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Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill: The Complete Critical Companion to Better Call Saul
The complete critical companion to AMC’s Emmy- and Golden Globe–nominated series Better Call Saul from the author of Breaking Bad 101 and The Sopranos Sessions Across six critically acclaimed seasons, Better Call Saul surprised audiences and subverted Breaking Bad fans’ expectations for what a prequel/sequel series could be. Bob Odenkirk reprised his role as the morally compromised defensive attorney and revealed the tragic and inevitable downfall of Jimmy McGill, a small-time con artist with big dreams and even bigger schemes. Audiences were introduced to now iconic characters, including Rhea Seahorn’s Kim and Michael McKean’s Chuck, as well as villains like Tony Dalton’s Lalo, who rivaled Breaking Bad’s most sinister creations. In Saul Goodman v. Jimmy The Better Call Saul Critical Companion collects chief TV critic at Rolling Stone Alan Sepinwall’s critical essays on every episode of the Emmy- and Golden Globe–nominated series. Sepinwall covered Better Call Saul from start to finish, and conducted exhaustive interviews with creator Vince Gilligan and stars Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seahorn, reproduced here alongside new interviews with series cocreator Peter Gould. Timed to the 10th anniversary of the first season, this ultimate companion book, and follow-up to Breaking Bad 101, serves as a guide to the series’ greatness and place in pop-culture history as fan’s kickoff celebratory rewatches and new fans discover the series for the first time.
- GenresNonfictionTvPop Culture
320 pages, Hardcover
Published February 4, 2025
44 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
About the author
Alan Sepinwall
9 books249 followersAlan Sepinwall has been writing about television since the 1990s, first as an online reviewer of "NYPD Blue," then as a TV critic for The Star-Ledger (Tony Soprano's hometown paper), then running the popular blog What's Alan Watching? on HitFix.com and Uproxx.com, now as chief TV critic for Rolling Stone and RollingStone.com. Sepinwall's episode-by-episode approach to reviewing his favorite TV shows "changed the nature of television criticism," according to Slate, which called him "the acknowledged king of the form." He is the author of many books about television, including "The Revolution Was Televised," "TV (THE BOOK)," "Breaking Bad 101," "The Sopranos Sessions," and "Welcome to The O.C.: The Oral History."
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 26, 2025
More like 4.5 stars. I’ve always enjoyed Alan Sepinwall’s TV reviews and read them regularly. “Better Call Saul” is one of my favorite shows and it was great to have all of Alan’s reviews in one handy place. But the thing that makes this book even better is all the tidbits in the footnotes and in interviews with cast members as well as creators Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan. I learned a lot more about “BCS” than I ever expected.
If you love “Better Call Saul” and/or were fully immersed in the “Breaking Bad”/“BCS” universe, this book is a must-read.
If you love “Better Call Saul” and/or were fully immersed in the “Breaking Bad”/“BCS” universe, this book is a must-read.
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June 3, 2025Un análisis exhaustivo que me hace apreciar aún más una de mis series favoritas.
July 17, 2025
Incredibly thorough guide to one of the greatest television shows in American history.
March 7, 2025
[more like 3.5 stars]
Very much like its predecessor. The recaps are about as good, but it’s not quite as brimming with behind-the-scenes insights. There are a good handful though, and the final interview with Peter Gould is just about worth the price of admission.
Very much like its predecessor. The recaps are about as good, but it’s not quite as brimming with behind-the-scenes insights. There are a good handful though, and the final interview with Peter Gould is just about worth the price of admission.
gave-up-on
March 25, 2025DNF at 22%
I went into this hoping to get further insight about the beloved TV show 'Better Call Saul’, but I was extremely disappointed. It's definitely my fault because I didn't look into what this book was at all other than the title and what's on the cover, so that's my bad. This is a really insightful reference guide to the show, and it gives really good TLDRs about what each episode is about and points out easter eggs and other references to other episodes of Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. While I did love Better Call Saul (more than I ever enjoyed Breaking Bad), this book was not written for casual fans like myself. There was nothing necessarily wrong with this book; it just wasn't for me.
Thank you to Abrams Press for providing me with an eBook copy to review on NetGalley.
