Question: Would you still watch Better Call Saul if there was no Breaking Bad first?

Would you still dig the characters and story as much?  If there was no precedence of the iconic show that marks its future, would Better Call Saul be as juicy? Does it have the merits to build an entire show on or is it a nostalgic ride that reminds people of their departed favorite show? It’s a question many struggle with and I posed to myself as the first season comes to an end Monday night.

The truth is the show is an uneven mess and varies in tone so much that a viewer can get lost on the way to figuring out if this show is truly great or simply riding the coattails of its meatier predecessor. Mixed within the seedy Albuquerque land that co-creator Vince Gilligan paints in this universe are scenes of heavy hitting power and poignancy but they are more scattered than one would like. During the first nine episodes, the writers can’t figure out when to properly unmask their anti-hero, Jimmy McGill, and reveal him as Saul Goodman, the character many know and love from Breaking Bad. (more…)