Better Call Saul is an American neo-noir 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, totaling 63 episodes.
Set primarily in the early to mid-2000s in Albuquerque, New Mexico, several years before the events of 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 alongside his romantic interest and colleague Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), while dealing with conflicts with his brother Chuck McGill (Michael McKean) and Chuck's law partner Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian). The show also follows Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), a former corrupt police officer who becomes a fixer and enforcer for drug traffickers, such as drug dealer Nacho Varga (Michael Mando), and drug lord Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito). The latter half of the show introduces cartel enforcer Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton), who becomes a major antagonist to both Jimmy and Mike. In addition to 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. Odenkirk, Banks, and Esposito reprise their roles from Breaking Bad, as do many others in guest appearances.
