‘Breaking Bad’ Star Jonathan Banks: ‘Better Call Saul’ Will Addict You

Yes, It’s Good: AMC’s Big ‘Better Call Saul’ Bet Pays Off (Grantland)

Better Call Saul, the long-gestating Breaking Bad spinoff, premieres this Sunday night on AMC. (A second episode will debut Monday.) No show in my tenure at Grantland has inspired so many readers to reach out with one straightforward question: Is it any good? In the spirit of justice — a concept that Saul Goodman holds dear, though not nearly as dear as his billfold — let me address it right at the top. Yes. It is. Very, very good.

But that seemingly simple query is actually just a cover for a more pressing concern, one that has roiled Walter White fans the world over, disrupting more sleep these past few months than a pipeful of Heisenberg’s best blue. When people ask if Better Call Saul is good, what they’re really asking is this: Will Better Call Saul be great? And that, I’m afraid, is a much trickier proposition.