6 Reasons Better Call Saul Is The Best Show On TV Right Now
5. The Characters
With a roster bulging with fan favourite characters, Better Call Saul is a show which knows how to play to its strengths. Focusing on a character driven narrative, more so than Breaking Bad's more action focused approach, has been an absolute masterstroke as it has allowed these already loved characters to flourish and grow.
The context given to Odenkirk's Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman elevate him from fan favourite comic relief to a nuanced and understandable tragic figure. You feel for Jimmy and you begin to understand why his legal alter-ego acts the way he does. The addition of Jimmy's respected and resentful older brother Chuck to the cast brings even more context and emotion to our protagonist's rise and fall.
The show also gives us more detail into the backgrounds of characters who were still shrouded in some mystery upon their explosive exits from Breaking Bad. Hector Salamanca and Gustavo Fring are given more characterisation and more detailed backgrounds to help us understand their personalities more; we even finally get to find out what made Hector start liking that bell so much. This makes them no more likeable as the villains of the piece but certainly allows us to understand them further.
Other brilliant additions to the cast carry their own questions about their lack of appearance in Breaking Bad. Characters as strong as Kim Wexler and Nacho Varga not appearing after the prequel ask so many intriguing questions about their fates. Brilliant characters litter this show at every turn.