4 reasons ‘Better Call Saul’ should win Best Drama Series

Matt Noble
Updated ·4 min read
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“Better Call Saul” said goodbye to the television landscape last year. But, it’s not all over at the Emmys for the AMC drama. The series is still eligible for the 2023 awards. For every previous outing, the show has landed a nomination for Best Drama Series. “Saul” is currently third in line to win at Gold Derby with 7/1 combined odds. But while the series is rich in Emmy nominations over the years, it has failed to win any (going 0 from 46). So it’s understandable the show is not at the front of the pack. But third place puts it in dark horse contention for the top prize. Here are five reasons the show is worthy of consideration:

1. Everybody loves “Saul”

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“Better Call Saul” told the tale of Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) becoming the sleazy but charming lawyer, Saul Goodman, from “Breaking Bad.” The final season saw the stories of “Saul” and “Bad” collide, with greyscale exploration of life beyond the original (but later set) series. Attempting this ambitious level of complexity was quite a feat. And that “Breaking Bad” had a historically acclaimed final season set “Saul” daunting expectations. Despite this, the prequel’s final season met universal acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the final season earned 99% and on Metacritic, it scored 95%.

2. “Saul” could get into character

In 2020, co-creator Peter Gould revealed to Gold Derby that, “the thing that surprised me is how deep Jimmy McGill turned out to be. Saul Goodman, when we saw him on ‘Breaking Bad,’ didn’t seem to have a lot of different levels. The longer we work on the show the more we’ve found.” The final episode of the series reflected on the character’s regrets. This was indicative of a show that richly explored characters’ effect on others and capacity to change. “Saul” was able to use characters to mine grand themes of redemption, relationships, and humanity in nuanced ways. Odenkirk explained it well when he accepted the HCA Award for Best Cable Drama last year. He said, “The spark that drove the plot twists and the dangers of ‘Better Call Saul’ were the people and what going on inside them.”

3. “Saul” was all about… timing

One of the real strengths of the show’s storytelling was that it let moments breathe. Sometimes shots and scenes would linger. It took the risk of being comfortable with quiet moments. And it was light on exposition. This meant “Saul” was a slow burn but a richly rewarding one. Those making the show — and audiences — were trusted to develop meaning over time. Speaking with Gold Derby in 2018, Rhea Seehorn (who plays Kim Wexler) admitted, “The super quiet honest scenes were a huge surprise to Bob and I. There’s a scene in the bathroom where we sit on the edge of the tub and they are incredibly honest and quiet with each other… It’s those magical moments where that scene becomes about the way you didn’t look at me. Or the scene becomes about Kim waiting too long and then laughing. That’s a great feeling.”

4. There’s something different about “Saul”

If a show wants to be in the discussion for the Best Drama Series at the Emmys, then that has to have a distinct style. You would be hard-pressed to find a winner from the past 25 years that didn’t envelop you in a world that was different from anything else on TV. “Saul” did just that. “Saul” would often use atypical framing of scenes to showcase the characters in environments ranging from the vast desert to the drab courthouse. It would stay on these shots without always feeling the need to come in for close-ups. It fits well with this show’s slow-burn pace. And it builds on conventions used in “Breaking Bad.” Previously every season of “Saul” had opened with a flash-forward black-and-white scene. When the final season reached this timeline, whole episodes were black-and-white. Using this device to explore multiple periods in time gave the show its most distinct style ever.

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