After a nearly two-year wait, “Better Call Saul” is finally returning for its sixth and final season.
The final season of the “Breaking Bad” prequel will be split into two batches, with the first 7 episodes debuting Monday, April 18 with back-to-back episodes at 9 p.m. ET, which will also be available on AMC+. “Saul” will return on July 11 for the remaining 6 episodes.
Additionally, AMC has ordered an animated digital series “Slippin’ Jimmy,” which follows the “misadventures” of a young Jimmy McGill and his friends in Chicago. Told in the style of classic 70s-era cartoons, each episode is an ode to a specific movie genre — from spaghetti westerns and Buster Keaton to “The Exorcist.”
The final season of “Better Call Saul” was delayed due both to the challenging nature of filming during COVID-19 and because star Bob Odenkirk suffered a heart attack on the set of the AMC series last summer. The final season of “Better Call Saul” began filming in New Mexico back in March of 2021 and was eyeing an early 2022 premiere on AMC.
According to AMC: “‘Better Call Saul’s’ final season concludes the complicated journey and transformation of its compromised hero, Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), into criminal lawyer Saul Goodman. From the cartel to the courthouse, from Albuquerque to Omaha, season six tracks Jimmy, Saul and Gene as well as Jimmy’s complex relationship with Kim (Rhea Seehorn), who is in the midst of her own existential crisis. Meanwhile, Mike (Jonathan Banks), Gus (Giancarlo Esposito), Nacho (Michael Mando) and Lalo (Tony Dalton) are locked into a game of cat and mouse with mortal stakes.”
Since reprising his role as con-man lawyer Saul Goodman in the prequel spinoff series to “Breaking Bad,” Odenkirk has earned four Golden Globe nominations for best actor in a television series drama, and four Emmy nominations for outstanding lead actor in a drama series. The upcoming sixth season has been announced as the show’s last, with the final episodes set to wrap up the story of Jimmy McGill’s transformation into Saul Goodman.
“In my eyes, this is our most ambitious, surprising and, yes, heartbreaking season. Even under incredibly challenging circumstances, the whole ‘Saul’ team — writers, cast, producers, directors and crew — have outdone themselves. I couldn’t be more excited to share what we’ve accomplished together,” said Showrunner and Executive Producer Peter Gould.
“Vince, Peter and Bob took the question, ‘Why would you ever try to follow one of the most celebrated and beloved shows in television history with a sequel’ and they answered it on every possible level, with truly extraordinary results,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “Saul Goodman has been a central character on AMC for more than a decade, and he really livens up the place. Profound appreciation and respect for Vince, Peter, Bob, Rhea, Jonathan, Giancarlo, Patrick, Michael and everyone else responsible for this remarkable series, which has earned its place alongside ‘Breaking Bad’ in the hearts and minds of millions of fans and in the pantheon of great television. As we approach these final episodes, it truly is S’all good, man.”
Odenkirk had previously teased to TheWrap that the final season will feature a long-awaited payoff for Jimmy/Saul’s post-“Breaking Bad” life as Gene Takovic. The AMC drama star says we’ll see a lot more of the unassuming and mustached manager of an Omaha-area Cinnabon in the final chapter of “Better Call Saul” than just those black-and-white scenes that have previously opened each season.
“I do, yea. I think we will,” Odenkirk said. “You’re going to see a lot of insanity, as the wheels come off the cart.”
Along with Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul” stars Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando, Tony Dalton and Giancarlo Esposito. The drama is executive produced by Peter Gould, Vince Gilligan, Mark Johnson, Melissa Bernstein and Thomas Schnauz and hails from Sony Pictures Television.