By NATHANIEL DUNAWAY Entertainment Editor
Television spinoffs get a bad rap. And when you look at shows like “Joey,” “AfterMASH” and “Saved by the Bell: The College Years,” it’s not exactly hard to see why. Sometimes companion shows just don’t work.
This concern was the first to pop into many a viewer’s mind when it was announced last year that “Breaking Bad,” one of the most critically-acclaimed and audience-adored television dramas of all time, would be getting a spinoff.
But for every “Buddies” (spun off from “Home Improvement”), there is a “Frasier” (spun off from “Cheers”) and for every “Joanie Loves Chachi” (spun off from “Happy
Days”) there is an “Angel” (spun off from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”).
For my money, “Better Call Saul,” the “Breaking Bad” spinoff focusing on the early years of sleazy criminal lawyer Saul Goodman (played by Bob Odenkirk) will certainly fall into the same realm those latter examples reside in.
We first met Saul in season two of “Breaking Bad,” when he became the full-time attorney of chemistryteacher-turned-drug-lord Walter White.
Throughout the series, Saul used his wits, charm, and legal know-how to keep Walt and his partner Jesse out of jail (or worse, the morgue or a ditch in the desert).
“Better Call Saul,” produced and co-written by “Breaking Bad” showrunner Vince Gilligan, takes place five years before Walter White’srise to power, when Saul was still known as James McGill, a struggling, unknown defense attorney.
In addition to Odenkirk reprising his role as Saul, actor Jonathan Banks will return to play fan-favorite hitman and fixer Mike Ehermantraut in the prequel series.
So will “Better Call Saul” find itself among the ranks of the great spinoffs like “The Legend of Korra” (spun off from “Avatar: the Last Airbender”) and “The Simpsons” (spun off from “The Tracey Ullman Show”)? With much of the same talent that made “Breaking Bad” great returning, I’d say it’s a safe bet.
“Better Call Saul” premieres Sunday, Feb. 8 on AMC, right after the mid-season premiere of “The Walking Dead.
