This Is The Right Way To Watch Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul

Better Call Saul did what many prequels and spinoffs failed to by delivering a show that was as good or perhaps even better than Breaking Bad, but it also created a question regarding the correct Breaking Bad watch order. As of now, the Breaking Bad universe consists of two shows and one movie.

Breaking Bad has 62 episodes in a total of five seasons, whereas the spinoff Better Call Saul has 63 episodes in a total of six seasons. The correct Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad watch order is crucial for understanding the entire Breaking Bad universe.

Better Call Saul is both a prequel and a sequel to Breaking Bad. The idea was that Better Call Saul would show Saul Goodman’s originstory, meaning that it was expected to cover Saul’s past only. However, in a clever twist, Better Call Saul started by following Saul Goodman after the Breaking Bad finale.

From then on, Better Call Saul could no longer be labeled as a simple prequel, as the show was very much continuing Breaking Bad’s story. Still, the vast majority of Better Call Saul takes place before Saul Goodman met “Mr. Mayhew” in Breaking Bad.

The Complete Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul Watch Order

Ultimately, the correct Breaking Bad watch order is based on the two shows’ series finale debuts and the movie’s release date. Breaking Bad was released in 2008 and ended in 2013. Meanwhile, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie was released in 2019, and Better Call Saul ran from 2015 to 2022. As intended by Vince Gilligan, the proper Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul watch order is as follows:

As for the black-and-white scenes in Better Call Saul featuring Jimmy McGill’s alter ego,Cinnabon manager Gene Takavic, these occur after the events of Breaking Bad. The juxtaposed presentation of Better Call Saul‘s two timelines slightly confused some viewers, but further confusion can be avoided by following the above Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul watch order, as everything comes together in the final parts of the saga.

Why Breaking Bad’s Chronological Watching Order Doesn’t Work

It is possible to watch Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie in perfect chronological order — though it’s not recommended. Some compilations list the Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul watch order fully chronologically, which should, in theory, offer the best viewing experience. However, a strict chronological order simply breaks the flow of both shows.

By jumping back and forth from Better Call Saul to Breaking Bad, anyone watching these shows for the first time would not get the full experience of either of them. Essentially, the pacing of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul is more important than any chronology.

Another problem with the strictly chronological Breaking Bad watch order is that most of Better Call Saul Gene’s scenes are placed in episodes that take place, for the most part, before Breaking Bad. For example, Better Call Saul’s first episode opens with a flash-forward to Saul’s life after Breaking Bad, only for it to “go back” and present viewers with Jimmy McGill.

For someone to watch Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul in chronological order, they would have to skip parts of a lot of Better Call Saul episodes. The result would be an inconsistent, badly paced watching experience of what are two incredible shows.

Better Call Saul’s Gene Moments Don’t Land Without Breaking Bad

Another option is to watch Better Call Saul before Breaking Bad. The problem, however, is that Better Call Saul is not entirely a prequel, with some flash-forward segments taking place during and after the events of Breaking Bad. Without the Gene scenes, watching Better Call Saul before Breaking Bad would be an interesting option.

Audiences would get the chance to follow Jimmy’s entire fall before meeting Saul in Breaking Bad, not to mention how characters like Gus and Mike become far more complex after what is revealed in Better Call Saul. Still, the Gene scenes play against this Breaking Bad watch order option. For someone who has never watched Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul’s black-and-white scenes wouldn’t make any sense.

It wouldn’t be difficult to infer that Gene was a wanted man, yet what exactly he’d done and how it connected to the story of Better Call Saul wouldn’t be so easy to deduce. Without Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul is “spoiled” from the spinoff’s first scene, knowing that Jimmy will get in trouble at some point. Plus, the later Gene scenes spoil most of Breaking Bad.

During Gene’s call to Francesca in Better Call Saul season 6, for example, the fates of Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, Gus Fring, and other Breaking Bad characters are discussed. Some moments during Better Call Saul season 6 work as a Breaking Bad epilogue, which is why watching Better Call Saul before Breaking Bad doesn’t work.

Granted, viewers can always skip the Gene scenes and keep them for later, but the result would be an inconsistent watch of both Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad.

Why You Should Watch Breaking Bad Before Better Call Saul

The best Breaking Bad watch order is to simply watch the original show before Better Call Saul. While Better Call Saul covers a lot of events involving Breaking Bad characters that happen before Walter White’s story begins, the best possible experience regarding this universe starts with Breaking Bad.

Indeed, that is how the “Breaking Bad universe” was envisioned in the first place – the story of Walter White. Characters like Saul or Mike were created to gravitate around Walter White and elevate Breaking Bad’s story, although they obviously became important characters on their own. The same applies to Gus, Jesse, and other Breaking Bad characters that appear in Better Call Saul.

Watching Breaking Bad first honors why and how that universe’s characters were created, which only makes Better Call Saul even more impressive. For example, Mike Ehrmantraut was created because Bob Odenkirk would not be available to shoot on a certain day. Therefore, Breaking Bad needed a new character to interact with Walt and Jesse during season 2’s “ABQ.”

A few years later, Jonathan Banks was a co-lead in Better Call Saul, with Mike often stealing the show in the spinoff series. Likewise, Saul Goodman is a mere plot device at first in Breaking Bad – far less layered and complex than Better Call Saul’s Jimmy McGill.

