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Better Call Saul season 5

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Better Call Saul
Season 5
File:Better Call Saul Season 5.jpg
Promotional poster
Starring
No. of episodes10
Release
Original networkAMC
Original releaseFebruary 23 (2020-02-23) –
April 20, 2020 (2020-04-20)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 4
Next →
Season 6
List of episodes

The fifth season of the AMC television series Better Call Saul premiered on February 23, 2020, in the United States, and concluded on April 20, 2020. The ten-episode season was broadcast on Mondays at 9:00 pm (Eastern) in the United States on AMC; excluding the premiere episode which was broadcast on a Sunday. Bob Odenkirk (Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman), Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando, and Giancarlo Esposito reprise their roles from previous seasons and are joined by Tony Dalton, promoted to the main cast from his recurring role in the previous season. Better Call Saul is a spin-off prequel of Breaking Bad created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould.

This season picks up where the fourth season left off and also takes place in 2004; four years before Saul Goodman meets Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. The season, the second-to-last planned by AMC, shows the further progression of Jimmy into the character of criminal lawyer Saul Goodman after regaining his law license, while fully rejecting the goodwill that Howard Hamlin (Fabian) extends to him in the wake of Chuck's death. Kim Wexler (Seehorn) is dismayed by Jimmy's secretive and sporadic nature as well as her own willingness to go along with Jimmy's cons to get ahead in her casework. Lalo Salamanca's (Dalton) presence in Albuquerque disrupts Gus Fring's (Esposito) legitimate restaurant business and his reputation with the Mexican cartel. Both Nacho Varga (Mando), fearing for his father's safety, and Mike Ehrmantraut (Banks), struggling with his killing of Werner Ziegler, are caught between Gus and Lalo's conflict, eventually drawing Jimmy and Kim into it.

The fifth season received universal acclaim from critics.

Production

Development

On July 28, 2018, AMC renewed Better Call Saul for a fifth season, just prior to the airing of the fourth season.[1] At the time of renewal, the number of episodes had yet to be specified, and even after the conclusion of the fourth season in October 2018, Gould said they were still in discussions with Sony Pictures Television for how long the fifth season would be, given that Better Call Saul had a finite amount of content.[2] AMC confirmed that the fifth season would have ten episodes with the November 2019 announcement of the season premiere on February 23, 2020 with a special two-episode showing on consecutive days before returns to a normal weekly release schedule;[3] prior to airing the fifth season, AMC also announced they had green-lighted Better Call Saul for a final, 13-episode season.[4] The fifth season concluded on April 20, 2020.

Writing

On what to expect in the fifth season, series co-creator Peter Gould said:

It seems like Jimmy's first move is to try to leverage all the contacts he has in the world of selling drop phones. But don't forget, he also knows the vet [Caldera] ... and the vet is sort of Craig's List for the underworld in Albuquerque. So he can get quite far. The question is: how does he establish a reputation as not just a criminal lawyer but a criminal lawyer? And what does that mean to him at this point? Because situations may require him to do things and turn a blind eye to things that Jimmy McGill would not be able to stomach.[5]

Casting

Main cast members Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando, and Giancarlo Esposito return from previous seasons as Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman, Mike Ehrmantraut, Kim Wexler,[5] Howard Hamlin,[6] Nacho Varga,[7] and Gus Fring.[5] Tony Dalton, who recurred in season four as Lalo Salamanca, was promoted to the main cast for the fifth season.[8] In January 2020, it was announced that Breaking Bad actors Dean Norris and Steven Michael Quezada would reprise their roles as Hank Schrader and Steven Gomez, along with actor Robert Forster who appeared posthumously as Ed Galbraith.[9] The first episode of the season was dedicated to Forster.[10]

Filming

Filming for the fifth season began on April 10, 2019, in Albuquerque, New Mexico,[11][12] and ended in September 2019.[13]

In the first scene of the season, Jimmy is hiding his own identity under his Gene Takavic alias while working at a Cinnabon in a shopping mall in Omaha, Nebraska. The Cinnabon scenes in Better Call Saul are set in Omaha, but filmed at the Cottonwood Mall in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[14]

Cast and characters

Main

See also: List of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul characters
Bob Odenkirk (Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman / Gene Takavic), 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)

