Actor Bob Odenkirk is most recognised through his role as Saul’ Slippin Jimmy McGill’ Goodman in the second season of Breaking Bad. From this, Odenkirk starred in his own spin-off show for the character Better Call Saul. The show narrates Goodman’s life before Breaking Bad.
Breaking Bad is an American crime drama that first aired on Sunday, January 20th, 2008, focusing on Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman reuniting with an old high school teacher Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, who has turned to a life of crime following a diagnosis of stage-three lung cancer. The show is one of the most-watched American cable series of all time and holds a world record of the most critically acclaimed TV show of all time.
Odenkirk’s spin-off show first aired on Sunday, February 8th, 2015 and introduced fans to Goodman’s life in the early-mid 2000s. It narrates the character’s transition from a con artist to a lawyer. Odenkirk began shooting the new series Straight Man after parting ways with the character following the season 6 finale. “I wanted more time to wallow, and I’m going to wallow for the next ten years or more,” the actor shared with Empire. “I know that was probably the role of my lifetime, and that’s a wonderful thing to have had. Some people don’t get that. I will be wallowing the rest of my life.”
Better Call Saul aligned with its predecessor concerning tone and style, hitting audiences with an emotional punch during the finale that aired in the summer of last year. Speaking about the emotional conclusion that sees the main character imprisoned, Odenkirk shared: “I would not have predicted it. I would have predicted an ending with more explosions. I’m so glad there weren’t. And yet the weird thing about it to me is that it really came from relaxing your grip on the characters.”
He added: “One of the struggles I had, and Rhea had this too, is that the characters were very emotionally intelligent about almost everybody they interacted with, and yet had these blind spots regarding their own behaviour. And in the end, the writers granted these characters the self-knowledge that I felt they always had. I thought it was beautiful. When I read it, I was like, ‘Yes, exactly, that’s what should happen.'”
Better Call Saul’s first season met with 6.88 million viewers. The last season was split into two parts, with the first garnering 1.42 million views and the latter gaining 1.16 million.
Watch the stars discuss the finale more below.
