euthanasia services to terminal patients. Racial injustice remains

4606-504: The drug trade in New Mexico. They are led by Hector Salamanca , and later by his nephew Lalo Salamanca . Those caught up in the conflict between Gus and the Salamancas include Ignacio "Nacho" Varga , a Salamanca associate who wants to protect his father from harm, and Mike Ehrmantraut , a former Philadelphia police officer who becomes a fixer for Gus but also has ties to Jimmy. As his interactions with criminals continue, Jimmy takes on

4700-797: The early to mid 2000s in Albuquerque, New Mexico , several years before Breaking Bad , Better Call Saul examines the ethical decline of Jimmy McGill ( Bob Odenkirk ), an aspiring lawyer and former con artist who becomes the egocentric criminal-defense attorney Saul Goodman , and Mike Ehrmantraut ( Jonathan Banks ), a former corrupt police officer who becomes a fixer and enforcer for drug traffickers . Other main characters include Jimmy's romantic interest and colleague Kim Wexler ( Rhea Seehorn ), his brother and rival Chuck McGill ( Michael McKean ), Chuck's law partner Howard Hamlin ( Patrick Fabian ), drug dealer Nacho Varga ( Michael Mando ), drug lord Gus Fring ( Giancarlo Esposito ), and cartel enforcer Lalo Salamanca ( Tony Dalton ). In addition to

4794-405: The effects of a home video recording on a VCR , and then displayed the show's title and creator credits. This is also the first episode to take place entirely after the events of Breaking Bad . The remaining three title sequences retain the blue background, but briefly flash to an image previously unseen in the intro, with a distorted version of the theme song playing underneath. They then revert to

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4888-412: The episode with Goodman's first appearance, considered a Saul Goodman spinoff as early as 2009. Gould noted that over the course of Breaking Bad , there were several "what ifs” their team considered, such as if the show won a Primetime Emmy Award , or if people would buy " Los Pollos Hermanos " T-shirts. The staff did not expect these events to come to fruition, but after they did, they started considering

4982-408: The film Law has ample court scenes and features a character taking on the fight for justice. The film defies the stereotypical expectations of women through featuring the main character as a woman who wants to speak openly about gang rape victimization. The recognition of injustice is another emerging aspect of legal thriller films. Marshall is another example of a legal thriller film, where

5076-507: The film such as entering a similar knife into the proceeding; performing outside research into the case matter in the first place; and ultimately the jury as a whole making broad, wide-ranging assumptions far beyond the scope of reasonable doubt would not be allowed in a real-life jury situation, and would in fact have yielded a mistrial (assuming, of course, that applicable law permitted the content of jury deliberations to be revealed). Television spinoff A spin-off in television

5170-402: The final season featuring thirteen episodes instead of the usual ten, the title sequences would take a new format. During " Nippy ", the title sequence features Saul Goodman's "World's Greatest Lawyer" mug falling off his desk and shattering on the floor, as was typical during a season's tenth episode. However, the title image and music prematurely stops and is replaced by a blue screen, recreating

5264-423: The firm". In May 2014, Patrick Fabian was cast on the show as Howard Hamlin , a " Kennedy -esque lawyer who's winning at life". After impressing Gilligan and Gould with his audition tape and screen test, Michael Mando was cast as the "smart and calculating criminal" Ignacio "Nacho" Varga . Mando's character had been previously mentioned but not seen in the Breaking Bad episode " Better Call Saul ". Going into

5358-479: The firm's corporate demeanor. Kim is demoted by Chuck's partner, Howard Hamlin, because of Jimmy's actions. She secures banking firm Mesa Verde as an HHM client, although Howard denies her credit. Kim quits HHM and opens a shared private practice with Jimmy. Jimmy sabotages Chuck's work for Mesa Verde, which drops HHM and hires Kim, but Chuck discovers this and tricks Jimmy into confessing. Nacho wants to hire Mike Ehrmantraut to kill Tuco, but Mike instead removes him from

5452-464: The first four seasons of Better Call Saul brought over US$ 120 million into the state, and they have hired 1,600 crew for each season and a total of 11,300 extras. Better Call Saul employs Breaking Bad ' s signature time jumps. Notably, the opening episode for the first five seasons started with a black and white flash-forward to a period in the years after the finale of Breaking Bad . Here, Saul has been relocated to Omaha, Nebraska, as "Gene",

5546-485: The first visualizes courtroom drama and heroism, characterizing the legal thriller genre. McQueen made his film resemble a landmark of the civil rights trial against black activists. The film uses the characteristics of the legal thriller genre through a powerhouse courtroom drama and focusing on racial justice. The power divide between two opposing sides is intended to shape transformative victory, as audiences can learn about diversity. A Fall from Grace also features

