Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) will get at least 10 additional episodes to turn into Saul Goodman duringBetter Call Saul’s run. TheBreaking Badprequel / spinoff has truly come into its own in its second season, proving that there’s still plenty left to explore when it comes to Jimmy’s moral quandaries, and walking the line between being playing by the rules and playing to his strengths.
AMC announced Tuesday that the show will return for Season 3, with showrunnersVince GilliganandPeter Gouldalso returning. The series is set six years before Jimmy/Saul meets Walter White, so the show could conceivably continue to run until that point. At the same time, it doesn’t necessarily feel built for that, although Season 2 is really just starting to explore Jimmy’s connection with Mike, which has so far provided some of the series’ most stellar moments.
Charlie Collier, president of AMC and SundanceTV, said of the renewal,
“What Vince, Peter, Bob and the entire team have accomplished with ‘Better Call Saul’ is truly rare and remarkable. They have taken one of the most iconic, immersive and fan-obsessive (in the best possible way) shows in television history and created a prequel that stands on its own. Watching Jimmy McGill’s thoughtful, melodic and morally flexible transformation into Saul Goodman is entertaining and delighting millions of fans, whether their starting point was ‘Breaking Bad’ or not. This series has its own feel, pace and sensibility and we can’t wait to see what this incredibly talented group comes up with next in season three.”
The show has also proved to be solid in the ratings for AMC, at a time when they are relying heavily on spinoffs likeSaulandFear the Walking Deadto carry forth their popular legacy series. And while they do also have theTom Hiddleston-starring miniseriesThe Night Managercoming up in April, it’s AMC’s sister channel SundanceTV who has, increasingly, been providing more unique and entertaining series (likeHap and Leonard,Rectify, andThe Returned). Still, Saul is one of the best shows on television, and it’s great news that we’ll have even more of it to look forward to.
For more onBetter Call Saul, read our extensive interview with Gilligan and Gould about themusic for the show, plus check out my TV Performer of the Week articles onJonathan Banks’performanceas the great Mike Ehrmantraut, as well as Odenkirk’sseminal workas Jimmy McGill.
You can also read about the fates of over 150 cancelled and renewed TV shows with ourTV Lifeline.Better Call Saulairs Monday nights on AMC.
