How ‘Better Call Saul’ could finally win its first Emmy

Here’s a not-so-fun fact that will ruin your day: “Better Call Saul” has never won an Emmy. The critically lauded spin-off of “Breaking Bad” has been nominated 46 times through five and a half seasons and never once walked away a winner. With its final six episodes eligible this year, the AMC series co-created by Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan has one last chance to alter this aspect of its otherwise unblemished legacy. History tells us it’s a long shot at best — voters have proven time and again they simply don’t care about the show, which tells the tragic story of how Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) became slippery lawyer Saul Goodman — but “Better Call Saul” also has a secret weapon it never had before: former Best Drama Actor Emmy winner Bryan Cranston.

Alongside Aaron Paul as fan-favorite character Jesse Pinkman, Cranston reprised his role of drug kingpin Walter White twice during the final six episodes, effectively bridging the events of the prequel with those of the parent series. For his performance on “Breaking Bad,” Cranston took home four lead actor Emmys — three consecutively — out of a total six nominations. So if anyone is capable of changing “Better Call Saul’s” Emmy fortune, surely it’s Cranston, right?

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Currently in third place at 11/2 in Gold Derby’s combined odds, the “Your Honor” star is putting up a strong showing behind frontrunners Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett of HBO’s “The Last of Us.” Paul, for his big return as Jesse, actually sits in seventh place behind James Cromwell (“Succession”), Andy Serkis (“Andor”) and Arian Moayed (“Succession”). Jon Gries (“The White Lotus”), Christopher Lloyd (“The Mandalorian”) and Lamar Johnson (“The Last of Us”) round out the rest of the top 10.

Given Cranston’s Emmy history — he’s been nominated 11 times as a performer, most recently for his guest appearance on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” — a Best Drama Guest Actor nomination seems like a relatively safe bet. A win might be harder to come by, though; it depends where various “Succession” actors submit and whether the popularity and critical success of HBO’s “The Last of Us” translates to awards. But it’s not impossible. The final season of “Better Call Saul” hit Netflix this week, which means the show is back in the pop culture conversation at precisely the right time (and we all remember what Netflix did for “Breaking Bad’s” popularity, right?). Cranston’s two appearances on “Better Call Saul,” while short, also show off his range as an actor, revealing in distinct sequences the many sides and layers of Walter White. They remind us why Cranston was so easily able to dominate the Emmys for nearly the entirety of the show’s run. And brief appearances haven’t stopped “The Americans’” Margo Martindale or “The Handmaid’s Tale’s” Cherry Jones from securing their own guest Emmys over the years. Not only that, but two years ago, Claire Foy, a former Best Drama Actress winner for “The Crown,” won in guest for her short reprisal of young Queen Elizabeth II in Season 4, so voters are not reluctant to go back to past series regulars they’ve awarded.

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

Still, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that Cranston won his “Breaking Bad” Emmys under a different voting system and that voters have already seen him reprise his most famous role. He appeared in a brief flashback in 2019’s “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie,” the Netflix film that served as an epilogue to the franchise and revealed what happened to Jesse after the harrowing events of the “Breaking Bad” finale. Paul and Jesse Plemons, who reprised his role of antagonist Todd Alquist, were snubbed by Emmy voters despite pundits predicting both to earn noms. This might seem telling, but there are some key points to consider when comparing “El Camino” and “Better Call Saul.”

First and foremost, remember “Saul’s” 46 Emmy nominations? Voters clearly haven’t written off the drama yet. While it has yet to win, it’s on their radar in a way that a TV movie like “El Camino” likely was not (it’s unfortunate, but TV movies have been trending downward since the early 2010s, when Hollywood rebranded miniseries as limited series and the format took off). If you need more proof Emmy voters haven’t forgotten about the show, Rhea Seehorn broke into the race for Best Drama Supporting Actress just last year for her performance as fan favorite Kim Wexler. Her success after years of snubs speaks volumes and bodes well for the show as it heads into its final year of eligibility. And the very fact that this is the show’s final opportunity to win cannot be overlooked. Emmy voters could be feeling sentimental (or guilty) about the show ending and choose to honor it as it rides off into the sunset. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time this has happened (see: “Friday Night Lights’” Kyle Chandler and “Mad Men’s” Jon Hamm).

Another key point to consider when evaluating “El Camino’s” underperformance — it went 0-4 — is that it was up against HBO’s limited series “Watchmen,” which was a commercial and critical success, in three categories. It was going to take a lot more than nostalgia and a universal desire to see Jesse Pinkman escape the ABQ to stop that runaway train. “Succession” poses a similar obstacle for “Better Call Saul” this year, especially since both are eligible for their final seasons. But despite having collected 10 nominations in the guest categories to date, the HBO drama has only triumphed once, and it was the aforementioned Jones. If Brian Cox submits in lead or even supporting actor this year and/or Offerman and Bartlett vote-split, Cranston is arguably the man to beat. His proven track record with voters gives him a good chance of not only winning a fifth Emmy for portraying the egotistical Walter White but also breaking “Better Call Saul’s” losing streak. It’s just too bad he can’t also earn the show a cinematography Emmy while he’s at it.

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