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Better Call Saul season 6

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The upcoming sixth and final season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul is expected to premiere in early 2022 in the United States, and will consist of 13 episodes split into two parts. This will be the highest number of episodes in a season, as the previous seasons each ran 10 episodes. Better Call Saul is a spin-off prequel of Breaking Bad created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Bob Odenkirk (Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman), Jonathan Banks (Mike Ehrmantraut), Rhea Seehorn (Kim Wexler), Patrick Fabian (Howard Hamlin), Michael Mando (Nacho Varga), Tony Dalton (Lalo Salamanca), and Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fring) will reprise their roles from previous seasons.

Better Call Saul
Season 6
Starring
Release
Original networkAMC
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 5
List of episodes

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul characters
 
 
 
Bob Odenkirk (Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman), Jonathan Banks (Mike Ehrmantraut), and Rhea Seehorn (Kim Wexler)
 
 
 
 
Patrick Fabian (Howard Hamlin), Michael Mando (Nacho Varga), Tony Dalton (Lalo Salamanca), and Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fring)

Production

Development

In January 2020, AMC renewed Better Call Saul for a sixth season. Showrunner Peter Gould and AMC representatives confirmed it would be the series' final season and consist of 13 episodes,[1] higher than the usual 10.[6] This will bring the series' final episode count to 63, one more than its predecessor Breaking Bad. Gould stated, "From the beginning when we started this, I think all our hopes and dreams were to be able to tell the whole story ... and make it to be a complete story from beginning to end [...] We're going to try like hell to stick the landing of these 63 episodes."[1] Giancarlo Esposito had previously speculated in April 2019 that the series would end with a sixth season because it was the "comfortable way" to do so, similar to how Breaking Bad's fifth and final season was split into two halves, giving the feel that the latter half was the sixth season.[7] Gould said he initially doubted how he could do 13 episodes because the 10-episode count of previous seasons proved physically demanding for him, but executive producer and writer Thomas Schnauz convinced him to go for 13, saying, "You'll know it's the last 13 so you'll see the barn in the distance. You'll be like the horse that gallops down the last bit."[8]

Writing

In February 2020, Gould suggested the sixth season would explore Saul Goodman's flashforwards as Gene Takavic to a greater extent than previous seasons.[9] By April 2020, scripting for the season had already begun. Gould did not want the season to be anticlimactic, and to deliver a satisfactory conclusion to Better Call Saul, he brought Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan to the writer's room "for a good chunk of the season [...] so we can finish this show that we started together."[4] Gould later said, "Anybody who watches the show carefully and is thinking about where this is all going, one of the questions you have to ask yourself is: 'What does this man deserve?' [...] Not just: 'What's going to happen to him?,' but 'What would be a deserving end to this? Does Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman/Gene Takovic [sic] deserve death? Does he deserve love? What would be the most fitting end for this guy – for the show?' Obviously the end for everybody is death, but that may not be where we leave this guy. Is there any way for him to win any redemption after everything that he's done?".[10] He added that once viewers finish watching the season, they would see Breaking Bad in "a very different light".[11] By December 2020, scripting was still not complete, with Gould saying the writers having to communicate through Zoom, rather than in person, was like "trying to dance in quick sand".[12]

During filming of the season, series star Bob Odenkirk said that Gould told him that "when Better Call Saul is done it will shed new light... you will see Breaking Bad and the story of Breaking Bad in a different way", comparing to its final season where Gilligan had "start[ed] knocking things down and start[ed] lighting fires and burning everything down".[13]

Filming

COVID-19 delays

In April 2020, Michael Mando and Tony Dalton said filming was scheduled to begin that September, but both were unsure if it would be delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[5][14] Rhea Seehorn said in July that filming would not begin until it was safe to do so.[15] In August, producer Mark Johnson said the pandemic could limit where the series films by eschewing specific indoor locations: "Like a lot of other people, we're going to have to be very creative in where and how we shoot [...] . A lot of places just won't let you in [...] We don't want everything to be a chamber piece".[16] In the same month, Gould said there was no scheduled date to start filming and that it was unlikely to happen in 2020 due to the pandemic. He added that while Sony Pictures Television was doing "everything humanly" possible for the series to resume filming safely, "I think we are probably going to delay a little bit unfortunately."[17] In October, Esposito said filming would begin in March 2021,[18] which was echoed by Odenkirk in February 2021.[19] Filming began on March 10, 2021, in New Mexico,[20][21] each episode was expected to take about three weeks to film,[13] and production was predicted to last roughly eight months.[22]

Odenkirk's on-set collapse

On July 27, 2021, Odenkirk collapsed on set and was rushed to a nearby hospital; his representatives said the next day that he had suffered from a heart-related incident but was now in a stable condition.[23][24] Odenkirk later confirmed he did suffer a heart attack but had been treated without surgery. He planned to take a short break from filming, requiring production to make some schedule changes to accommodate this.[25] In mid-August, Dalton stated that scenes not involving Odenkirk were being filmed, but Odenkirk had not yet been given clearance to return.[26] Odenkirk confirmed by early September 2021 that he was back on set filming.[27]

Averted IATSE strike

In October 2021, a potential strike by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) would have resulted in all productions in the New Mexico film and television industry shutting down, including Better Call Saul.[28] On October 16, 2021, a tentative agreement was made before the deadline between IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, temporarily averting a strike.[29] The contract was ratified by IATSE members on November 15, 2021, ending all prospects of a strike and allowing production to continue without interruption.[30]

