Just as fans are really starting to amp themselves up for Better Call Saul’s sixth and final season, the series’ stars are saying goodbye. Bob Odenkirk shared a message with fans on social media on February 10, a day after filming wrapped on the Breaking Bad prequel, that summed up the seven-year journey Better Call Saul’s cast and crew have completed.
A Breaking Bad spinoff for the scene-stealing Saul Goodman seemed like a no-brainer after Bryan Cranston’s AMC drama wrapped in 2013. While bringing over some other Breaking Bad fan favorites — namely Giancarlo Esposito’s intimidating chicken man Gus Fring and Jonathan Banks’ Mike Ehrmantraut — Better Call Saul has always stood on its own merits (some might even prefer the prequel).
Fans didn’t need to have seen the flagship drama in order to enjoy Bob Odenkirk’s transformation from the hapless Jimmy McGill into Saul Goodman, and that’s exactly what the star is talking about in the recent Instagram message to fans.
It began with great writing, Bob Odenkirk says, and there can be little doubt in fans’ minds that it will end the same way. It’s not mentioned specifically, but certainly one of those challenges that the Better Call Saul crew had to overcome was the heart attack Odenkirk suffered on set when the filming of Season 6 began in July 2021. Production was able to continue on scenes without Odenkirk as the longtime comedy actor recovered.
Fans of Better Call Saul and of Bob Odenkirk himself have been more than relieved at the actor’s continued recovery, and it looks like he’s staying healthy, as his Instagram photo with co-star Rhea Seehorn appears to show the two on a hike.
The amount of joy I feel at seeing Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn hanging out together after filming ended cannot be described, and certainly a part of that is the big question mark hanging over Kim Wexler’s head ahead of the final season.
While Saul, Gus, and Mike will all continue their deeds in Breaking Bad, Kim was a new character to the universe as Jimmy’s colleague and love interest. We don’t know what the end of the prequel series will bring for the indomitable Kim Wexler, but we know she doesn’t seem to exist in Saul’s world in Breaking Bad, nor with Gene — Saul’s post-Breaking Bad identity shown sparingly in Better Call Saul flash-forwards.
AMC recently announced the premiere date for Better Call Saul’s final season, first dropping hints in a suspenseful teaser featuring the killer Cousins, before confirming that the first seven episodes will kick off on April 18, and the six-episode second half will start July 11.
As Bob Odenkirk has finished filming for Better Call Saul, he’s also already lined up his next project, and longtime fans are excited about this one. Odenkirk is reuniting with his Mr. Show co-creator David Cross for Guru Nation on Paramount+. The basic premise for Guru Nation will see Odenkirk and Cross facing off as rival gurus who have both been successful with “manipulating the minds” of their brainwashed tribes. It sounds a little weird, but for these two, the weirder, the better.
For now, however, my focus is solely on Better Call Saul’s final season. Will Season 6 answer all of our questions? Might we see a young Jesse Pinkman or Walter White make a cameo, or any other Breaking Bad stars? I guess we’ll find out April 18! Better Call Saul will premiere Monday, April 18, on AMC. Check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what other premieres are coming soon.