Following the Breaking Bad watch order, as intended by Vince Gilligan, informs audiences of who those characters are and what they are fighting for. In fact, Better Call Saul assumes that viewers have watched and remembered key moments in Breaking Bad. For example, when Gus first appears in Better Call Saul, those who have watched Breaking Bad know exactly why he’s doing what he’s doing.

Finally, seeing the worst of Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and then getting to know Jimmy McGill is an experience that outdoes any advantages of any modified Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul watch order.

How El Camino Fits Into Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul’s Watching Order

El Camino, a Breaking Bad spinoff movie, takes place after the events of Breaking Bad’s finale. In fact, after a key flashback, El Camino begins right where Breaking Bad left off, showing Jesse fleeing from the compound.

Therefore, it is recommended to watch El Camino right after finishingBreaking Bad, as the movie serves as an epilogue to the show. It is also recommended to watch El Camino before Better Call Saul, as one brief moment in Better Call Saul season 6 spoils El Camino’s ending.

Vince Gilligan Confirmed The Breaking Bad Universe Is Finished

Though many viewers feel there is more to be explored, Vince Gilligan confirmed the Breaking Bad universe is done with the end of Better Call Saul. Gilligan admitted that there is some temptation to return to these stories again, but acknowledged that it is important to know when it’s the right time to end the franchise: “I think there’s a certain point, and it’s hard to define, where you’ve done too much.“

As such, the Breaking Bad timeline as it exists now appears to be the complete timeline. Seeing the definitive end of this franchise will surely come as a disappointment for many fans. There were plenty of stories that audiences wanted to see explored, from the origin story of Gus Fring to seeing what Kim Wexler does with the rest of her life.

However, it is also easy to see Gilligan’s point in the matter. As popular as Breaking Bad and its spinoffs have been, there is a point where every story must end, and taking it too far can ruin the integrity of the things that the audience loved in the first place.

There’s A Chronological Watch Order For Repeat Viewings

While the best way to watch the Breaking Bad universe is in the proper release order, there is a chronological way of seeing the story unfold that could be fun for fans to experience on repeat viewings. Again, this is not the way the story was intended to be told and is not an approach that first-time viewers should take.

Given the way the shows, especially Better Call Saul, jump around in time, the watch order can be a little complicated:

The Breaking Bad Universe In Chronological Order:

The chronology of the Breaking Bad universe begins back in the first episode of Better Call Saul. Watching this in order, the viewer is introduced to Jimmy McGill, a lowly con artist who begins his journey of becoming a lawyer. The show would see Jimmy’s story unfolding as he meets Mike Ehrmantraut, develops a relationship with Kim Wexler, and struggles with his eccentric brother, Chuck.

The watch order would lead up to the final season of the show, where, in season 6, episode 9, Jimmy and Kim would go their separate ways, leading to him embracing his Saul Goodman persona.

The watch order would then switch to Breaking Bad, where the focus would shift to the journey of Walter White. Throughout the first season, he would form his partnership with Jesse Pinkman and begin his meth business. In season 2, episode 8, Walt and Jesse meet Saul Goodman, who becomes their lawyer.

His involvement in the series also brings in Better Call Saul characters like Mike and Gus Fring. In the final season of the show, Saul starts a new life with a new identity when Walt’s crimes become known, while Walt is killed saving Jesse from captivity.

The watch order then brings the viewer to El Camino, taking place in the direct aftermath of the Breaking Bad finale and detailing Jesse’s attempts to get out of town and go on the run. That movie ends with Jesse successfully making it to Alaska.

The watch order can then conclude with the remaining episodes of Better Call Saul‘s final season, which detail Jimmy’s life in hiding, his return to crime, and his eventual capture. Similar to the standard watch order, the Breaking Bad universe ends with Jimmy being sent to prison.

Of course, this watch order is not perfect as the shows and the movie feature flashbacks which complicate the timeline of events. However, for the best option to see the Breaking Baduniverse unfold chronologically, this is the watch order to follow.

How Long It Takes To Watch The Breaking Bad Franchise

Breaking Bad ran for 62 episodes and Better Call Saul ran for 63 episodes, for a total of 125 episodes, each about 45 minutes long (with some lengthier exceptions). That’s 5,625 minutes, or about 94 hours. Add El Camino’s 122-minute runtime and account for the special extra-long episodes, and you’re looking at about a 100-hour media binge.

Vince Gilligan Has Released His First Show Since Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul

While the Breaking Bad franchise might be over for good, that doesn’t mean Vince Gilligan is done making prestige TV shows. In November, Gilligan’s newest show, Pluribus, debuted on Apple TV+. Not only did Pluribus score rave reviews, but the sci-fi drama also got a season 2 renewal before the series even premiered.

The post-apocalyptic premise is a lot different from Gilligan’s past work, though it does share one major aspect in common. Better Call Saul‘s Rhea Seehorn serves as Pluribus‘ lead character, Carol. In fact, Seehorn earned a Golden Globe for her performance.

With the show becoming an instant hit with a bright future ahead on Apple TV, perhaps more familiar faces from the Breaking Bad universe will appear.