TV SERIES · 2015–2022 · USA
Better Call Saul
- Created by
- Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould
- Network
- AMC
- Seasons
- 6
- Episodes
- 63
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Television, Gran Via Productions, High Bridge Productions
56 archived facts 8 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Nov 2026
Six years before Saul Goodman meets Walter White. We meet him when the man who will become Saul Goodman is known as Jimmy McGill, a small-time lawyer searching for his destiny, and, more immediately, hustling to make ends meet. Working alongside, and, often, against Jimmy, is “fixer” Mike Ehrmantraut. The series tracks Jimmy’s transformation into Saul Goodman, the man who puts “criminal” in “criminal lawyer".
56 Interesting Facts About Better Call Saul
Interesting Facts (11)
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- #005
When Bob Odenkirk was growing up he lived in the Chicago suburb of Berwyn, IL which neighbors the suburb of Cicero, IL. Jimmy mentions Cicero in season 1 while speaking to the Skater Twins. Cicero is a real suburb of Chicago. Later in season 2, Jimmy tells his best friend, Marco, he may stop and get a hotdog from "Henry's." Henry's Hotdogs also exists and is located in Cicero, IL.
- #006
Vince Gilligan admitted that the characters of Chuck McGill and Howard Hamlin developed differently from what was originally planned. Chuck was to be a wise older brother who would give Jimmy advice, while Howard was to be the arch-enemy and obstacle in Jimmy's life. However, after a few episodes, the actors, producers and writers agreed that it would suit the story better for Chuck to be Jimmy's true enemy and for Howard to be a flawed but sympathetic friend who wants to help Jimmy. Gilligan said, 'Chuck was never going to be the bad guy, and Howard was always going to be the one causing problems in Jimmy's life. The great thing is working with a talented group of writers and actors who aren't afraid to make changes and are open to trying different scenarios. Chuck and Howard developing this way suits the show's theme much better and offers much more rewarding results than our original vision.'
- #007
Vince Gilligan stated that the show would not go beyond six seasons because the timeline would sooner or later catch up to the time of Breaking Bad. In an interview, he said, 'Certain characters need to be introduced and certain events need to happen, but the writers have the freedom to develop how we get there in the time allotted.'
- #008
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In an interview, Vince Gilligan explained that his original plan was to shape the first season and then hand the show over to Peter Gould, who created the character of Saul Goodman. However, he said that making the first season was so creatively satisfying that he changed his mind and continued to run the show on a daily basis during the early seasons.
- #010
Contains a major spoiler — show
In Breaking Bad (2008) Season 5 Episode 15, Granite State (2013), Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) visits his "relocator" who can be seen creating a Nebraska driver's license for him. Later in that same episode, Saul tells Walter (Bryan Cranston), "If I'm lucky, a month from now, best-case scenario, I'm managing a Cinnabon in Omaha." The flash forward scenes in Better Call Saul (2015) depict Jimmy McGill living his new life as Gene in Omaha, Nebraska, managing a Cinnabon.
- #011
Production Story (7)
- #012
Vince Gilligan said that the show would not go past six seasons, as the timeline would eventually run into the Breaking Bad timeline. "We have certain characters that need to be introduced and specific events that need to happen, but the writers have freedom to develop how we get there in the allotted time available," said Gilligan in an interview.
- #013
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Rhea Seehorn revealed that auditions for the series were conducted using fake scripts to prevent spoilers. She also recalled bursting into tears on the street after learning she had been cast.
Better Call Saul (2015): Bob Odenkirk and Rhea SeehornImage: Wikimedia Commons · Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 - #015
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Vince Gilligan revealed in an interview that his original plan was to shape the show in season one and eventually step out to let Peter Gould (who originally created the character of Saul Goodman) run the series full-time. He stated that making the season was so creatively fulfilling, though, that he changed his mind and decided to continue running it on an everyday basis for the initial seasons.
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Behind the Scenes (10)
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Rhea Seehorn was not injured in real life during the filming of the arc in season 4 where Kim has a broken arm. She did, however, wear a fully functional arm cast anyway, so that the restrictions on mobility and dexterity it imposed upon her would come across more naturally in her acting.
- #028
Characters & Cast (3)
- #029
According to Rhea Seehorn, her character Kim Wexler is from a small town near the Kansas-Nebraska border called Red Cloud, where she was raised.