I went into this hoping to get further insight about the beloved TV show 'Better Call Saul’, but I was extremely disappointed. It's definitely my fault because I didn't look into what this book was at all other than the title and what's on the cover, so that's my bad. This is a really insightful reference guide to the show, and it gives really good TLDRs about what each episode is about and points out easter eggs and other references to other episodes of Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. While I did love Better Call Saul (more than I ever enjoyed Breaking Bad), this book was not written for casual fans like myself. There was nothing necessarily wrong with this book; it just wasn't for me.
Thank you to Abrams Press for providing me with an eBook copy to review on NetGalley.
April 14, 2025
Alan Sepinwall is probably the foremost critic of the Golden Age of Television, so I think it is fitting that he has written a book about the show that, in my view, marks the end of TVs Golden Age.
Historian will debate exactly when the Golden Age began and ended, but I think that two reasonable benchmarks are the span between two most recent writers strikes (2007-2023) and the last episode of The Sopranos to the finale of Better Call Saul (2007-2022).
While "The Sopranos" and its lighter companion "Sex and the City" heavily influenced the Golden Age, I would argue that the Golden Age is defined by responses to these two shows on the drama/dramedy side and responses to 30Rock and Louie (2006/2010) on the comedy side.
The writers strike of 2023 was precipitated by changing economics of streaming and one of its causes--opaque viewership data--also led Wall Street to force streamers to add advertising to their content, thus ending the first era of streaming. In short, the types of shows that garnered niche audiences and critical acclaim were no longer going to work in this never environment and so TV is now bigger and broader.
Though "Better Call Saul" aired on cable (as did Mad Men and Breaking Bad, two other defining works of the Golden Age) it exemplifies all that is great about so-called prestige television, a kind of show that has since been displaced by "prestigurals" which incorporate broader elements of traditional broadcast television.
"Better Call Saul," like Breaking Bad before it, was a crime show (though this one was more legal drama than cops and robbers), but it specialized in type of heavily-serialized, cinematic, sometimes-low-stakes, patient, intellectual storytelling that was unheard of on TV before The Sopranos and has begun to disappear again (despite a few shows like The White Lotus miraculously still getting on the air). The show also exemplifies the "Difficult Man" style of prestige drama with a mysterious, troubled, morally grey characters destined to win Emmys for their actors at its center.
"Saul" is not only a perfect example of these two television tendencies, it is also one of the greatest shows of all time, and so it is worthy of the kind of exhaustive attention Sepinwall (and generally only Sepinwall in terms of publishing books) is capable of lavishing on a show he loves. This book includes recaps of every episode that he was paid to write at various publications and in-depth interviews with writers and stars of the show. It should be noted that with the demolition of digital media in the last half-decade or so, critics who are paid to write this sort of thing are in even shorter supply than the shows they once wrote about.
The writing, directing, and performances of "Better Call Saul" are so intoxicatingly precise, you are bound to get wrapped up in the show like a good audience member should. As a result, it is difficult to pull yourself back and analyze it. Thankfully, Sepinwall's work here functions a kind of textbook for the series, inviting you to join him as he pulls apart character relationships, traces story arcs, and teases out key themes of the show. By taking on the brick-by-brick structure of the episodic recap, but periodically tying the work together with sweeping interviews, "Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McCall" lets you look under the hood at a show that is meant to run without any pit stops. Sepinwall is particularly adept at analyzing the Jimmy-Kim and Jimmy-Chuck relationships that are so central to the show with the kind of under-the-microscope literary analysis they deserve.
I don't want to be as pessimistic as to say that we won't see a show as good as "Better Call Saul" again (in my view White Lotus is an equal), but Sepinwall's book does remind us of all the reasons we hit the high-water mark of Saul, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad when we did. These shows had experienced writers in large writers rooms with access to excellent character actors supported by networks with a long leash. Additionally, the series sits on the shoulders of a kind of crime/legal drama that dates back to the 70s, and this work feels at once in dialogue with and transcendent of that kind of show. Not only was the show a masterpiece, it was an exemplar of a time and a place for an artform.
I am not sure if we will see the like of "Better Call Saul" again, but I am glad that its triumph has received a worthy chronicler.
Historian will debate exactly when the Golden Age began and ended, but I think that two reasonable benchmarks are the span between two most recent writers strikes (2007-2023) and the last episode of The Sopranos to the finale of Better Call Saul (2007-2022).