5640-534: The flamboyant criminal lawyer with ties to the drug cartel. Most of the show takes place over a two-year period before the events of Breaking Bad , spanning approximately 2002 to 2004. Jimmy is inspired by his older brother Chuck McGill to leave his Chicago-area conman past, when he was known as "Slippin' Jimmy". He initially works in the mailroom at his brother's Albuquerque law firm, Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill (HHM), where managing partner Howard Hamlin becomes his nemesis. While at HHM Jimmy befriends Kim Wexler ,

5734-417: The following night, airing new episodes Mondays at 10:00 pm until the season concluded on April 6, 2015. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD in region 1 on November 10, 2015; bonus features include audio commentaries for every episode, uncensored episodes, deleted scenes, gag reel, and several behind-the-scenes featurettes. A limited edition Blu-ray set was also released with 3D packaging and a postcard vinyl of

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5828-522: The foresight, Gilligan and Gould gave themselves more flexibility in how Better Call Saul ' s plot would develop over its run. From the beginning they had no firm idea where it would end up outside the connection to Breaking Bad . For example, Gilligan and Gould had already committed to the Better Call Saul title in the beginning, so that in following this route, they believed they had to quickly get from Jimmy McGill to Saul Goodman, or they would otherwise disappoint their audience. However, as they wrote

5922-400: The illegal narcotics trade and feature characters and story arcs that continue into Breaking Bad . Among these arcs is the uneasy relationship between rival members of a drug cartel. On one side is Gus Fring , a fried chicken entrepreneur whose restaurant chain is a front business for his narcotics distribution. On the other are the Salamancas, a Mexican crime family who claim to have begun

6016-405: The intent was to add more humor, the show remained heavy with dramatic elements, with Odenkirk calling the first season "85 percent drama, 15 percent comedy." Gilligan and Gould initially believed that Saul Goodman was insufficient to carry the show by himself, with Gilligan thinking the character was "great flavoring" for a show but not the substance. Eventually they came to realize that Saul, in

6110-562: The last has ten episodes each, the title credits for every season's corresponding episode number would reuse the same image. However, beginning with the second season, each of the episode's title sequences would continue to decline in picture quality by intermittently flashing black and white, and continue to lose color with each passing season. This caused many to theorize that this symbolized Jimmy McGill's storyline gradually transitioning to that of his post- Breaking Bad alter-ego Gene Takavic, whose scenes were entirely in black and white. With

6204-471: The lawyer is feature as the main character, traveling the country on behalf of the NAACP to defend black men who are accused of crimes. The film features a courtroom scene where violence occurs in retrieving the confession of a client and the difficulty to obtain the truth. As a film review reveals, flashbacks are used as a key film technique to craft outrage. The courtroom scenes are considered suspenseful and

6298-559: The legal process. Many of these misconceptions result from the desire to create an interesting story. For example, because conflict between parties make for an interesting story, legal dramas emphasize the trial and ignore the fact that the vast majority of civil and criminal cases in the United States are settled out of court. Trials in legal dramas are often shown to be more emphatic by disregarding actual rules in trials that prevent prejudicing defendants from juries. Besides

6392-496: The life of a lawyer and legal professionals. Within films, the central character is often engaged in professional work and experiences an obstacle that they have to overcome such as a client's case. The character confronts problems with their personal life and work, as it is under threat by the complex case, creating a series of action and courtroom battles. The problems that characters face are evident within reviews of films such as The Judge , where family dynamics strain after

6486-418: The love of three elements in the film: courtroom scene, old cars, and tangled criminals. The 2019 film, Dark Waters raises an ethical dilemma of lawyers often choosing sides within films, as the defense lawyer has to switch sides to defend a poisoned community. He risks his future, community, and life by dealing with the case, characteristic of the legal thriller. By combining the elements of film and law,

6580-404: The most popular legal drama during the 2010s. Better Call Saul also achieved popularity following its first season in 2015. Legal dramas are becoming more in demand from the public, more popular for many people to watch, and beginning to feature stronger female leads. It is widely believed by most practicing lawyers that legal dramas result in the general public having misconceptions about

6674-578: The owners. The Salamanca's restaurant is a real business in the South Valley that production modified slightly for the show, but which otherwise remained open. The scenes set in Omaha are filmed at Cottonwood Mall in Albuquerque; production worked with Cinnabon to bring in the period-specific equipment and service items for the segments, and the extras in the store during these scenes are Cinnabon employees. The New Mexico Film Office reported that