Recurring

Guests

  • Robert Forster as Ed Galbraith, a vacuum cleaner repairman whose undercover business is a new identity specialist; reprising his role from Breaking Bad and El Camino.[9]
  • Stefan Kapičić as Casper, a team member of Werner Ziegler's failed project for the construction of Gus' meth "superlab". After Ziegler's death, Casper and the rest of his team are sent home with pay.
  • Ben Bela Böhm as Kai, a member of Werner Ziegler's team for the construction of Gus' meth "superlab". After Ziegler's death, Kai and the rest of his team are sent home with pay.
  • Sasha Feldman and Morgan Krantz as Sticky and Ron, a pair of drug users and petty criminals who become Jimmy's clients.
  • JB Blanc as Barry Goodman, a doctor on Gus Fring's payroll.
  • Steven Ogg as Sobchak / Mr. X, a criminal and private investigator.
  • Ed Begley Jr. as Clifford Main, founder of the law firm Davis & Main, where Jimmy worked as an attorney in the second season.
  • Norbert Weisser as Peter Schuler, the CEO of Madrigal Electromotive, the parent company of Gus's Los Pollos Hermanos restaurants; reprising his role from Breaking Bad.
  • Laura Fraser as Lydia Rodarte-Quayle, a Madrigal Electromotive executive who is their liaison to Gus' illegal meth trade; reprising her role from Breaking Bad.
  • Daniel Moncada and Luis Moncada as Leonel and Marco Salamanca, Tuco's cousins and Hector's nephews, who are hitmen for the cartel.
  • Steven Bauer as Don Eladio Vuente, the head of the Juarez drug cartel.
  • Roy Wood Jr. as Grant, an Albuquerque public defender

Episodes

See also: List of Better Call Saul episodes
Better Call Saul season 5 episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
411"Magic Man"Bronwen HughesPeter GouldFebruary 23, 2020 (2020-02-23)1.60[18]
422"50% Off"Norberto BarbaAlison TatlockFebruary 24, 2020 (2020-02-24)1.06[19]
433"The Guy for This"Michael MorrisAnn CherkisMarch 2, 2020 (2020-03-02)1.18[20]
444"Namaste"Gordon SmithGordon SmithMarch 9, 2020 (2020-03-09)1.22[21]
455"Dedicado a Max"Jim McKayHeather MarionMarch 16, 2020 (2020-03-16)1.45[22]
466"Wexler v. Goodman"Michael MorrisThomas SchnauzMarch 23, 2020 (2020-03-23)1.40[23]
477"JMM"Melissa BernsteinAlison TatlockMarch 30, 2020 (2020-03-30)1.30[24]
488"Bagman"Vince GilliganGordon SmithApril 6, 2020 (2020-04-06)1.42[25]
499"Bad Choice Road"Thomas SchnauzThomas SchnauzApril 13, 2020 (2020-04-13)1.51[26]
5010"Something Unforgivable"Peter GouldPeter Gould & Ariel LevineApril 20, 2020 (2020-04-20)1.59[27]

Broadcast

In the United States, the season debuted with a two-night premiere, on Sunday, February 23, 2020, before returning to its regular time slot on Monday, February 24.[17] In the weeks prior to the premiere, AMC had run a Breaking Bad marathon leading into the AMC premiere showing of El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie as lead-in to Better Call Saul's fifth season.[28] Regarding the decision to air the fifth season nearly a year and a half after the fourth, Sarah Barnett, the president of the entertainment networks group at AMC Networks, said the long hiatus was "driven by talent needs, which we would not override if it would result in a worse show."[29]

Outside the U.S. in certain international markets, like previous seasons, season 5 is released on Netflix with episodes available the day after the episodes are broadcast on AMC.[30]

Ethics Training with Kim Wexler

AMC released ten mini-episodes of Ethics Training with Kim Wexler alongside the fifth season of Better Call Saul, which were presented on both YouTube and AMC's social media sites. This series follows similar series Los Pollos Hermanos Employee Training w/ Gus Fring for season three and Madrigal Electromotive Security Training presented by Mike Ehrmantraut for the fourth season.[31] The ethics training videos are presented as continuing education videos mixing live-action segments of Kim with Jimmy filming her behind the scenes along with animated segments, and are a product of "Saul Goodman Productions".[32] The animated segments include nods to both Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad.[33]

Reception

The fifth season of Better Call Saul has been universally acclaimed by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 99% based on 40 reviews, the best reviewed Better Call Saul season on the site, with an average rating of 8.89/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Grounded by Bob Odenkirk's endlessly nuanced, lived-in performance, Better Call Saul's fifth season is a darkly funny, vividly realized master class in tragedy."[34] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 92 out of 100 based on 16 critics, the highest score of all seasons of the series, indicating "universal acclaim".[35]