While "The Sopranos" and its lighter companion "Sex and the City" heavily influenced the Golden Age, I would argue that the Golden Age is defined by responses to these two shows on the drama/dramedy side and responses to 30Rock and Louie (2006/2010) on the comedy side.
The writers strike of 2023 was precipitated by changing economics of streaming and one of its causes--opaque viewership data--also led Wall Street to force streamers to add advertising to their content, thus ending the first era of streaming. In short, the types of shows that garnered niche audiences and critical acclaim were no longer going to work in this never environment and so TV is now bigger and broader.
Though "Better Call Saul" aired on cable (as did Mad Men and Breaking Bad, two other defining works of the Golden Age) it exemplifies all that is great about so-called prestige television, a kind of show that has since been displaced by "prestigurals" which incorporate broader elements of traditional broadcast television.
"Better Call Saul," like Breaking Bad before it, was a crime show (though this one was more legal drama than cops and robbers), but it specialized in type of heavily-serialized, cinematic, sometimes-low-stakes, patient, intellectual storytelling that was unheard of on TV before The Sopranos and has begun to disappear again (despite a few shows like The White Lotus miraculously still getting on the air). The show also exemplifies the "Difficult Man" style of prestige drama with a mysterious, troubled, morally grey characters destined to win Emmys for their actors at its center.
"Saul" is not only a perfect example of these two television tendencies, it is also one of the greatest shows of all time, and so it is worthy of the kind of exhaustive attention Sepinwall (and generally only Sepinwall in terms of publishing books) is capable of lavishing on a show he loves. This book includes recaps of every episode that he was paid to write at various publications and in-depth interviews with writers and stars of the show. It should be noted that with the demolition of digital media in the last half-decade or so, critics who are paid to write this sort of thing are in even shorter supply than the shows they once wrote about.
The writing, directing, and performances of "Better Call Saul" are so intoxicatingly precise, you are bound to get wrapped up in the show like a good audience member should. As a result, it is difficult to pull yourself back and analyze it. Thankfully, Sepinwall's work here functions a kind of textbook for the series, inviting you to join him as he pulls apart character relationships, traces story arcs, and teases out key themes of the show. By taking on the brick-by-brick structure of the episodic recap, but periodically tying the work together with sweeping interviews, "Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McCall" lets you look under the hood at a show that is meant to run without any pit stops. Sepinwall is particularly adept at analyzing the Jimmy-Kim and Jimmy-Chuck relationships that are so central to the show with the kind of under-the-microscope literary analysis they deserve.
I don't want to be as pessimistic as to say that we won't see a show as good as "Better Call Saul" again (in my view White Lotus is an equal), but Sepinwall's book does remind us of all the reasons we hit the high-water mark of Saul, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad when we did. These shows had experienced writers in large writers rooms with access to excellent character actors supported by networks with a long leash. Additionally, the series sits on the shoulders of a kind of crime/legal drama that dates back to the 70s, and this work feels at once in dialogue with and transcendent of that kind of show. Not only was the show a masterpiece, it was an exemplar of a time and a place for an artform.
I am not sure if we will see the like of "Better Call Saul" again, but I am glad that its triumph has received a worthy chronicler.
April 17, 2025
As I'm pretty sure I have already established in my recent review of the 'Better Call Saul and Philosophy' book I read, Better Call Saul is one of my favourite pieces of media ever created. Bursting not only with creativity, but plentiful emotional intelligence.
I never got to see the show week to week, year after year, instead only seeing it all for the first time in one go. But the structure of this book allowed me to experience the show from the perspective that feels close to how it would've been watching it over an extended period of time. The book basically goes one episode at a time, spending a few pages on each - allowing each step of this massive journey to be given due time for discussion. It is such a good way to break up the book and feels only natural when discussing a show of this magnitude and complexity. Breaking it up into seasons and including various interviews and discussions with the cast and crew of the show does wonders for the pacing, and the placement of these extra sections is always appropriate for what episode the book has just finished discussing.
Considering that each piece is an actual piece of writing from when each episode aired that has since been edited in different ways (mostly in footnotes), it means that I could read back on how somebody perceived the show without the full picture which is just so interesting, but the author also gave plenty of time to reflect on his early impressions of the show given the full context.
