"Better Call Saul" - pre season and Season One Discussion

Looking fwd to it !

 

So now that the dust has settled on the late, great, and already missed Breaking Bad, do we still think this will be a prequel? Could go either way, although you get a built in list of guest stars/regulars if you go with a prequel. Also, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense calling it Better Call Saul if Saul is in hiding working in a Dairy Queen (or whatever his new identity is).

 

I think VG said a long time ago it was going to be a prequel; he let everyone know so they couldn't be sure whether Saul would get killed or not. And now that we know Saul's result from the end of BB, as you said, there'd be no better call Saul afterwards.

 

Do we know if VG is going to be involved in the writing of this show? It should be really interesting to watch. My guess is that it'll still be the same character (may be painfully obvious) with more drama. How much comedy/drama will be an interesting balance. That's why I'm hoping VG is involved, or all the same writers. I also hope Mike, Huell, the secretary some other characters that may not be working on other shows will be regulars.

 

I read in another forum that VG has signed up w/ CBS to exec-produce a Cop show. He may be involved in the spin-off, but probably not very involved. Hopefully some of BB's other writers will work the spin-off. +1 on hoping some of the cast from BB will be regulars- esp. Mike. Mike could provide the drama while Saul supplies the comedy.

I'm trying to keep my expectations low, though, and not expect anywhere near the quality of BB; that would be a setup for epic fail. BB, imo, was one of those lightning in a bottle deals where everything just seemed to come together. If people go into the spin-off expecting a slice of BB, I'm afraid the mass disappointment would kill this show,regardless of how good it was if not compared to BB.

 

I knew about the CBS show. i thought maybe he could pull a Chuck Lorre and have 7 shows on TV at a time!

As for expecting another BB, I'm with you there as well. Shows like that come along maybe once a decade or so. In fact, I wouldn't want it to be a BB type show. I'm not sure I could handle the excitement every show as I did with BB! All I want is good writing and acting. If they can achieve that with this show, they'll have me. I saw a movie yesterday and recognized Bob Odenkirk as a character in the movie. He can certainly play drama and comedy very well. I'm hoping for at least a small interesting (drama/comedy) show that keeps me watching weekly.

 

Let's not forget...the return of WENDY!!!!

 

Vince Gilligan is supposed to be involved in some capacity, but the show runner will be Peter Gould, who wrote 11 episodes of Breaking Bad, including the one which introduced the Saul character and the second-to-last episode "Granite State" (which he also directed).

 

Remind me: Why is Saul on the lamb at the end of BB? Was it out of fear for his life? If so, he could assuredly return at this point, since the only person left who'd care is Jessie, and Jessie isn't a threat...

 

I assumed that he was running from the police.

 

But what would the police have on him? I guess there might be Jessie's confession and whatever he said about Saul on that. But it's not clear if that confession has been/will ever be seen by the authorities.

 

And Jesse is not around to testify, and the video recording is inadmissible since Hank and Gomez did all that interrogation off the books, and Jesse had no lawyer present. I think they're screwed on that.

No, he's become the manager of a Cinnabon at a mall in Omaha!

My guess is a year or two has passed, and Saul has returned to a different area, calling himself "Saul Cohen" (instead of "Saul Goodman"), come up with a new identity and a new law license, and is back to doing the exact same thing he did before: get people operating on the fringe of the law out of trouble. I don't believe it'll be a prequel, but that doesn't mean there couldn't occasionally be flashbacks.

I wouldn't be surprised if Robert Forster was a part of the show as well. You never know when you might run into somebody who has enough money that they just want to "disappear" and show up somewhere else with a completely new identity.

 

Always loved his character..... Great news.

 

I'm thinking this will be the opposite of BB, in that it will be a comedy first, w/ drama to provide the contrast.

 

So you think VG said this would be a prequel just to keep people from being certain Saul would survive at the end of BB?

RF is a great addition to any show/ movie.

 

Thank God!

 

I think once Huell went missing, he figured it was just a matter of time before his number was up.


Dan

 

That's my belief. I dunno if Gilligan would now be able to comment either way. There's a good chance the pilot to Better Call Saul is not even written yet, so I'm sure they're exploring a lot of different options.

 

My money is on the fact that this will be a sequel. Makes the most sense and I would find that more interesting.

 

Making Better Call Saul a sequel would be the way to go if they want to completely wipe the slate clean with an all new setting and new supporting characters. Personally, I'd rather have a prequel that shows how Saul built his business, with appearances by Gus, Mike, Vacuum Guy, Badger, Jesse, Huell, et al. -- before that a-hole in the porkpie hat ruined it all for him. I think a post-BB Saul would have considerably less joie de vivre than the pre-BB Saul.

Then again, the folks at BB have made a big deal about their love of Albuquerque and how sad they are to leave town. Sounds pretty permanent to me -- nobody has yet said, "Don't worry, we'll be back next year to film Better Call Saul!" But as Peter Gould and Odenkirk have said in the past week or two, nothing has been written yet, nobody has been cast, and in fact the final deal hasn't been signed. All they have with AMC right now is an agreement to develop a pilot. So we're probably going to have to wait the better part of a year before we really know anything.

 

I guess that makes sense. VG has shown he likes to run misdirection.

 

I agree and I imagine most of us would prefer the prequel, for the reasons you listed. But if it's a sequel, how can Saul be a lawyer? Going the disappearance route, it wouldn't make much sense for him to restart another law practice; he'd be way too easy to recognize.

 

Possible complication for Better Call Saul -- Bob Odenkirk has joined the cast of FX's Fargo...

http://www.thewrap.com/breaking-bads-bob-odenkirk-joins-fxs-fargo/

 

I'm about 90% certain it will be a prequel. That just works so much better plot-wise and allows them to bring back dead characters from Breaking Bad in cameo roles. It's an easier way to rope in fans of that show.

 

I'd rather they not do this. Leave things as they are. I enjoyed the show and Odenkirk but I think this would only cheapens great show