How Better Call Saul Changed the Way We Watch Prequels Forever by Redefining Storytelling
Better Call Saul demonstrated that prequels can offer fresh, meaningful stories rather than simply rehashing or filling gaps left by their predecessors. By focusing deeply on character development and nuanced storytelling, the series delivered a compelling narrative that stands on its own, even for viewers who already know the eventual fate of its main characters. The show resisted the common pitfalls of prequels by evolving its story organically, rather than relying solely on nostalgia or predetermined outcomes.
Audiences and critics quickly noticed how Better Call Saul redefined the prequel genre. Instead of merely serving as a companion to Breaking Bad, it became a template for how to build tension and surprise using established history as a foundation. This approach raised expectations for what a prequel can achieve, inspiring storytellers to treat prequels as opportunities to enrich and expand beloved worlds with innovation and care.
How Better Call Saul Elevated the Prequel Format
Better Call Saul fundamentally shifted what viewers expect from a television prequel. Through its detailed storytelling, innovative structure, and thoughtful expansion of the Breaking Bad universe, the show set new standards for narrative depth and dramatic nuance.
Redefining Expectations
Before Better Call Saul, television prequels often faced skepticism. Viewers expected straightforward backstory or merely recycled plot points from the original show.
Better Call Saul challenged this idea by creating a series with its own identity, not dependent on Breaking Bad’s tone or style. The evolution of Jimmy McGill into Saul Goodman added dimension to a character who was previously comic relief.
By taking risks and focusing on moral complexity, the show proved that a prequel can be as compelling and layered as the original series. This new standard influenced how future prequels are conceptualized and received by audiences.
Innovative Narrative Approach
Better Call Saul is known for its slow-burning storytelling and detailed character arcs. The creators, Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, used time jumps, non-linear episodes, and subtle visual storytelling to immerse viewers in the world of Albuquerque.
The narrative pays close attention to cause and effect, showing how minor choices ripple through the characters’ lives. The show integrates visual motifs, parallel montages, and restrained dialogue, prioritizing character psychology over shock value.
This innovative structure builds suspense despite viewers knowing key outcomes. The creative approach demonstrates that tension and surprise in a prequel can be sustained through craft, not just plot twists.
Expanding the Lore
The series expanded the Breaking Bad lore by exploring secondary characters like Mike Ehrmantraut, Kim Wexler, and Gustavo Fring. These character studies add considerable depth to the broader universe.
It introduces new themes around the legal system, family, and personal ambition. Through detailed production design, set pieces, and callbacks, Better Call Saul feels both fresh and familiar.
The expansion is not limited to characters. The show gives new context for events preceding Breaking Bad without contradicting established canon. This meticulous approach enhances the appeal for both dedicated fans and new viewers.
Balancing Drama and Stakes
Better Call Saul expertly manages dramatic tension, even though audiences know many characters’ eventual fates. The series maintains stakes through careful writing and emotional investment, focusing on choices and consequences rather than physical danger alone.
Every decision by the main cast—especially Jimmy and Kim—carries personal and legal risk. The show emphasizes that emotional stakes can be as compelling as life-and-death scenarios.
By balancing criminal intrigue with personal drama, it offers a compelling mix of suspense and character study. This approach ensures sustained audience engagement without relying on constant action or violence.
Character Development and Transformation in Better Call Saul
Better Call Saul set a new standard for character-driven storytelling in prequels by emphasizing gradual change over time. Instead of sudden shifts, the series used careful development to explore motivations, moral ambiguity, and personal consequences.
Jimmy McGill and the Birth of Saul Goodman
Jimmy McGill, played by Bob Odenkirk, begins the series as an earnest but struggling lawyer. His journey is marked by small choices that erode his ethics piece by piece. The transformation into Saul Goodman is not a single event but the cumulative effect of disappointment, desperation, and repeated moral compromise.
Key moments:
Falsifying evidence to help clients
His complicated relationship with Chuck McGill
The impact of betrayal and loss
Jimmy's persona as Saul Goodman represents not only survival but a surrender to a world where sincerity is often punished. By season’s end, he no longer hides behind "Slippin’ Jimmy" antics but fully inhabits the role of Saul, embracing his new identity's risks and rewards.
Complexity of Antagonists
Antagonists in Better Call Saul, such as Gus Fring and Lalo Salamanca, are more than obstacles for the main character. Gus is depicted as methodical and businesslike, hiding volatility beneath a calm exterior. Lalo, on the other hand, mixes charm and menace, unpredictably shifting from affable conversation to violence.
