Sorry Breaking Bad, But Better Call Saul Has The Best Season Of The Whole Franchise
With Breaking Bad cementing itself as one of the best TV shows of all time, it seemed near impossible to match its best season, but somehow, Better Call Saul surpassed it. Following Breaking Bad‘s near-flawless five seasons was always going to be a tough ask, as the legendary series had very few bad episodes and remains the standard-bearer for modern television. However, Better Call Saul stepped up to the challenge and delivered a show that matched Breaking Bad‘s qualities and even exceeded them in some areas, making it arguably the best TV spinoff ever made.
The project contained some unforgettable episodes that gave Breaking Bad‘s “Ozymandias” a run for its money, and it somehow produced a season even better than Breaking Bad‘s final outing. Just like its predecessor, Better Call Saul created plenty of intense storylines heading into its final season, and each of them was perfectly wrapped up, giving its fascinating cast of characters the ideal send-off. While there’s still debate around whether Better Call Saul is truly better than Breaking Bad, the spinoff’s sixth and final season proves that, at its best, very few shows can compete with Vince Gilligan’s masterpiece.
Better Call Saul Season 6 Has Some Of The Franchise’s Greatest Episodes
“Plan and Execution” & “Rock and Hard Place” Are The Breaking Bad Universe At Its Best
Given how many incredible episodes the Breaking Bad universe has, it’s hard to really define which ones are undisputedly the best, but Better Call Saul season 6 certainly contains a few contenders. “Rock and Hard Place” wonderfully rounds off Nacho’s journey in the franchise, going from a throwaway line in the original show to one of the spinoff’s most important characters. Watching him desperately trying to avoid The Cousins was easily one of the tensest encounters in the series, culminating in him finally accepting and taking control of his fate in an emotional conclusion.
Better Call Saul season 6 has a 99% Tomatometer score and a 94% Popcommeter score.
“Plan and Execution” is another outlier and arguably the show’s best episode alongside “Chicanery”. Seeing the contrast between Jimmy and Kim’s scheme and Lalo’s criminal moves was a true reflection of how flawed Better Call Saul‘s central characters really were, as despite their differing intents, all three willingly destroyed other people’s lives for their own gain. The heartbreaking ending is easily one of the most shocking moments in the entire Breaking Bad universe, and the perfect way to end a timeless episode.
Better Call Saul season 6’s ending also rounded off Jimmy’s story in a way that was both fitting, bittersweet, and justified. Seeing the protagonist finally come to terms with the harm he’s caused and take full responsibility helped confirm Jimmy McGill as one of the best TV characters ever written, and it’s yet another example of how good the show’s final season is. Several other stand-out episodes combined to make season 6 a true work of art, and the Breaking Bad universe’s final chapter certainly lived up to the hype.
Better Call Saul Season 6 Didn’t Have A Single Weak Episode (No, Not Even “Nippy”)
Season 6 Was An Extremely Consistent Way To End The Show
While Better Call Saul season 6 may have a few lower-rated episodes than Breaking Bad season 5, none of the spinoff’s final episodes can be considered weak. Each of them serves a purpose to the wider narrative, and while some fans may point to “Nippy” as a slightly less interesting story, it is crucial to the show’s conclusion. It shifts the narrative into the future timeline introduced in the very first episode while proving that despite everything Jimmy has been through, he’s still the same conman and opportunist that he’s always been, regardless of how much he tries to change.
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Breaking Bad’s Underrated Sequel Did What Neither The Walter White Show Nor Better Call Saul Could
Breaking Bad’s sequel movie, El Camino, did something that nothing else in the franchise — not even Better Call Saul — was able to pull off.
Saul Goodman has always been Breaking Bad‘s criminal mastermind – something even season 6’s less memorable episodes pointed out – and “Nippy” proved that even in low-stakes circumstances, Jimmy can’t help but deceive those around him. The entire season also perfectly blends action, drama, and tragedy while finishing off each character’s story in the best possible manner. Some episodes may not feel quite as eventful as the higher-rated outings, but each of season 6’s entries proved worthwhile and captured the essence of what made Better Call Saul so good, cementing it as the franchise’s best season.