Kelly Connolly of TV Guide gave it 4.5/5 stars and wrote, "This is why Better Call Saul is better at being a prequel than other prequels are: It understands that the tragedy of fate is baked into the story."[36] Writing for Collider, Adam Chitwood gave it a perfect 5/5 star review, stating "Better Call Saul is revealing itself to be a possibly even better series [than Breaking Bad], and one with more nuance. In addition to the thematic complexity, the direction and execution of this series is unparalleled by anything on television right now."[37]

The final few episodes of the season were particularly highly regarded by critics as they finally had the two stories of Better Call Saul, Jimmy's story involving legal work, and Mike's story involving the drug cartel, fully intersect after several seasons to a great effect.[38] The episode "Bagman" received universal acclaim from critics and audiences, with some considering it to be the series' best episode.[39][40][41] The following episode "Bad Choice Road" received similar acclaim.[42][43]

Rhea Seehorn's performance as Kim during the fifth season was highly praised, particularly with the final scene from "Bad Choice Road" in which she stood up to Lalo for Jimmy, and her revealing that Kim appeared to be "breaking bad" herself on her last scene in "Something Unforgivable". CNN's Brian Lowry said "This has, in essence, really been Seehorn's year, crystallizing what has drawn Kim to Jimmy, and his mounting fears that his activities were endangering her."[44]

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Better Call Saul season 5
No. Title Air date Rating
(18–49)		 Viewers
(millions)		 DVR
(18–49)		 DVR viewers
(millions)		 Total
(18–49)		 Total viewers
(millions)
1 "Magic Man" February 23, 2020 0.5 1.60[18] 0.5 1.69 1.0 3.29[45]
2 "50% Off" February 24, 2020 0.3 1.06[19] 0.3 1.29 0.6 2.34[46]
3 "The Guy for This" March 2, 2020 0.3 1.18[20] 0.4 1.45 0.7 2.63[47]
4 "Namaste" March 9, 2020 0.3 1.22[21] 0.4 1.49 0.7 2.71[48]
5 "Dedicado a Max" March 16, 2020 0.4 1.45[22] 0.5 1.55 0.9 3.00[49]
6 "Wexler v. Goodman" March 23, 2020 0.3 1.40[23] 0.6 1.67 0.9 3.07[50]
7 "JMM" March 30, 2020 0.3 1.30[24] 0.5 1.54 0.8 2.84[51]
8 "Bagman" April 6, 2020 0.3 1.42[25] 0.4 1.34 0.7 2.76[52]
9 "Bad Choice Road" April 13, 2020 0.4 1.51[26] 0.4 1.39 0.8 2.90[53]
10 "Something Unforgivable" April 20, 2020 0.4 1.59[27] 0.4 1.44 0.8 3.03[54]

