There’s no doubting it, binge-watching is the latest craze to sweep the planet, with many consumers choosing to watch their television all in one sitting, cracking out an entire series in less than 24 hours. Of course, there are lots of shows, like The Walking Dead, Game Of Thrones and the new HBO show Vinyl, choosing to drip feed episodes every week, but many avid watchers are choosing to ‘save up’ a bunch of episodes, and consume them all at once.
The binge-watch can probably be credited to the huge success of the massive TV show Breaking Bad. The Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul-led show spanned five seasons from 2008-2013, and a huge 62 episodes. It was ground-breaking television, both in terms of quality (its screenwriting, acting and direction were near flawless), and how we watch TV in general. Most people came to the TV series late, and with multiple seasons available immediately on the streaming service Netflix, keen viewers tucked in by watching multiple episodes in one sitting. The film concluded in 2013 with every single plot thread sewn up quite nicely, but fans screamed and screamed for more.
In 2013, creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould announced that they were planning a spin-off prequel to Breaking Bad, and in February 2014, Better Call Saul hit AMC in the United States, and on Netflix around the world. While each episode was drip-fed onto the streaming service each week, the show has proven to be equally as popular as Breaking Bad, and so far, has had a second and third season commissioned.
Better Call Saul focusses on Breaking Bad‘s seedy lawyer Saul Goodman, who is introduced in the spin-off as Jimmy McGill, played once again by Bob Odenkirk. We were first introduced to Saul in season two of Breaking Bad when Jesse’s friend Badger Mayhew is arrested during a police sting for selling methamphetamine. Jesse and Walter White contact Saul for legal representation and offer Saul $10,000 to keep Badger from talking to the DEA, which he immediately refuses. So, Walt and Jesse kidnap Saul and take him to the desert to threaten him, and a new, iconic character is born.
The success of Better Call Saul is, once again, down to the superb storytelling and character development. A stand-out is Bingo, the seventh episode in season one. In many of the episodes, Saul/ Jimmy is seen trawling retirement homes and offering to stage bingo contests for the residents. Let’s not forget, this is all set in the 1990s, before the rise of online bingo websites like BingoMania.com where people were able to play over the internet. No, here Jimmy lavishly spends his time setting up a stage where he calls out numbers manually. The episode is a highlight, and pivotal to the very first season of the show.
In Better Call Saul, we are also re-introduced to Jonathan Banks’ Mike Ehrmantraut, who is as important to the show as the title character. He comes into his own in season two, while has just completed its run on AMC and Netflix.
With season three of Better Call Saul due in 2017, its popularity is set to grow and grow, and with other shows joining its lead, including Sky Atlantic’s The Tunnel: Sabotage currently airing in the U.K. allowing the public to view all on-demand, or wait for its weekly broadcast, the trend will certianly continue. How we view TV is changing – mostly for the better. We can’t wait for the next wave…
