Should You Watch Better Call Saul Before Breaking Bad? The Pros and Cons, Explained

Breaking Bad is considered one of the greatest television series of all time, and miraculously, creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould were able to have lightning strike twice with their spinoff hit show, Better Call Saul. Following the life of “criminal” lawyer Jimmy McGill before he donned the flashy suits and questionable legal choices, Bob Odenkirk stars alongside several other returning cast members in a show that made the wider Breaking Bad story even more incredible. Some fans argue that Better Call Saul is even better than the original show. But some viewers new to the Breaking Bad universe aren’t sure whether they should start with the prequel, which is chronologically first, or the original series, which came out first.

Even though Better Call Saul is a follow-up to the original masterpiece, it’s not hard for new fans to enjoy the show. Its brilliant storytelling, realistically layered characters, and gray sense of morality combine perfectly into a show viewers can’t get enough of. Better Call Saul takes what worked so perfectly in Breaking Bad and brings it to an entirely original, new story. And on top of that, the follow-up film, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, is the perfect cap for the entire saga of crime in Albuquerque. So what would be the benefits of watching Better Call Saul before Breaking Bad?

Pros: Better Call Saul Can Stand on Its Own

Better Call Saul Could Be Considered One of the Greatest Television Series of All Time

Better Call Saul was released in 2015 to thunderous reviews. Many appreciated the AMC hit for its original take on the Breaking Bad formula, while also exploring the new and intriguing avenues each character had in store. The series would continue for six seasons, concluding with not only the show’s finale, but the finale to the entire Breaking Bad story fans had come to know and love. So to say that potential fans of the series would absolutely have to watch Breaking Bad before Better Call Saul would be wrong. As a matter of fact, there are several story points and scenes in Better Call Saul that are completely original and unique to its series, meaning a viewing of Breaking Bad isn’t required to enjoy the Saul Goodman spinoff.

One of the biggest additions Better Call Saul brings to the greater Breaking Bad story is its new characters and fresh, original plot. Saul Goodman doesn’t even become synonymous with that identity until season four, and he only officially makes it his name in the season four finale. In the beginning, viewers see Jimmy McGill, a hungry defense lawyer desperate for his big break, which leads him to unexpected and dangerous places. And even though his name is in the title, he’s not the only character who has the spotlight, as fan-favorite character Mike Ehrmantraut also gets to be more fleshed out. Audiences get to see these two as they straddle the line between the morals of what’s legal and what’s not, culminating in a series that fans are still talking about since its 2022 series finale.

There are original characters in Better Call Saul as well. In Jimmy’s personal life, and also sharing the leading spotlight, is Kim Wexler, played by Rhea Seehorn. Jimmy and Kim share a rocky relationship, showing a romantic side of Saul fans hadn’t gotten to know previously. In his professional life, Jimmy has Howard Hamlin, played by Patrick Fabian, and Chuck McGill, Jimmy’s hateful brother, played by Michael McKean. Jimmy and Chuck’s tumultuous relationship carries the show for the first four seasons, as it’s one of the most bitter and most tragic rivalries ever put on screen. And on top of Jimmy’s personal life is the cartel’s dealings in Albuquerque, led by Michael Mando as Nacho Varga and Lalo Salamanca, played by Tony Dalton. Both characters were huge, genius additions to this story as they widened the scope of Breaking Bad’s criminal enterprise storytelling and strengthened the dire consequences and threats looming over Jimmy throughout the series. The pair, along with many other returning cast members, round out a cast that separates Better Call Saul from Breaking Bad, and defines itself as its own incredible show.

CONS: Breaking Bad Will Be Spoiled

Better Call Saul’s Best Moments Could Be Soured if Viewers Don’t Know Certain Things Going On

The biggest deterrent for viewers to watching Better Call Saul before Breaking Bad would be how the former show spoils some of the biggest surprises and twists from the latter. It’s surprising how many answers a prequel can provide to potential fans, but Better Call Saul shows extensively where the titular character will end up after the events of Breaking Bad, and also where other story threads and characters will arrive. Through several black-and-white segments throughout the series, fans will see not only see exactly how the epic story of Saul Goodman ends, but how the wider story of Breaking Bad closes as well. If audiences want to go into Breaking Bad completely unaware of the outcome, it’s probably best to start with the series that began the epic tale. But with that said, it’s definitely not required.

Better Call Saul absolutely works as its own series, but viewers might miss, or not even understand, some of the best plot points if they watch it first. One of the best parts about Better Call Saul is how brilliantly the show is able to work in foreshadowing. Not simply because people who have watched Breaking Bad can see where things are going, but how Better Call Saul provides more dire consequences and more context to classic moments in Breaking Bad. One of Better Call Saul’s most popular villains, Lalo Salamanca, played by Tony Dalton, was fleshed out from a simple throwaway line in Saul Goodman’s first episode of Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul works on its own, but knowing the events of Breaking Bad can help make many moments in the prequel series even better.

Characters like Saul Goodman, Gus Fring and Mike Ehrmantraut, and even more, are all complete and fulfilled characters in Breaking Bad, but they’re fleshed out to feel so much more real and meaningful in Better Call Saul. Their inner desires, their pasts, what motivates them, their likes and dislikes, everything that was either hinted at or barely touched on in Breaking Bad is excellently and excitingly brought to the screen in Better Call Saul. Mike Ehrmantraut, for example, is almost reinvented to be even more of a sympathetic and tragic character than his appearance in Breaking Bad. In Better Call Saul, viewers get to see Mike and his granddaughter and daughter-in-law much more, and see how much Mike cares for the two of them and how he’ll do anything to make sure they’re safe and secure. The lovely scenes between this family are made all the more tragic with the knowledge of what comes next in Breaking Bad. So while it’s not particularly a bad idea to start with Saul Goodman and his series, especially due to its updated quality and sense of individuality to the original, newer audiences might not feel the same satisfaction as they would if they’d seen Breaking Bad first.

There’s No Bad Way to Begin the Breaking Bad Story

Whether Viewers Start With Better Call Saul or Breaking Bad Is Entirely up to Preference

In short, there’s nothing wrong with seeing Better Call Saul before Breaking Bad. The series is incredibly brilliant, and the story can stand alone without any of the knowledge of the original series. As a matter of fact, the same way Breaking Bad hints at a wider story outside of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, Better Call Saul hits at a wider story outside of Saul Goodman, Gus Fring and Mike Ehrmantraut. Better Call Saul is just as perfect of a series as Breaking Bad. However, fans who start with Better Call Saul might miss the exciting extra moments that make the series special.

Many different characters and scenes in Better Call Saul deliver more satisfying moments to audiences due to the extra knowledge viewers might have from Breaking Bad. Several characters, locations and items from the first series return in the prequel, which gives fans extra moments to enjoy. But with all of that said, there’s no right way to watch the entire saga. To watch the Breaking Bad story unfold is truly its own honor. So, whichever way fans approach the series, the best thing one can do is start.

• 

• 

  A chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family’s future.

• 

  El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie

  Fugitive Jesse Pinkman runs from his captors, the law, and his past.