Better Call Saul sets premiere date for final season, which will be split into two parts

Better Call Saul finally has a farewell date.

AMC's acclaimed Breaking Bad spin-off prequel starring Bob Odenkirk as slippery lawyer Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman will return for its sixth and final season on Monday, April 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, almost two years to the day since the show unveiled its season 5 finale.

Season 6 will consist of 13 episodes, which is three more than the usual order. That will bring the episode count to 62, one more than Breaking Bad. You won't be getting them all in a row, however. AMC confirmed that it will air season 6 in two parts, with the first part containing seven episodes, kicked off with a two-episode premiere. The remaining six episodes will begin to air on July 11. This is the same type of split that AMC did with Breaking Bad in its final season, and should allow the show's sixth season to compete for Emmys in two different years.

The network also released the first peeks at Jimmy, Kim (Rhea Seehorn), Gus (Giancarlo Esposito), and Mike (Jonathan Banks) in season 6.

Greg Lewis/AMC Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill in 'Better Call Saul.'

Greg Lewis/AMC Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler on 'Better Call Saul.'

Greg Lewis/AMC Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring and Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut on 'Better Call Saul.'

In addition, AMC announced that three short-form digital series in the Saul universe will premiere in the spring. The six-part animated series Slippin' Jimmy chronicles the exploits of Jimmy McGill in his youth. The six-episode Cooper's Bar — which features Seehorn as "an awful Hollywood executive" — centers on character actor Cooper (Mike & Molly's Lou Mustillo) and the patrons of his L.A. neighborhood bar. The Better Call Saul Employee Training Video series also returns with new installments.

Saul was supposed to start production on season 6 last spring, but, as was the case with many shows, filming was delayed by the spread of COVID-19. In late July, Odenkirk collapsed on set and suffered a heart attack, but he was back on set filming in early September.

Series co-creator Peter Gould hinted to EW in the aftermath of season 5 that the final season will answer what happened in the future to Gene Takovic, the alias that Jimmy assumed after fleeing town in the Breaking Bad timeline. "Anybody who watches the show carefully and is thinking about where this is all going, one of the questions you have to ask yourself is: 'What does this man deserve?'" Gould said. "Not just: 'What's going to happen to him?,' but 'What would be a deserving end to this? Does Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman/Gene Takovic deserve death? Does he deserve love? What would be the most fitting end for this guy — for the show?' Obviously the end for everybody is death, but that may not be where we leave this guy. Is there any way for him to win any redemption after everything that he's done?"

Season 6 also will explore what becomes of his girlfriend, Kim Wexler (Seehorn). "The other big question is: 'Where is Kim Wexler when Saul Goodman is Saul Goodman dealing with Walt [Bryan Cranston] and Jesse [Aaron Paul]?'" Gould said. "Where's Kim Wexler?"

Better Call Saul, which Gould created with Breaking Bad overlord Vince Gilligan, also stars Giancarlo Esposito, Jonathan Banks, Michael Mando, and Patrick Fabian.

Better Call Saul returns April 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.

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