Breaking Bad was Vince Gilligan’s first television series he created after his tenure as a writer on The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen. Gilligan showcased his incredible talent for creating engaging plots, phenomenal characters, and thrilling drama captivating viewers every week an episode aired. It was lightning in a bottle, so when Better Call Saul was announced, viewers were excited but skeptical. Better Call Saul wound up delivering the goods, living up to the legacy of Breaking Bad and making for excellent television, but the timelines are a bit confusing, so to watch the shows in order is tricky for some.
How to Watch Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and El Camino in Order
The simplest answer is to watch Breaking Bad, then El Camino, then Better Call Saul to enjoy the stories as they play out. The universe’s stories revolve around the events put in motion by Walter White, so it’s important to start with the original show, especially as it establishes the vital context needed to understand BCS and El Camino.
Regarding El Camino, it is the second recommended viewing, a concise TV film available on Netflix detailing Jesse Pinkman’s ending for the saga. It ties off loose ends and resolves any questions about whether he gets out of the story alive and whether he is caught by the police. El Camino is also an excellent exploration of characters like Ed Galbraith, Todd, Badger, and Skinny Pete. Finally, it’s just a really good movie, especially if you wanted a more clear-cut ending for Jesse.
Better Call Saul explores the earliest stories in Albuquerque, New Mexico as rendered in the Breaking Bad universe, but in the frame of Jimmy McGill thinking back to his past while living in hiding. Many of the references in Better Call Saul are meant for you to have seen Breaking Bad first, especially since multiple events in the series are direct results of the original show’s ending. It’s also important to note that, while both Better Call Saul and El Camino take place in 2010 during Breaking Bad’s final arc, Better Call Saul can spoil the ending of El Camino, so this one is best saved for last.
It’s also a showstopping, standout performance by Bob Odenkirk, and it’s shocking how many Primetime Emmy Awards this show was nominated for (23), yet not one trophy for stars Odenkirk or Rhea Seehorn. But the second half of season 6 is eligible to be nominated for the 2023 Emmy Awards, so perhaps this injustice will be corrected.
But whether it’s Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, or El Camino, in any order, you’ll find yourself captivated by tight plot lines that conclude with satisfying results. Everybody gets some twisted version of what they deserve. The shows dance the lines between crime drama, thriller, modern Western, legal drama, and black comedy, and are some of the best TV in the last decade and a half.
