Better Call Saul

[Starchivore]

Can I admit that I've not seen Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul?

If I am to watch them, which should I watch first?

Hmmm...."Better Call Saul" is a spin-off, technically, of Breaking Bad, telling a sort of origins story of one of its characters, who in the series I'd say was (very very effectively) mainly light relief/plot enabler.

I was going to say that there is no spoilers for Breaking Bad as such in Better Call Saul.... but when I think about it there sort of is. So for that reason I'd go for Breaking Bad first. And because Breaking Bad is all series available now. I'm sure some people wouldn't like BB but I think just about everyone I've talked to was enthralled by it. It's got dark humour, moral ambiguity (and not just of the lazy kind you often get nowadays), action and fantastic characters. It's very well written and plotted, avoiding predictable story arcs and plotting cliches. And there are quite a few really, really tense parts- and I think that's actually very rare. There are lots of series that create situations which should be tense, but they can't make you care enough or it feels too predictable. With BB those parts are genuinely really tense.

 

[nickyboy]

Hmmm...."Better Call Saul" is a spin-off, technically, of Breaking Bad, telling a sort of origins story of one of its characters, who in the series I'd say was (very very effectively) mainly light relief/plot enabler.

I was going to say that there is no spoilers for Breaking Bad as such in Better Call Saul.... but when I think about it there sort of is. So for that reason I'd go for Breaking Bad first. And because Breaking Bad is all series available now. I'm sure some people wouldn't like BB but I think just about everyone I've talked to was enthralled by it. It's got dark humour, moral ambiguity (and not just of the lazy kind you often get nowadays), action and fantastic characters. It's very well written and plotted, avoiding predictable story arcs and plotting cliches. And there are quite a few really, really tense parts- and I think that's actually very rare. There are lots of series that create situations which should be tense, but they can't make you care enough or it feels too predictable. With BB those parts are genuinely really tense.

Like you I found Breaking Bad captivating and I am struggling to think of any series I have enjoyed more. Since I watched that I've been searching for something as good but sadly failing.

On recommendation I gave Sopranos a try. I managed a couple of series but I just didn't empathise with the characters and it felt somewhat dated.
Mrs N persuaded me to watch Prison Break. This was utter garbage and a waste on my time that I could have more fruitfully spent writing pithy comments on CC
House of Cards was good. Not BB good, but good nonetheless. I enjoyed the detestable and unlikeable character Spacey played
Currently watching Homeland...just finishing series 3. It started really well, then kinda went off the rails as the key character for me disappeared for several episodes and the plot became somewhat formulaic. It seems to be getting back on track.

BB 10/10
House of Cards 8/10
Homeland 7/10
Sopranos 4/10
Prison Break 2/10

 

[smutchin]

You definitely need to watch Breaking Bad before Better Call Saul, otherwise you just won't get a lot of the references.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Like you I found Breaking Bad captivating and I am struggling to think of any series I have enjoyed more. Since I watched that I've been searching for something as good but sadly failing.

On recommendation I gave Sopranos a try. I managed a couple of series but I just didn't empathise with the characters and it felt somewhat dated.
Mrs N persuaded me to watch Prison Break. This was utter garbage and a waste on my time that I could have more fruitfully spent writing pithy comments on CC
House of Cards was good. Not BB good, but good nonetheless. I enjoyed the detestable and unlikeable character Spacy played
Currently watching Homeland...just finishing series 3. It started really well, then kinda went off the rails as the key character for me disappeared for several episodes and the plot became somewhat formulaic. It seems to be getting back on track.

BB 10/10
House of Cards 8/10
Homeland 7
Sopranos 4/10
Prison Break 2/10

I agree on Breaking Bad, for me it's the best TV series I've seen, from start to finish it was thoroughly entertaining, we had to hold ourselves back from binge watching it was so good. Better Call Saul is very good too. House of Cards has been an excellent show. A recent one we watched, it's on Prime though, is Goliath with Billy-Bob Thornton, an excellent cast with top-notch script and filming too.

Runners up but worth a watch,

Red Road
Banshee
Hand of God

Special mention for Patriot, why this didn't get beyond a pilot episode I don't know, it's first rate, maybe too off-beat for the powers-that-be.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

It took me three goes to get into Breaking Bad and I'd say I was well into the second series before I was "hooked"

 

[Colin_P]

As this thread is going all over the place, other captivating series we have watched / binged are;

Narcos (on Netflix), largely based upon the exploits of Pablo Escobar. What makes this so jaw dropping is that almost all of it is based on actual events.

The Good Wife (again on Netflix), again, not something I thought I'd like as it is chic-flick-esque lawyer typr thing but strangely, easily and addictively watchable.



And apparently there is a thing called Games of Thrones, which I've not seen but many rave about. Being a boxset addict and having Netflix, Amazon and NowTV this sadly isn't on any of them. Looks like one for the future if and when it is available.

 

[Colin_P]

The Walking Dead is pretty cleaver - very well made and cast - defiantly a slow burner and, if you stick with it, intelligent in it's character development... up there with some of the best TV at the moment... the spin off is pretty watchable as well (but not as good as Better Call Saul is to Breaking Bad) - defiantly worth a watch if you can stand the genera...

Yes, I've seen the first series of the spinoff on Amazon which was free but unlike the WD I didn't hand over £16 for S2. The contrast between the two is very well realised and imagined, WD is very rednecky Altanta with 'Fear of' being very LA.

 

[Dave Davenport]

+1 for Narcos being a great series.

 

[ColinJ]

+1 for Narcos being a great series.

A third series is on the way! The other big cartel will be the target in this one.

 

[PaulB]

I can't work out what the fuss is about Breaking Bad, I bought the first three seasons on DVD on recommendation, watched season 1 and some of season 2 and got bored of it. I just wanted that Jessie character to just feck off and die, and for the other bloke to get a grip. Very over rated show.

That's your loss then. I absolutely adore it.

 

[nickyboy]

+1 for Narcos being a great series.

Ah, forgot about that one. There were episodes when it was just shooting and shagging but on the whole it was pretty good

7/10

 

[PaulB]

Having (over the last month) watched all series of Breaking Bad, i was intrigued about how Better Call Saul would turn out... two episodes in, and I'm hooked! Any other fans out there?

I'm a big fan. I love the extras too especially the ones where they do a full cast read-through so you can see it doesn't all appear as if by magic but takes hard work and dedication.

 

[Starchivore]

I can't work out what the fuss is about Breaking Bad, I bought the first three seasons on DVD on recommendation, watched season 1 and some of season 2 and got bored of it. I just wanted that Jessie character to just feck off and die, and for the other bloke to get a grip. Very over rated show.

 

[EltonFrog]

View attachment 335240

I have no idea who or what that is or to what you are referring. Your post is a complete waste of the internet.

 

[User482]

I have no idea who or what that is or to what you are referring. Your post is a complete waste of the internet.

Just because you don't know...