6768-411: The persona of the colorful Saul Goodman, and he starts to draw on his conman past while his work as an attorney goes from questionable to unethical to illegal. In addition to selected scenes that take place within the Breaking Bad timeline in 2008, the show includes flashforwards, shown in black and white, to events following Breaking Bad . Taking place in 2010, these flashforwards show Jimmy living as

6862-464: The politicized issue portrayed was the legality of a Tennessee statute that made it unlawful to teach the theory of evolution in a public school. As laws and public policy opinions change, so do the themes presented in legal dramas. The 1992 film A Few Good Men explored the psychology of superior orders , e.g. excusing criminal actions because they were only committed from 'following orders'. The film Philadelphia (1993) addressed homophobia , and

6956-456: The practice of the law or participating in the justice system, many of which mirrors dilemmas in real life. The American Bar Association Journal has interpreted the public's enjoyment of legal dramas occur because "stories about the legal system are laced with human vulnerability." Indeed, even though "there are no car chases [and]... [g]uns are never drawn", legal dramas retain strong followings because of their presentation of moral intrigue in

7050-433: The primary storyline, Better Call Saul includes black-and-white flashforwards set in 2010, after the events of Breaking Bad , which explore the consequences of Saul's actions across both series. Gilligan, who created and developed Breaking Bad , and Gould, who wrote the Breaking Bad episode " Better Call Saul ", began considering a Saul Goodman spin-off in 2009. Because Saul's role in Breaking Bad had expanded beyond

7144-441: The production team and the audiences. Because of the closeness to the Breaking Bad storyline, a writer would be tasked at the start of each season to rewatch all 62 episodes of the show and verify that the scripts for the Better Call Saul season introduced no conflicts. As the show continued, the show's "brain trust" consisting of script coordinators Ariel Levine and Kathleen Williams-Foshee reviewed each script to help maintain

7238-423: The relationship becomes central to the audience. Legal thriller films can impact the audience through film techniques, images, symbols, and social functions. The film Mangrove shows the inequalities and injustices prevalent through Britain's Caribbean history. Steve McQueen was the first black director of an Academy winning best picture with 12 Years a Slave . The five-part anthology, featuring Mangrove as

7332-428: The series began, Anna Gunn mentioned a "talk" with Gilligan over possible guest appearances as Skyler White . Bill Burr was set to return as Patrick Kuby in the fifth season , but scheduling fell through due to him needing to attend to a personal matter. After the series ended, Gould mentioned his desire to bring back the remaining Breaking Bad characters for the finale, but he and the writing staff could not find

7426-534: The series ended, for the opening teaser of the season six episode " Point and Shoot ". With several crew members but no cast members on hand, the scene was filmed in Leo Carrillo State Beach , California. This was the only time the series was filmed outside of New Mexico. Notable exterior locations include the Twisters restaurant used previously in Breaking Bad for Gus's Los Pollos Hermanos,

7520-508: The series for a 10-episode fourth season, which premiered on August 6, 2018, and concluded on October 8, 2018. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD in region 1 on May 7, 2019; bonus features include audio commentary for every episode and several behind-the-scenes featurettes. In 2003, Jimmy regains his outgoing demeanor after Howard shoulders the blame for Chuck's death. Jimmy manages a cell phone store but earns more by reselling prepaid phones to criminals. A year later, his law license reinstatement

7614-858: The setting of the 1940s shows a stage where people threw a facade with fake costumes and bright lights. Racism is exposed as a critical social justice issue explored where the truth demands a voice. The following table summarises legal thriller films: Early American television programs considered legal dramas include Perry Mason , The Defenders , Judd, for the Defense , Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law , The Bold Ones: The Lawyers , Petrocelli , and Matlock . More recent examples of serious legal dramas are Murder One , The Practice , Law & Order , L.A. Law , The Good Wife and Pearson . The examples of legal comedy dramas are Ally McBeal and Boston Legal , both of which David E. Kelley created and produced, with Suits as one of

7708-486: The show had been on long enough that any reuse of Breaking Bad characters would require more than "just a cameo or an Alfred Hitchcock walkthrough", and that their appearances would need to be essential to the story. Breaking Bad lead actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul regularly said they would be open to reprising their respective roles as Walter White and Jesse Pinkman on Better Call Saul . However, both maintained that they would appear only if Gilligan found

7802-503: The show's development. Gilligan described the writing approach as if developing two separate shows, one that centered on Jimmy/Saul, Kim, Chuck, and Howard, and a second on the more familiar Breaking Bad characters like Mike and Gus. Where possible, they had written in minor Breaking Bad characters in smaller parts or as Easter eggs to fans, but Gilligan preferred to include such major Breaking Bad characters as Walter or Jesse only if this seemed unconstrained and satisfactory to both