There are so many fascinating tidbits in here. Beyond incredible production facts, and insights into the minds of the creatives behind the project, Sepinwall also notes many parallels between character arcs, storylines, and even just links between Better Call Saul and its parent show, Breaking Bad, which I hadn't previously considered.
My biggest takeaway from this is how human the creative process behind this show really was. They really just let the characters guide them, as there are so many stories told here about how they started the show with no idea of where it was going and just felt their way through it. There didn't seem to be a roadmap at all, and the fact that it worked out so well is a testament to these writers. To have made these arcs feel so thorough and thematically whole is a huge feat. It also sheds light on what a collaborative effort this was. It shows that it's never just one person making these decisions, but it extends to other crew members, actors, and even fans to guide Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, and Thomas Schnauz through this process.
I truly couldn't put this down. I can see the structure being tiring for people who aren't familiar with each episode and have only seen the whole thing once or twice. But I've seen the show all the way through five times now, have seen many episodes countless times just by themselves, and have spent lots of time reading and watching things to do with each episode (breakdowns and the like). My familiarity and love for this show made this book irresistible to me. I was genuinely sad when I finished it.
I never got to see the show week to week, year after year, instead only seeing it all for the first time in one go. But the structure of this book allowed me to experience the show from the perspective that feels close to how it would've been watching it over an extended period of time. The book basically goes one episode at a time, spending a few pages on each - allowing each step of this massive journey to be given due time for discussion. It is such a good way to break up the book and feels only natural when discussing a show of this magnitude and complexity. Breaking it up into seasons and including various interviews and discussions with the cast and crew of the show does wonders for the pacing, and the placement of these extra sections is always appropriate for what episode the book has just finished discussing.
Considering that each piece is an actual piece of writing from when each episode aired that has since been edited in different ways (mostly in footnotes), it means that I could read back on how somebody perceived the show without the full picture which is just so interesting, but the author also gave plenty of time to reflect on his early impressions of the show given the full context.
There are so many fascinating tidbits in here. Beyond incredible production facts, and insights into the minds of the creatives behind the project, Sepinwall also notes many parallels between character arcs, storylines, and even just links between Better Call Saul and its parent show, Breaking Bad, which I hadn't previously considered.
My biggest takeaway from this is how human the creative process behind this show really was. They really just let the characters guide them, as there are so many stories told here about how they started the show with no idea of where it was going and just felt their way through it. There didn't seem to be a roadmap at all, and the fact that it worked out so well is a testament to these writers. To have made these arcs feel so thorough and thematically whole is a huge feat. It also sheds light on what a collaborative effort this was. It shows that it's never just one person making these decisions, but it extends to other crew members, actors, and even fans to guide Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, and Thomas Schnauz through this process.
I truly couldn't put this down. I can see the structure being tiring for people who aren't familiar with each episode and have only seen the whole thing once or twice. But I've seen the show all the way through five times now, have seen many episodes countless times just by themselves, and have spent lots of time reading and watching things to do with each episode (breakdowns and the like). My familiarity and love for this show made this book irresistible to me. I was genuinely sad when I finished it.
January 16, 2026
"Better Call Saul" is better than "Breaking Bad". Sure, BB came first and had a bigger cultural impact, but also had bizarre subplots that dragged on for years (Marie's kleptomania, any scene with Ted Beneke). BCS got off to a weak start but every season was better than the one before, the characters sharper, the finale more satisfying (Walt gets his revenge but doesn't change). This is my personal opinion and not your truth, but Alan Sepinwall goes a good way toward making my case for me.
This is not an episode guide, it's a critical commentary on each episode. No airdates, no plot synopses, no guest cast lists. Kimmy and Jim were defined in large part on TV by what movies they watched and quoted, and part of me wanted an encyclopedic catalog of all the references, rather than the occasional footnote. But that's on me, not Alan.
The reason I don't give 5 stars is the same reason I tired of reading BCS recaps back in the day. Sepinwall for every single episode ponders how much closer Jimmy is to becoming Saul. For me that is not what BCS was about (I loved Saul on BB not solely because he was a funny scoundrel, but because he always gave sound legal advice, even if for criminals). Sepinwall is too caught up in the destination to enjoy the journey, and sometimes his pocket psychoanalysis of where Character X was at Moment Y, grated on me.
