With Vince Gilligan gearing up his game for the final season 6 of ‘Better Call Saul’, more and more people are becoming curious to know if they should watch ‘Breaking Bad’ before diving into ‘Better Call Saul’.
The main reason behind this question is that though ‘Better Call Saul’ came after Breaking Bad, technically the former series is the prequel of the later. It is absolutely true that there probably wouldn’t be a series called ‘Better Call Saul’ if Vince Gilligan hadn’t first created the famous character, the criminal lawyer Saul Goodman, in ‘Breaking Bad’. But there is no reason to watch the original series first. You would anyways watch it eventually because trust us, the series is so good.
Highlights —
- ‘Better Call Saul’ is brilliant enough to stand independently on its own
- ‘Better Call Saul’ is more thrilling without knowing what happens next
- Both shows are worth watching
With Vince Gilligan gearing up his game for the final season 6 of ‘Better Call Saul’, more and more people are becoming curious to know if they should watch ‘Breaking Bad’ before diving into ‘Better Call Saul’.
‘Better Call Saul’ is brilliant enough to stand independently on its own
‘Better Call Saul’ was never dependent on ‘Breaking Bad’. During the debut season of ‘B CS’, there was a bit of a disappointment among diehard ‘BB’ fans because they couldn’t relate the show with ‘Breaking Bad’. There was a lot more storytelling and it felt like an entirely different show. Vince Gilligan made it clear from the beginning that ‘Better Call Saul’ was never meant to be a direct copy of ‘Breaking Bad’.
Those who have watched ‘Breaking Bad’ first, and later binged watched ‘Better Call Saul’, noticed all the subtle references to the original show thrown in. But ‘Better Call Saul’ is just as brilliant and as enjoyable without acknowledging those details from ‘Breaking Bad’ and is perhaps even more exciting without knowing how the story ends.
‘Better Call Saul’ is more thrilling without knowing what happens next
People who have watched ‘Breaking Bad’ first are actually at a disadvantage when it comes to certain scenes of ‘Better Call Saul’. Everyone who has seen ‘Breaking Bad’ already knows which characters are in it. They know that none of them can die in ‘Better Call Saul’, even when they’re in precarious positions. The fun of suspense and thrill dies for these set of fans.
On the other hand, knowing that certain characters are not in ‘Breaking Bad’ puts their fates into question even more. Watching ‘BCS’ without ever having seen ‘BB’ provides thrill since every character’s future is a mystery. In some cases, not having watched ‘Breaking Bad’ first leads to flash-forward scenes with Gene Takovic making less sense. But, if we apply a little bit of logic, it gets easy enough to figure out that he’s in danger and is hiding his identity for some reason.
Both shows are worth watching
‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Better Call Saul’ are two of the most highly regarded dramas on television and are worth watching from start to finish, regardless of the order you experience them in.
The ‘Better Call Saul’ story isn’t finished yet. The final season of Better Call Saul is scheduled to air sometime in 2021, though that date could be pushed back depending on how long the coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions last.
Plenty of fans who are stuck in the lockdown are re-watching ‘Breaking Bad’ from start to finish or catching up on Saul Goodman’s backstory by watching the first five seasons of ‘Better Call Saul’. No matter which order you do that in, both shows are absolute masterpieces. Let us know your views on the show in the comments box below
