AMC Unveils New 'Better Call Saul' Photos, Casting News and Plot Details

AMC unveiled new photos, casting news and plot details for Better Call Saul during this past weekend's Television Critics’ Association Press Tour. The Breaking Bad spinoff starring Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman has been confirmed to be a prequel. Show creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould have apparently dropped the idea that Better Call Saul would be both prequel and sequel to Breaking Bad.

From AMC:

The series is set six years before Saul Goodman meets Walter White. 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 Erhmantraut, 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.” The series’ tone is dramatic, woven through with dark humor.

In addition to Goodman, Jonathan Banks will reprise his Breaking Bad role of Mike Erhmantraut, with Michael McKean, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian and Michael Mando also joining Better Call Saul. According to AMC's release, Better Call Saul has already been greenlit for a second season of 13 episodes to go along with its freshman season of 10 episodes.

I had my doubts about Better Call Saul when AMC first announced the series. Breaking Bad finished as one of the greatest shows in TV history — would adding a spinoff tarnish that legacy? It's too early to know if that's the case, but all the parties involved seem to be really trying to make Better Call Saul a show that can stand on its own. We'll know for sure when the show premieres in early 2015.