Why ‘Better Call Saul’ is the best drama never to win an Emmy

Matt Noble
·5 min read
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If justice mattered most to academy voters, “Better Call Saul” would be going out an Emmy winner. Thus far, however, there is no proof it does.

Across its six seasons, “Better Call Saul” delivered consistently groundbreaking and acclaimed television. But despite rave reviews from critics and fans and consistent support from Emmy voters during the nominations period, “Better Call Saul” has never won a single Emmy award. This year marks the last chance for Emmy voters to right this wrong: “Better Call Saul” received seven 2023 Emmy nominations, including another citation in the Best Drama Series category. The 2023 nominations give “Better Call Saul” 53 total Emmy nominations in its lifespan, including seven Best Drama Series nominations. (The sixth season was split between Emmy cycles.) No drama (or comedy for that matter) has ever earned that many nominations without a win — and no drama series has ever been recognized that many times in the top category without winning the award.

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“Saul” was a show that explored characters to mine themes of redemption, relationships, and humanity in nuanced ways. The show’s storytelling let moments breathe and trusted its audience. “Saul” was a richly rewarding slow burn. And it’s possibly the best-reviewed drama of the past decade. The final season scored 94 on Metacritic and 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s better than all drama series nominees this year on both metrics — including front-runner “Succession.” Since Season 2, “Saul” has received more than 85 on Metacritic. Since Season 1, 97 percent is the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score for a season (find a show more consistent and high). On IMDb, the show has a rating of 9.0 (again more than any of this year’s drama contenders).

But with “Succession” seemingly well ahead in Best Drama Series for its also-acclaimed final season, it looks unlikely that “Saul” will take out the top prize. This will arguably make “Better Call Saul” the greatest to never win Best Drama Series. So the series’ best chances to win likely lie with what became the heart of the show: the performances of Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn.

Throughout the series, Odenkirk portrayed Jimmy McGill, an endearing former con man trying to make a better life for himself. As he battles inner demons and a failure to earn approval from his older brother, he becomes the sleazy “criminal lawyer” Saul Goodman. We also saw glimpses into a greyscale future where Jimmy is living on the lam as a Cinnabon employee named Gene. Odenkirk’s episode submission is the series final, “Saul Gone” and it is one of the great TV performances of all time. It allows him to play the three versions of the character with depth. We see classic Saul as he runs rings around the prosecutors to get a sweet plea deal. We then see the powerhouse courtroom scene where he confesses his crimes. There is then pathos in the final scene with Kim.

This brings us to Seehorn, who plays Kim Wexler. This was a new character that had not been in “Breaking Bad.” She fast became a fan favorite. Over the years, Kim contended with expectations of being a successful attorney, her desire to help those in need of legal support, and her dark impulses for danger. In a heartbreaking scene, she breaks up with Jimmy because they were having “too much fun” without regard for those hurt. In her Emmy episode submission, “Waterworks,” we see her contend with the consequences of her sins in a heart-wrenching breakdown scene on a bus. The performance helped her earn our Gold Derby Award this month against stiff competition like fellow Emmy nominees Jennifer Coolidge and Meghann Fahy from “The White Lotus” and J. Smith-Cameron from “Succession.”

“Better Call Saul” has been largely overlooked by the Screen Actors Guild and other key guilds. This gives Emmy voters a rare opportunity: to be the award group of industry peers that takes ownership of recognizing one of the most critically acclaimed series of all time — just like they previously did with “Arrested Development” and “Friday Night Lights.” If not, we might see another addition to the great list of Emmy crimes along with Martin Sheen from “The West Wing” and Steve Carell from “The Office,” neither of whom was recognized for their beloved work. Ultimately, there would be no sweeter Emmy justice than for Odenkirk, Seehorn, and the series to go out of the Emmy ceremony as winners.

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