Better Call Saul lives up to hype of Breaking Bad

REVIEW: Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul had a lot to live up to. Luckily, it delivered the goods in the first two episodes. Read the review.

This image released by AMC shows Bob Odenkirk in a scene from the final season of "Breaking Bad." AMC and Sony Pictures Television on Wednesday, Sept. 11, confirmed that Odenkirk, who plays Saul Goodman, will star in a one-hour prequel tentatively titled "Better Call Saul." Breaking Bad" concludes its much-acclaimed five-season run on Sept. 29. (AP Photo/AMC, Ursula Coyote)

REVIEW

IF television history has taught us anything, it is that spin-offs are risky business.

Need I remind anyone of the dismal follow up to Friends called Joey?

This is why my stomach began to churn when I read Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan was going to make a prequel to his award-winning series called Better Call Saul.

There is no denying that Breaking Bad is one of the most iconic shows to hit the screens in recent years and the idea of risking its reputation with a dubious spin-off seemed ludicrous.

However, after watching the first two episodes, I can happily report Better Call Saul easily managed to recreate the magic of its predecessor.

I would even go as far to say it is on track to be a landmark in its own right.

The show is set six years before the events of Breaking Bad and offers the origin story of an underemployed Albuquerque lawyer Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) who will later become known as the legendary Saul Goodman.

McGill is far from the sleazy criminally connected lawyer seen in Breaking Bad.

In fact, he is struggling to make ends meet as a public defendant handling low profile cases.

Jimmy McGill is a struggling public defendant

We also learn that McGill is supporting his older brother Chuck (Michael McKean) who ceased his position as a high profile lawyer after he developed a mental illness.

It is obvious the pressures are starting to get to Jimmy and as a result, he regularly breaks down in hilarious fits of rage.

One of the constant causes of his rage comes from his daily run-ins with Breaking Bad fixer Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), who is working as the courthouse parking attendant.

Wanting to turn things around, McGill pitches his services for a high-profile case, but when the clients decided to take their business elsewhere he begins to become desperate.

Some questionable and often laughable decisions are made by McGill and things quickly snowball in a bad direction.

Well, only if you consider being bound and gagged by a group of gangsters in the desert a bad direction.

Before his captors execute him, they give McGill the opportunity to explain why his life should be spared.

Out of nowhere he turns on the magic and talks his way to freedom by using his trademark Saul-esque swagger.

Following the near death experience, McGill tries to get back on the straight and narrow, but struggles to avoid the temptations surfacing around him.

While that’s the main premise behind the opening episodes, the show manages to introduce a number of smaller plots that will no doubt be explained later in the series.

All in all the show did a marvellous job delving into the established fan base of Breaking Bad, while also holding its own integrity.

Odenkirk’s performance was phenomenal and anyone who questioned his transition from a supporting to leading role will now have to eat humble pie.

Whether you are an existing Breaking Bad fan or just looking for a new show to watch, Better Call Saul comes highly recommended.

The series premieres in the US in two parts on February 8 and 9.

Australian viewers will be able to watch the show on the streaming service Stan on February 9, fast-tracked from the US

Follow Matthew Dunn on Twitter @mattydunn11

Thankfully this show delivers more than the Friends spin-off Joey.