It has been a while since a spin-off has been so eagerly anticipated, but "Better Call Saul" continues to gain steam. It was announced last month that the "Breaking Bad" off-shoot was already picked up for a second season by AMC, which only served to give fans more confidence about the show's quality.
Now word has come out about when the show will take place, and the end result could mean an iconic character is free to return whenever he wants:
“One of the great things about having a time line which is flexible is that perhaps some of it takes place before ‘Breaking Bad,’ during ‘Breaking Bad,’ and after ‘Breaking Bad'. That gives us the ability to bring back characters that were killed on ‘Breaking Bad,’" executive producer Peter Gould told the New York Daily News. That, of course, means that there is a way for the series to bring back Walter White (Bryan Cranston) for an episode whenever he fits into the story.
Airing on the side of caution to make sure everything with the show is up to AMC standards, the producers have pushed back the debut of the show from November of this year to early 2015. That means the second season, which has already been confirmed, will debut some time in 2016.
Bob Odenkirk will headline the show, reuniting him with Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut. The rest of the cast includes Michael McKean, Patrick Fabian, Rhea Seehorn and Michael Mando. The built-in audience of "Breaking Bad" already has positive buzz around the show with executive producer Peter Gould giving the series even more praise.
“We think we have a story that is worth making. ... We could never dream of the kind of success that ‘Breaking Bad’ had and the love we got from the fans. But (with ‘Saul’) at a certain point you have to do the best job you can and tell the best story that entertains you, get a good response and hope people like it," Gould further told the website.
The original show seemed to gain momentum as it went along, with more and more new viewers tuning in to catch the previous seasons via streaming television. As anticipation builds, the original vehicle can still pick up old episodes to catch up with the "Better Call Saul" timeline. It is rare that you see a show that is a proverbial "hit" before it even hits the airwaves, but "Better Call Saul" seems to be just that.