Gus Fring: Values loyalty and control, keeps his criminal business disciplined
Lalo Salamanca: Disarms with charisma, but is ruthlessly efficient and dangerous
These antagonists are shown making strategic decisions, experiencing loyalty and betrayal, and navigating criminal alliances. Their complexity elevates the stakes for every character interaction, impacting not only the plot but also the moral landscape surrounding Jimmy's descent.
The Significance of Supporting Characters
Supporting characters like Howard Hamlin and Mike Ehrmantraut play critical roles in shaping the show's central transformations. Howard, once easily dismissed as an antagonist, is revealed to be principled yet flawed, often caught between compassion and his duties at HHM.
Mike Ehrmantraut, drawn deeper into criminal enterprises, serves as both a foil and a mirror to Jimmy. His code of honor and emotional restraint contrast sharply with Jimmy’s improvisational tactics. Each character’s development contributes to the broader narrative, demonstrating that every action has consequences in the intricate moral web of Better Call Saul.
Connecting Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul
Better Call Saul transforms the typical prequel formula by expanding character backstories, deepening major themes, and offering new perspectives on familiar events. Its layered narrative structure connects with Breaking Bad and El Camino while building a shared universe with meaningful callbacks and character intersections.
Bridging Events and Themes
Better Call Saul bridges the timeline between itself and Breaking Bad by showing the gradual transformation of Jimmy McGill into Saul Goodman, a character central to Walter White’s criminal enterprise. The show explores the ethical erosion that leads to Saul’s involvement with key figures like Mike Ehrmantraut and Gus Fring.
Specific events, such as Mike’s descent into organized crime and the construction of Gus’s underground meth lab, help fill in narrative gaps from the original series. The prequel also dives into legal and personal conflicts, enriching the themes of morality and consequence introduced in Breaking Bad. By doing so, viewers gain a patterned understanding of how choices ripple through both series, adding breadth to the original storylines.
Cameos and Crossovers
Notable characters from Breaking Bad—including Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, and Hank Schrader—appear in Better Call Saul, creating direct crossover moments that excite longtime fans. These appearances provide layers of context to the original series without feeling forced.
Even minor characters such as Gale Boetticher and Hector Salamanca receive expanded roles, further tying the two shows together. Visual cues and repeated settings—like Saul’s office—anchor the two shows into one continuous narrative world. The inclusion of El Camino, the sequel film, emphasizes how closely these stories are woven, giving more depth to Jesse Pinkman’s fate.
Foreshadowing and Retrospective
Events in Better Call Saul often foreshadow crucial moments in Breaking Bad. Actions taken by Saul, Mike, or Gus are designed to echo later events, such as the construction of the superlab or the escalation of cartel violence.
There are visual motifs and callbacks—like the iconic pink teddy bear or Saul’s catchphrases—that create anticipation and reward attentive viewers. Retrospectively, Better Call Saul gives deeper meaning to choices made in Breaking Bad. For example, knowledge of Kim Wexler and Chuck McGill alters how Saul’s cynicism and legal tactics are interpreted in the original series.
Legacy of the Shared Universe
The interconnected storytelling across Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and El Camino has set a new template for TV spinoffs and prequels. The approach prioritizes continuity and character development rather than treating a prequel as a simple add-on.
These entries share a consistent tone, visual style, and attention to detail, making each installment feel essential. The presence of characters like Walter White and Jesse Pinkman across the timeline strengthens the overall narrative, giving more weight to their arcs and the transformation of Albuquerque’s criminal world. This approach has redefined how narrative universes connect, leaving a lasting legacy on serialized storytelling.
Innovations in Storytelling and Writing
Better Call Saul redefined audience expectations with innovative narrative techniques, a focus on realistic outcomes, and a rich blend of professional and moral conflict. The show’s writing brought complexity and depth to the prequel format, challenging simple character arcs with layered consequences and careful structure.
Nonlinear Structure
Better Call Saul uses a nonlinear structure rarely seen in television prequels. Episodes often shift between timelines, showing glimpses of Jimmy McGill’s past and his future as Gene Takavic.
This structure allows viewers to observe changes in motivations and consequences across key life events. By avoiding strict chronology, the narrative builds suspense and encourages viewers to piece together the relationship between choices and outcomes.