But the larger truth is, this is the best book in town when it comes to a critical appreciation of BCS, and I'm here for it. Plus, although (oddly) not listed in the table of contents, there are tons of interviews sprinkled in between episode capsules, and these are worth their weight in gold. The final 35-page interview with Peter Gould is worth six stars, not five.
This is not an episode guide, it's a critical commentary on each episode. No airdates, no plot synopses, no guest cast lists. Kimmy and Jim were defined in large part on TV by what movies they watched and quoted, and part of me wanted an encyclopedic catalog of all the references, rather than the occasional footnote. But that's on me, not Alan.
The reason I don't give 5 stars is the same reason I tired of reading BCS recaps back in the day. Sepinwall for every single episode ponders how much closer Jimmy is to becoming Saul. For me that is not what BCS was about (I loved Saul on BB not solely because he was a funny scoundrel, but because he always gave sound legal advice, even if for criminals). Sepinwall is too caught up in the destination to enjoy the journey, and sometimes his pocket psychoanalysis of where Character X was at Moment Y, grated on me.
But the larger truth is, this is the best book in town when it comes to a critical appreciation of BCS, and I'm here for it. Plus, although (oddly) not listed in the table of contents, there are tons of interviews sprinkled in between episode capsules, and these are worth their weight in gold. The final 35-page interview with Peter Gould is worth six stars, not five.
February 22, 2025
This was a really fun read. There’s a little summary and commentary on each episode of the show, with interesting (and sometimes funny) footnotes adding further details about actors, references, or behind the scenes information. There are also lots of interviews with actors and crew placed throughout the book at their most relevant times. The interviews were some of my favorite parts for sure.
If you love the show, this is worth a read!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
If you love the show, this is worth a read!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
October 3, 2025
wonderful analysis of an incredible show. i knew sepinwall from Breaking Bad 101, another great book, and i followed along the show with his weekly reviews as we watched it, so i knew id have to buy any Saul book the guy put out.
the interviews and opinions exist piecemeal in sepinwalls back catalogue, but its nice to have them all in one place, especially with the extra polishing and new stuff that gets added here.
overall recommended to any fan of the show.
the interviews and opinions exist piecemeal in sepinwalls back catalogue, but its nice to have them all in one place, especially with the extra polishing and new stuff that gets added here.
overall recommended to any fan of the show.
June 14, 2025
Very close to 5 stars.
I loved reading the reviews, the footnotes and insights, and especially the interviews with the actors and showrunner Peter Gould.
However, and for the life of me I don't know why, reading Breaking Bad 101 was a bit more fun for me, personally.
Still, I really liked this one, and I love the show.
I loved reading the reviews, the footnotes and insights, and especially the interviews with the actors and showrunner Peter Gould.
However, and for the life of me I don't know why, reading Breaking Bad 101 was a bit more fun for me, personally.
Still, I really liked this one, and I love the show.
January 27, 2025
I enjoyed reading all of the episode reviews in one place. The supplemental interviews represented nice additions.
I found the physical book tough to read, especially the footnote fonts. I suspect that the publisher hard-capped the page count. I don't blame the author for this.
I found the physical book tough to read, especially the footnote fonts. I suspect that the publisher hard-capped the page count. I don't blame the author for this.
July 13, 2025
An absolutely fantastic dive into every episode of Better Call Saul. Sepinwall is able to dig into the Chuck/Jimmy relationship while being sympathetic to both divisive characters. Brilliant writing. Don't overlook the footnotes!
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January 28, 2025abrams book
May 1, 2025
Not sure what more you could want as a companion book.
June 18, 2025
Amazing. 307 pages discussing why BCS is peak
July 20, 2025
Fun to grapple with the details with these ep-by-ep essays. Wrapped together with some interviews and such.
September 12, 2025
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of returning to this universe.
October 3, 2025
if you want to read a bunch of recaps of a show you already watched, this is your book. if you don't, there are like 4 interviews, none of which are particularly enlightening.
December 11, 2025
Ietwat eentonig, maar wel leuk voor fans van de serie.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews