In the spirit of spin-offs I bring you Better Call Saul.
I'm sure you have heard of a little award winning show called Breaking Bad. If you haven't then I suggest getting Netflix for under your rock because you're going to want to binge watch this show from beginning to end. Breaking Bad will need it's own post but for now let's focus on one character who was so liked by fans that he got his own television series: Saul Goodman. Appearing in 43 of 62 episodes of Breaking Bad, Bob Odenkirk played a loveable lawyer who always manged to get himself into trouble. Saul Goodman is a smart man with a fast mouth but he gets himself into sticky situations that make views both cringe and laugh.
Fans were devastated when Breaking Bad came to an end. Five heart pumping seasons of Walter White doing the unimaginable just to pay his medical bills. However, the phoenix rose from the ashes and AMC brought us Better Call Saul.
Vince Gillian is a master of creation and brought fans a new show that allows us to truly connect with the characters. I'm going out on a limb to state that this may be one of the best spin-offs ever created. Better Call Saul is already Emmy nominated and it's easy to see why. The camera work and editing is beautiful. The casting is great with some characters crossing over from Breaking Bad, such as Tuco. Bob Odenkirk is a talented actor and brings everything fans loved about Saul into an entirely new place. This is a show that can stand on its own without even needing to be labeled as a spin-off.
Better Call Saul takes us deeper into who Jimmy McGill really is. How did he get started? How did he end up such an illegal mess? How did he become Saul Goodman? I'm still finding the answers to these questions while I watch season one. Check back soon for Better Call Saul: Part Two.
Season two will be starting up February 15, 2016 on AMC at 10/9c. If you need to catch up than season one is streaming right now on Netflix, along with Breaking Bad. I know what I'll be doing for the next couple of weeks!
Bryan Cranston is the man. You cannot get cooler than a chemistry teacher with cancer turned criminal cooking meth. He rocks bald better than anyone, in fact it makes him look even more bad-ass.
If you don't already know the greatness I am talking about, it's Breaking Bad. Breaking Bad is a series created and produced by Vince Gilligan and first premiered in January 2008. The show is set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico and follows the story of chemistry teacher Walter White and former student Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul. Walter discovers he has lung cancer and wants to secure his families financial future before he dies. So, with the help of drug addict Jesse the two manufacture and sell methamphetamine. Like all television shows, this shit gets dramatic. Very dramatic.
The show features a stellar cast, music, settings, storyline, and just overall awesomeness. It's a show I did not think I would like but was talked into watching. I breezed through the first two seasons on Netflix like it was nothing. Then I got stuck in season three. Apparently that happens, or so I was told. It took me a long time to get through it and I took a hiatus from watching the show. Finally I got back into season four and hope to catch up soon to the final season which is currently running on AMC.
Breaking Bad has some great characters and actors. Anna Gunn plays Skyler White, Walters wife. Betsy Brant plays Marie Schrader, Hanks wife and Skyler's sister. And then there's the talented Dean Norris who plays Hank Schrader. Schrader has been in a number of television series including the current Under the Dome, which is a mini-series by Stephen King. If you have Amazon Prime you can watch all the current episodes of Under the Dome for free.
Breaking Bad is one of those programs where you cheer for the bad guys. Walter and Jesse are the main characters, we all root for them but they are breaking the law big time! They cook crystal meth! Yet, they make you understand their feelings and the show can be a real roller-coaster of emotions.
Seriescreator Vince Gilligan was afraid his show would be too similar to Weeds but I think it stands independently on it's own. Weeds always felt more like a comedy to me and Breaking Bad is definitely a drama. The series, with its writing and characters, feels unique and the show becomes addictive.
Gilligan uses the help of Dr. Donna Nelson at the University of Oklahoma to check chemistry facts and make sure the scientific information is all correct. Dr. Nelson will write down chemical equations and structures that the show uses as props. While the show does not have a full-time person on to assist checking facts, Gilligan wanted to be sure all the information was correct so Dr. Nelson is on call when an expert is needed.
The actor who plays Walt Jr., RJ Mitt, actually has cerebral palsy in real life. Mitt's condition is much milder than Walt Jr's, so he learned to walk with crutches and slow his speech for the part.
Characters on the show who are smoking meth are actually smoking sugar or rock candy but do not inhale
In the beginning of each episode, the chemical formula C10H15N along
with the number 149.24 and the word "Meth" can be seen just before the
title Breaking Bad appears. C10H15N is the formula for methamphetamine,
which has the molecular weight of 149.24.
Bryan Cranston stated in an interview that the term "breaking bad" is a southern
colloquialism and it means when someone who has taken a turn off the
path of the straight and narrow, when they've gone wrong. And that could
be for that day or for a lifetime
Betsy Brant was
pregnant during season two. Whenever she reached the point in the
pregnancy that Skyler was supposed to be, the producers would do pick-up
shots with her as the fake bare belly on Anna Gunn.
10 actors cast on the show have previously appeared in the Vince Gilligan produced The X-Files.
Sony and AMC were initially reluctant to cast Bryan Cranston because of his previous comedic roles and considered both John Cusack and Matthew Broderick for Walter White. When they both declined, Vince Gilligan got to cast Cranston.
Bryan Cranston has a Breaking Bad tattoo on his ring finger.
The first episode to the second half of Season 5 is dedicated to Kevin
Cordasco, a teen Superfan of the show who died of cancer in March of
2013. Before his death Kevin was able to meet Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, and other prominent members of the Breaking Bad family, and he was even
offered the chance to read the final scripts of the series so he would
know how the show ends. Kevin denied, as he didn't think he could keep
the secret
So, basically, Breaking Bad is awesome. I am super glad that Cranston was cast as Walter White because I cannot even imagine Cusack or Broderick in that role. I love both of them but this role needed a slightly lesser known face. As I've stated before, I love when unknown actors (even if they're just unknown to me) are cast in movies and shows.
If you haven't already, please go check out the first four and half seasons streaming on Netflix right now. Netflix is on it and offers the most up-to-date season of the series. Season five, the final season, was broken up into two parts and the first half is available on Netflix. If you get bogged down in season three just press on! You will get through it! If you are already a Breaking Bad lover then enjoy the new episodes of the final season.
One of my favorite things about Breaking Bad is Jesse Pinkman and his mouth. He ends most sentences with "bitch" so please enjoy the video montage of Jesse using his favorite word.