Flash-forwards that bookend seasons highlight the irreversible effects of Jimmy’s transformation into Saul Goodman. This fragmented storytelling keeps audiences actively engaged, prompting them to analyze how every decision affects not just the current story, but future identities.
The Art of Consequences
Few shows explore the fallout of decisions as meticulously as Better Call Saul. The narrative highlights the long-term, cumulative effects of every action—from small legal shortcuts to major moral compromises.
Characters often revisit past choices, with consequences accumulating and shaping not just personal fates, but also professional relationships. The show emphasizes that nothing occurs in isolation. Jimmy's legal manipulations, Kim’s moral struggles, and Nacho’s criminal entanglements drive the point home: choices have costs.
Writers avoid simplistic resolutions, instead embracing complexity. This insistence on portraying realistic outcomes makes each plot development feel both earned and unpredictable.
Blending Conflict and Legal Drama
Better Call Saul blends legal drama with personal and interpersonal conflict in a way that few series manage. The show presents law not just as a profession, but as a battleground for competing ambitions, ethics, and personal histories.
Courtroom scenes showcase meticulous legal maneuvering while simultaneously exposing character motivations and internal conflicts. The writing balances legal intricacies with everyday stakes—a stray comment or unethical tactic often reverberates far beyond the courtroom.
Conflict arises not only from external threats, but from characters’ internal clashes between ambition, guilt, and necessity. This layered approach to storytelling gives the legal drama its distinct sense of urgency and authenticity.
Cinematic Techniques and World-Building
Better Call Saul employs precise visual storytelling and immersive world-building, expanding upon its predecessor while establishing a unique artistic identity. The deliberate use of cinematography, authentic settings, and recurring symbols shapes both character development and audience perception.
Cinematography and Visual Style
Better Call Saul’s cinematography stands out for its bold compositions and controlled pacing. Wide shots and carefully constructed frames emphasize isolation or tension, particularly during Jimmy McGill’s transformation into Saul Goodman. The show frequently uses time-lapse sequences and montage to communicate routine or the passage of time.
Color is treated as a storytelling tool. For example, the saturated desert landscapes of New Mexico contrast with the sterile, muted tones of the Omaha segments. Lighting cues often reflect shifting moods or inner conflict, blending naturalism with stylized choices.
Directors favor long, unbroken takes to build suspense and draw attention to characters’ subconscious reactions. This visual precision reinforces the show’s methodical storytelling and enhances immersion in its world.
Depicting Albuquerque and Omaha
The series roots its narrative deeply in real locations. Albuquerque, New Mexico, is used not just as a backdrop, but as an active presence—its arid streets, strip malls, and neon-lit diners shaping characters’ daily lives. Iconic sites like the nail salon and courthouse make the setting instantly recognizable.
Later, Omaha becomes a significant contrast. The sterile Cinnabon in a shopping mall captures Gene Takavic’s loneliness. The drab retail environment and cold climate heighten his sense of exile, underscoring the drastic change from his prior existence in Albuquerque.
By connecting characters to specific places and focusing on small details—such as parking lots, deserts, or the Cinnabon bakery—the series grounds its drama and creates a sense of lived-in authenticity.
Symbolism and Recurring Motifs
Better Call Saul skillfully weaves symbols and motifs into its storytelling. The use of ants, broken glass, and even objects like Saul’s colorful ties convey thematic undercurrents without explicit dialogue. These recurring images hint at ideas of decay, identity, and transformation.
Mirrors and reflections frequently appear, prompting viewers to consider dual identities or blurred moral boundaries. Legal documents, cars, and phones become loaded with meaning, marking plot turns or shifts in power.
Recurring locations—such as the desert or mundane office spaces—reinforce cycles in the narrative and provide subtle callbacks to Breaking Bad. These motifs contribute depth, prompting viewers to search for connections and meaning within each frame.
Impact on Audiences and the Industry
Better Call Saul’s approach to prequel storytelling affects both viewers and the film and television industry. The show's style, narrative depth, and critical success have influenced perceptions about what prequels can achieve in character development and plotting.
Shaping Audience Expectations for Prequels
Audiences expect prequels to add value—not just repeat familiar beats. Better Call Saul set a standard by exploring Jimmy McGill’s transformation with psychological nuance, rather than relying solely on nostalgia or fan service.
Instead of just providing backstory, the show dives into characters' complexities and motivations. Viewers now look for prequels that treat the origin of iconic figures—like Darth Vader or Game of Thrones segments—with credibility and depth.