Better Call Saul (2015): Rhea SeehornImage: Wikimedia Commons · Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 - #030
- #031
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the first episode, we find out that Saul Goodman's real name is Jimmy (James) McGill, the name the character goes by for the majority of the series. Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) was mentioned in Breaking Bad (2008). "Saul Goodman" is, in fact, a persona created by Jimmy McGill.
Easter Eggs & References (15)
- #032
The opening sequence of the first episode of the final season is very similar to the ending of Citizen Kane (1941). The movers are in a luxurious and quite large residence (much like Charles Foster Kane's Xanadu) carrying, packing, and sometimes throwing away things: stuff that seems trivial or worthless to them, but which means a lot to the audience. The final shot of this sequence focuses on a memento that is reminiscent of the happiest times of the protagonist, also exactly like the final scene of Citizen Kane.
- #033
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Howard Hamlin's nickname for Jimmy, "Charlie Hustle," is a reference to him as a hard worker, but it is also the nickname of former professional baseball player Pete Rose. Rose was suspended from his career after it was discovered that he was making bets on his own baseball team, echoing Jimmy's own legal problems in his own career.
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Each episode in season 1 has a different opening sequence. The opening sequence of the 10th episode features a slow-motion shot of a falling coffee cup, a nod to a key scene in The Usual Suspects (1995). Giancarlo Esposito starred in The Usual Suspects. His character Gus Fring in both Breaking Bad (2008) and Better Call Saul (2015) was initially going to be called Keyser Söze, also a nod to The Usual Suspects, before the final decision on Gus Fring.
- #037
- #038
When Bob Odenkirk was growing up he lived in the Chicago suburb of Berwyn, IL which neighbors the suburb of Cicero, IL. Jimmy mentions Cicero in season 1 while speaking to the Skater Twins. Cicero is a real suburb of Chicago. Later in season 2, Jimmy tells his best friend, Marco, he may stop and get a hotdog from "Henry's." Henry's Hotdogs also exists and is located in Cicero, IL.
- #039
- #040
Howard Hamlin's nickname he gives Jimmy, "Charlie Hustle," is a reference to him as a hard worker, but it is also the nickname of former professional baseball player Pete Rose. Rose was suspended from his career after it was discovered that he was making bets on his own baseball team, echoing Jimmy's own legal problems in his own career.
- #041
- #042
Contains a major spoiler — show
The law firm of Davis and Main refers to a restaurant of the same name in Richmond, VA that Vince Gilligan used to frequent. The restaurant was located at 2501 W. Main St., and was, of course, on the corner of Davis St., hence Davis and Main. It has since closed and is now the site of a Benny Ventano's pizzeria.
- #043
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the fourth episode of the second season, Gloves Off (2016), the man Mike approaches for guns is the same man who sells guns to Walter White in the second episode of the fourth season, Thirty-Eight Snub (2011), where Walter purchases the .38 snub-nose revolver for "defense" when he is worried about Gus Fring. He also appears in the flash-forward in the first episode of the fifth season, Live Free or Die (2012), of Breaking Bad (2008).
- #044
- #045
Contains a major spoiler — show
The nail salon where Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) keeps his office, and later tries to sell to Jesse Pinkman, is located on Juan Tabo, the same street as Gale Boetticher (David Costabile)'s apartment. The corner of Juan Tabo and Osuna was also the spot where Saul's "guy" could pick you up for a new identity.
- #046
Deeper Meaning (2)
- #047
Contains a major spoiler — show
Peter Gould, co-creator of the series, posted on his Twitter account about the characters' costume colors, known as the "Fire and Ice Theory." Bad characters wear red to indicate fire and good characters wear blue to indicate ice. The shade indicates the severity. For example, when Tuco (Raymond Cruz) takes Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) and the two brothers into the desert to punish them for trying to hustle Tuco's grandmother, Tuco is seen in a red shirt. Nacho talks him around and saves them from being killed; he is seen during this scene in a blue shirt. When Nacho (Michael Mando) comes to see Jimmy in his office to discuss ripping off the Kettlemans, he is in a red shirt for this scene. Interestingly, Jimmy's car has one red door.
- #048
Contains a major spoiler — show
Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) has no scientific basis and is not a recognized medical diagnosis, although it is generally accepted that the experience of EHS symptoms is of psychosomatic origin. Provocation trials have found that such claimants are unable to distinguish between exposure and non-exposure to electromagnetic fields. A systematic review of medical research in 2011 found no convincing scientific evidence for symptoms being caused by electromagnetic fields.
Career & Awards (5)
Life & Family (3)
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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