Notes

References

  1. ^ Otterson, Joe (July 28, 2018). "'Better Call Saul,' 'Fear the Walking Dead,' 'McMafia' Renewed at AMC". Variety. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  2. ^ Fienberg, Daniel (October 8, 2018). "'Better Call Saul' Season 4 Finale: Jimmy Is Closer to Saul Than Ever". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  3. ^ Blistein, Joe (November 20, 2019). "'Better Call Saul' Cooks Up Clever Cinnabon Spot for Season Five Premiere". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  4. ^ Porter, Rick (January 16, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Ending With Season 6 on AMC". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Snierson, Dan (December 12, 2018). "'Better Call Saul' creator on what lies ahead in season 5 – and the return of Gene". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 13, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  6. ^ Pai, Akshay (November 13, 2018). "'Better Call Saul' star Patrick Fabian on the evolution of Howard, his soft spot for Rhea Seehorn and what to expect from season 5". Meaww. Archived from the original on December 24, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  7. ^ Scott, Savannah (December 11, 2018). "Michael Mando Is Living a Real Life Hollywood Fairy Tale". L'Officiel. Archived from the original on December 24, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  8. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (April 8, 2019). "'Better Call Saul' Adds Tony Dalton As Series Regular For Season 5". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d Snierson, Dan (January 16, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' season 5 to feature the late Robert Forster, Dean Norris". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 17, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  10. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (February 23, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Season Premiere Recap: 'Magic Man'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  11. ^ Gomez, Adrian (April 8, 2019). "'Better Call Saul' begins filming season 5 in ABQ". Albuquerque Journal. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  12. ^ Flook, Ray (April 9, 2019). "'Better Call Saul' Season 5: AMC Confirms Filming Begins This Week; Patrick Fabian (Briefly) Talks Howard Hopes". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  13. ^ Trivedi, Sachin (September 9, 2019). "'Better Call Saul' Season 5 Filming Wraps; Actors Share Photo, Video". International Business Times. Archived from the original on September 10, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  14. ^ "The 11 Most Iconic ABQ Locations From 'Better Call Saul' Season 1". NewsCastic. April 7, 2015. Archived from the original on June 26, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  15. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (March 23, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Recap: Girl, Interrupted". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  16. ^ Snierson, Dan (January 29, 2020). "Better Call Saul season 5 trailer: See first look at Hank Schrader's return". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  17. ^ a b Snierson, Dan (November 20, 2019). "See first photos from 'Better Call Saul' season 5". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  18. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 25, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.23.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  19. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 25, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.24.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  20. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 3, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.2.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  21. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 10, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.9.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  22. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 17, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.16.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  23. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 24, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.23.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  24. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 31, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.30.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  25. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 7, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.6.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  26. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 14, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.13.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  27. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 21, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.20.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  28. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (January 7, 2020). "Breaking Bad Movie Gets AMC Premiere Date, Following a Full Series Marathon". TVLine. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  29. ^ Adalian, Josef (April 5, 2019). "Why AMC Networks Is Betting So Heavily on Killing Eve". Vulture. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  30. ^ Moore, Kasey (February 23, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Season 5 Netflix Release Schedule". What's On Netflix. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  31. ^ Surrey, Miles (March 18, 2020). "The Surreal, Comforting Pleasures of the 'Better Call Saul' YouTube Videos". The Ringer. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  32. ^ Enrlich, Brenna (February 27, 2020). "Kim Wexler's Ethics Course Has Us Hoping She'll Get Her Own 'Better Call Saul' Spinoff". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  33. ^ Shoemaker, Allison (February 24, 2020). "Kim Wexler teaches legal ethics in this Better Call Saul short". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  34. ^ "Better Call Saul: Season 5". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  35. ^ "Better Call Saul: Season 5". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 7, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  36. ^ Connolly, Kelly (February 6, 2020). "Better Call Saul Review: Jimmy Becomes Saul Goodman in a Fantastically Devastating Season 5". TV Guide. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  37. ^ Chitwood, Adam (February 5, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Season 5 Review: Saul Goodman Finally Steps into the Spotlight". Collider. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  38. ^ Herman, Alison (April 20, 2020). "In Season 5, the Two Sides of 'Better Call Saul' Became One". The Ringer. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  39. ^ "Bagman". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  40. ^ Greene, Steve (April 6, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Review: 'Bagman' Is About as Good as This Show Has Ever Been". IndieWire. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  41. ^ Tassi, Paul (April 10, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Just Had Its Highest Rated Episode Ever, Up There With 'Breaking Bad' Classics". Forbes. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  42. ^ Segal, David (April 13, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Season 5, Episode 9 Recap: Bullet Holes". The New York Times. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  43. ^ Greene, Steve (April 13, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' Review: Masterful 'Bad Choice Road' Sets Up a Season-Capping Standoff". IndieWire. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  44. ^ Lowry, Brian (April 21, 2020). "'Better Call Saul' plants the seeds for a killer final season". CNN. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  45. ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 3, 2020). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: 'Criminal Minds' Concludes its Series Run Among Top Ten Dramas in Raw Adults 18-49 Lifts". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  46. ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 13, 2020). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: Four NBC Dramas Among Top-7 Raw Gainers in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  47. ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 17, 2020). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: 'The Good Doctor' Tops Raw Gains in Both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  48. ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 25, 2020). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: Four ABC Dramas in Top-8 of Adults 18-49 Raw Gainers, Four CBS Dramas in Top-8 of Total-Viewer Raw Gainers". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  49. ^ Pucci, Douglas (April 3, 2020). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: NBC Dramas 'This Is Us', 'New Amsterdam' and 'Chicago PD' Among Top Six Raw Gainers in Each Total Viewers and Adults 18-49". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  50. ^ Pucci, Douglas (April 9, 2020). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: 'This Is Us' Tops Raw Adults 18-49 Gains in Each Respective Week of its Entire 18-Episode Fourth Season". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  51. ^ Pucci, Douglas (April 15, 2020). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: ABC Claims Four of the Top Eight Raw Gainers in Adults 18-49 Including 'The Good Doctor' Third Season Finale". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  52. ^ Pucci, Douglas (April 21, 2020). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: 'Jersey Shore: Family Vacation' and 'Better Call Saul' Lead All Cable Telecasts in Raw Gains". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  53. ^ Pucci, Douglas (April 29, 2020). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: 'Disney Family Singalong' Leads All Unscripted Offerings in Raw Lifts". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  54. ^ Pucci, Douglas (May 8, 2020). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: 'Will & Grace' Series Finale Tops All Comedy Telecasts in Overall Raw Gains". Programming Insider. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
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