This careful attention to character dynamics and understated storytelling raised the bar. Many now expect future prequels to stand on their own with original plots, deliberate pacing, and a level of dramatic tension that was once rare in prequel series.
Influence on Hollywood Trends
The industry has taken note of Better Call Saul's success as both a companion and a standalone series. Studios increasingly greenlight prequels with mature writing and strong character focus, recognizing that audiences respond well to well-constructed narratives even when they know the ending.
Hollywood’s renewed interest in prequels now focuses on quality rather than name recognition alone. Lists of upcoming spin-offs and prequels often highlight their creative teams, plot innovation, and nuanced world-building as major selling points.
Other franchises, such as those related to Game of Thrones, are drawing inspiration from this playbook, aiming for well-paced, thoughtful storytelling over a shallow expansion of existing universes.
Comparison with Other Prequels
Many prequels before Better Call Saul, such as the Star Wars prequel films, often struggled with mixed reception. Critics and viewers at times felt that attempts to explain icons like Darth Vader fell short in terms of depth or originality.
Better Call Saul differs by focusing on subtle character growth, ambiguous morality, and restrained drama. This has led viewers to expect more than just fan-oriented lore or big plot twists in their prequels.
Placed side-by-side with earlier offerings, it’s clear that Better Call Saul has shifted benchmarks. Subsequent projects are more likely to be judged on their narrative strengths and emotional resonance, pushing creators to meet higher standards in future prequel content.
Creators’ Vision and Lasting Influence
Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould transformed a simple idea from the “Breaking Bad” writers’ room into a critically acclaimed show. Their focused leadership, creative risks, and attention to character detail set a new standard for television spinoffs and prequels.
Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s Role
Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould were instrumental in launching “Better Call Saul.” Initially, the concept began as an inside joke among “Breaking Bad” writers, but the pair saw potential for a serious drama centered on Saul Goodman, played by Bob Odenkirk.
Gilligan’s experience crafting morally complex characters and Gould’s insightful storytelling allowed them to frame a story about transformation and consequence without redundancy. They prioritized character development by exploring Jimmy McGill’s gradual shift toward Saul, ensuring depth and relevance even for viewers new to the “Breaking Bad” universe.
Their partnership encouraged collaboration among writers, actors, and production staff, leading to a unified creative vision.
Creative Risks and Rewards
“Better Call Saul” did not simply rely on the brand of its predecessor. Gilligan and Gould took creative risks by slowing the narrative pace and focusing deeply on legal dramas, personal ethics, and incremental, psychological change.
Instead of leaning on action, the series excelled in quiet tension and meticulous detail. These choices challenged audience expectations about spinoffs, showing that prequels could be as engaging and innovative as original works.
The show also played with perspective, offering new angles on established events, and introduced original characters who became central to the overall legacy.
How Better Call Saul's Legacy Endures
The show’s lasting influence is evident in how future prequels and spinoffs are approached on television. It proved that creators could expand on beloved universes without resorting to mere nostalgia or imitation.
Its nuanced storytelling, commitment to character over spectacle, and thoughtful callbacks set new standards for how narratives revisit familiar worlds. “Better Call Saul” elevated the prestige of spinoffs, incentivizing networks and creators to prioritize quality and depth instead of simple brand recognition.
Viewer expectations for prequels have been raised, pushing the industry towards more substantive, detailed, and artistically ambitious projects.
Conclusion
Better Call Saul demonstrated that prequels can offer unique value beyond simply filling in backstory. The series used character-driven storytelling and intricate plotting to engage even those who knew the outcome. This approach invited viewers to focus on the journey, not just the destination.
Key impacts include:
Raising expectations for prequels across genres
Shifting focus from plot twists to character depth
Encouraging more nuanced exploration of past events
By investing in detailed character arcs—such as Jimmy McGill’s transformation and his relationships—Better Call Saul made viewers care about fates that were already known. Every choice and consequence mattered, creating new tension from familiar events.
A simple comparison:
Traditional Prequels Better Call Saul Expositional and predictable Nuanced and character-focused Reliant on nostalgia Adds new insights and layers Often secondary to originals Stands firmly on its own merit
Reactions to the finale were mixed, but most acknowledge its deliberate, careful end to the story. For many, Better Call Saul became the benchmark for how deep, thoughtful storytelling can transform the prequel format.
Audiences now expect more from future prequels. Rich character development, meaningful stakes, and thoughtful writing are no longer optional—they are the standard.