Better Call Saul’s Final Season Elevated The Show In A Way I Didn’t Think Was Possible
The Final 13 Episodes Tied The Story Together Nicely & Made The Series An All-Time Great
After five seasons, I thought I’d seen it all when it came to Better Call Saul, but season 6 elevated it even further. Between Breaking Bad, El Camino, and Better Call Saul‘s first five installments, it felt hard to do anything that would truly shock audiences, yet it was season 6 that convinced me the spinoff was arguably better than Breaking Bad and an all-time great. The shocking twists, full-circle moments, and stellar performances helped take the show and the franchise to new heights, proving just how influential season 6 was to the universe’s overarching story.
Better Call Saul always seemed destined to go down as a legendary piece of television, but after season 6, there’s no denying it’s among the very best shows ever created.
Additionally, the bold decision to move the story beyond Breaking Bad‘s ending and make the final few episodes feel so different was genius, and it had a huge impact on making them stand out. While I had full faith in Better Call Saul nailing its ending and living up to Breaking Bad‘s conclusion, the quality and writing still surpassed my high expectations, especially with the callbacks to the main show. Better Call Saul always seemed destined to go down as a legendary piece of television, but after season 6, there’s no denying it’s among the very best shows ever created.
Breaking Bad’s Final Season Was Perfect, But Better Call Saul’s Was Somehow Even Better
Better Call Saul Season 6 Eclipsing Breaking Bad Final Season Proves They Are Both Masterpieces
Topping Breaking Bad‘s final season was no easy task, given how incredible its final batch of episodes was. Still, Better Call Saul took this challenge in its stride and managed to overcome it. Breaking Bad rounded off its story perfectly, giving Walt the fate he spent so long trying to avoid while giving Jesse a chance at redemption, something El Camino cashed in on. However, it wasn’t just the finale that succeeded, as each episode provided gripping drama that seemed to only get better as the season came to a close, with “Ozymandias” earning a rare 10 IMDb score.
|
Breaking Bad Project |
Rotten Tomatoes (Critics) |
Rotten Tomatoes (Audience) |
|---|---|---|
|
Breaking Bad (2008) |
96% |
97% |
|
Better Call Saul (2015) |
98% |
96% |
|
El Camino (2019) |
92% |
81% |
Despite all this, Better Call Saul managed to create its own perfect season by tying everything up together nicely while paying homage to Breaking Bad in the process. Given fans already knew the fate of Mike and Gus, it felt impossible for Better Call Saul to replicate the high stakes of its predecessor, yet the spinoff was filled with tension and emotion throughout its entire sixth season.
While fans will always have their preference between the shows, Better Call Saul‘s sixth season managed to leave no stone unturned and provided Jimmy with an even more poetic conclusion than Walt, making the final installment a little bit better than Breaking Bad season 5 in the eyes of many.
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10/10
- Release Date
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2008 – 2012
- Showrunner
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Vince Gilligan
- Directors
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Vince Gilligan, Michelle Maclaren
- Writers
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Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, Vince Gilligan, George Mastras, Moira Walley-Beckett, Sam Catlin, Thomas Schnauz
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10/10
- Release Date
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2015 – 2021
- Showrunner
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Peter Gould
- Directors
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Vince Gilligan, Thomas Schnauz, Peter Gould, Michael Morris, Adam Bernstein, Colin Bucksey, John Shiban, Michelle MacLaren, Melissa Bernstein, Larysa Kondracki, Terry McDonough, Gordon Smith, Minkie Spiro, Jim McKay, Daniel Sackheim, Andrew Stanton, Norberto Barba, Rhea Seehorn, Scott Winant, Michael Slovis, Keith Gordon, Deborah Chow, Giancarlo Esposito, Bronwen Hughes
- Writers
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Ann Cherkis, Marion Dayre, Ariel Levine, Jonathan Glatzer
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