Broadcast

When the sixth season was ordered in January 2020, it was scheduled to premiere in 2021.[1] However, in April 2020, Gilligan said that would depend on whether the cast and crew would be able to film in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[31] In February 2021, AMC confirmed that the sixth season would likely premiere in the first quarter of 2022.[32] Gould's preference is to have all 13 episodes of the sixth season aired weekly and not for the season to be split in any manner; however, AMC ultimately decides the scheduling.[11] In early November, Variety reported that the season would "air over two halves".[33]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Porter, Rick (January 16, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Ending With Season 6 on AMC". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 17, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  2. ^ Koo, Carolyn (March 2020). "Better Call Saul Q&A – Jonathan Banks (Mike Ehrmantraut)". AMC. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  3. ^ Patten, Dominic (June 20, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Stars & Co-Creator On Season 5 Surprises & What's Next – Contenders TV". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d Schneider, Michael (April 21, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Co-Creator Peter Gould on That Explosive Season Finale and How Kim May Be Breaking Bad". Variety. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Agar, Chris (April 22, 2020). "Michael Mando Interview: Better Call Saul Season 5". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  6. ^ Evangelista, Chris (April 23, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Season 6 Might Arrive Next Year, Will Wrap Up the Series With 13 Episodes". /Film. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  7. ^ Darwish, Meaghan (April 23, 2019). "Is 'Better Call Saul' Ending With Season 6?". TV Insider. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  8. ^ Chitwood, Adam (June 24, 2020). "Better Call Saul Season 6: Will Walt and Jesse Appear?". Collider. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  9. ^ Topel, Fred (February 19, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Showrunner Peter Gould on Season 5 Flashforwards, 'Breaking Bad' Cameos, and the Looming Ending [Interview]". /Film. Archived from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  10. ^ Snierson, Dan (August 11, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' boss reveals the big questions of the final season". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Fienberg, Daniel (August 18, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Showrunner Talks Connecting Prequel's Final Season to 'Breaking Bad'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  12. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 22, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Co-Creator & Cast Provide Season 6 Update: "More Scripts" & How Kim Wexler Is Playing With Fire". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  13. ^ a b David, Johnny (June 2, 2021). "'We're Burning Everything Down': Bob Odenkirk on the Final Season of 'Better Call Saul' and New Action Movie 'Nobody'". Esquire. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  14. ^ Roffman, Michael (April 21, 2020). "Better Call Saul's Tony Dalton on Creating Lalo Salamanca: "He's the Mirror Evil Brother"". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  15. ^ Darwish, Meaghan (July 2, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Star Rhea Seehorn Reflects on Kim's 'Erratic' Season 5 Journey". TV Insider. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  16. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (August 13, 2020). "The pandemic will make movies and TV shows look like nothing we've seen before". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  17. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 16, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Co-Creator Peter Gould On Kim Wexler's Fate & The Final Season – Contenders TV". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  18. ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (October 29, 2020). "Giancarlo Esposito Confirms Early 2021 Shooting Start for Better Call Saul Season 6". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  19. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (February 3, 2021). "Bob Odenkirk Gives 'Better Call Saul' Season 6 Update, Says Golden Globe Nom Reminds Him Of Hollywood Community Amid Coronavirus Pandemic". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  20. ^ Motamayor, Rafael (March 10, 2021). "'Better Call Saul' Season 6 Filming Underway — See First Set Photo". Collider. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; March 11, 2021 suggested (help)
  21. ^ Peter Gould [@petergould] (March 10, 2021). "Yes! And awaaaaaaaay we go! BCS S6 D1! #BetterCallSaul" (Tweet). Retrieved March 10, 2021 – via Twitter.
  22. ^ "Production on last season of 'Better Call Saul' to begin soon". KRQE. February 24, 2021. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  23. ^ Miller, Mike (July 28, 2021). "Bob Odenkirk rushed to hospital after collapsing on set of Better Call Saul". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  24. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (July 28, 2021). "Bob Odenkirk Stable After Suffering "Heart-Related Incident" on 'Better Call Saul' Set". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  25. ^ Tapp, Tom (July 30, 2021). "Bob Odenkirk Says He Had "Small Heart Attack" But Will "Be Back Soon"". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  26. ^ "Tony Dalton cuenta cómo vivieron infarto del protagonista de 'Better Call Saul'" [Tony Dalton says how the protagonist of Better Call Saul had a heart attack]. Quién (in Spanish). August 13, 2021. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  27. ^ Hipes, Patrick (September 8, 2021). "Bob Odenkirk Back At Work On 'Better Call Saul' After Heart Attack". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  28. ^ Gomez, Adrian (October 13, 2021). "NM film industry braces for Monday strike". Albuquerque Journal. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  29. ^ Robb, David; Patten, Dominic (October 16, 2021). "Hollywood Strike Averted As IATSE & AMPTP Reach Deal On New Film & TV Contract". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  30. ^ Maddaus, Gene (November 15, 2021). "IATSE Members Vote to Ratify Contract, Ending Strike Threat". Variety. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  31. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (April 20, 2020). "5 Burning Questions About the 'Better Call Saul' Season 5 Finale – Answered". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 29, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  32. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (February 26, 2021). "AMC Networks' 'Better Call Saul' To Return In Q1 Of 2022". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  33. ^ Schneider, Michael (November 4, 2021). "'Better Call Saul's' Rhea Seehorn Shows a Meaner Side in Short-Form 'Cooper's Bar' for AMC". Variety. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
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