7896-687: The show, they realized "we don't want to get to Saul Goodman … and that's the tragedy". Another example includes Rhea Seehorn 's performance as Kim Wexler during the first season further slowing Jimmy's transition, and putting more focus on the Jimmy–Kim relationship for the remainder of the series. Gilligan compared this to the impact Aaron Paul 's acting had on Breaking Bad ' s ultimate pacing. In writing for Better Call Saul , Gilligan and Gould recognized they were including overlaps with Breaking Bad , and had ideas of characters that they would include, such as Gus Fring , though on no set timetable within

7990-550: The spin-off, is the crossover . Some spin-offs are "engineered" to introduce a new character on the original television series, just so that that character can anchor the new spin-off – that episode of the original series is often known as a " backdoor pilot ". For example, the character Avery Ryan appeared in two episodes of the Las Vegas-based CSI: Crime Scene Investigation before the premiere of CSI: Cyber . A revival ,

8084-471: The third season, Giancarlo Esposito was added to the main cast as Gus Fring , a drug kingpin who previously served as one of Breaking Bad ' s main antagonists. Esposito was previously a starring cast member in Breaking Bad for the same role. McKean would leave the series at season's end due to his character being written out, but would make appearances in the next season and the series finale. Tony Dalton made his first appearance as Lalo Salamanca in

8178-492: The time of its airing, the series premiere held the record for the highest-rated scripted series premiere in basic cable history. Better Call Saul is a spin-off of Breaking Bad , a popular crime drama television series that ran from 2008 to 2013. It is primarily a prequel that focuses on Jimmy McGill , a former con artist aiming to gain respectability as a public defender , and chronicles his gradual transformation into his eventual Breaking Bad persona of Saul Goodman,

8272-432: The title sequences were put together from unused footage from Breaking Bad , but others were filmed specifically to create new ones. The title sequences were put together by assistant editor Curtis Thurber, and scored by Little Barrie guitarist Barrie Cadogan . When Cadogan was putting the music together, he was told the producers wanted a piece of music that would be cut abruptly at 15 seconds. As every season except for

8366-442: The writers room during the show's final season . He remained involved in the fourth and fifth seasons, but had little to do with developing the show's contents during this period. Instead, Gilligan reduced his role to being a "director for hire", having directed an episode during each season when he was not on the writing staff. Gilligan went on to credit Gould for maintaining the series' high quality. Gould would bring Gilligan back to

8460-445: The writers room for the sixth and final season, calling it "wonderful to have him there, so we can finish this show that we started together." Bob Odenkirk confirmed he would reprise Saul Goodman in the starring role when the series was first announced, but his character would be introduced as lawyer Jimmy McGill . In January 2014, it was announced that Jonathan Banks would reprise his Breaking Bad role as Mike Ehrmantraut and be

8554-634: The writing staff's plans, Gilligan felt he could be explored further. He and Gould considered making a half-hour legal comedy featuring Saul and his various clients, but settled on an hour-long tragedy showing how he develops into the character seen in Breaking Bad . Better Call Saul 's development began during the production of Breaking Bad 's final season in 2013, with Gilligan and Gould serving as co- showrunners and numerous production staff returning. Odenkirk, Banks, and Esposito reprise their roles from Breaking Bad , as do many others in guest appearances. Gilligan left Better Call Saul early in

8648-432: Was in college influenced her decision to pursue a career in law. She was particularly inspired by immigrant Juror 11's monologue on his reverence for the American justice system. She also told the audience of law students that, as a lower-court judge, she would sometimes instruct juries to not follow the film's example, because most of the jurors' conclusions are based on speculation, not fact. Sotomayor noted that events from

8742-529: Was originally intended to appear in only four episodes, but soon became much more developed than the staff had planned. He would eventually stay on the series and become central to its narrative. As Breaking Bad continued its run, the character would grow in popularity with the audience. Bob Odenkirk , who portrayed Saul Goodman, speculated this was because he is "the program's least hypocritical figure", and "is good at his job". Vince Gilligan , who created and developed Breaking Bad , and Peter Gould , who wrote

8836-402: Was renewed for a 10-episode third season, which premiered April 10, 2017, and concluded on June 19, 2017. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD in region 1 on January 16, 2018; bonus features include audio commentaries for every episode and several behind-the-scenes featurettes. In 2003, the results of the disciplinary hearing have Jimmy's law license suspended and Chuck's hypersensitivity condition

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