Should the ‘Breaking Bad’ Universe End with ‘Better Call Saul’? TV Critics Weigh In

Endings are always difficult, but the ending of Better Call Saul feels extra painful. After six seasons devoted to transforming one of the funniest characters of the 2000s into a tragic antihero, Better Call Saul is finally coming to an end this Monday, August 15. And if co-creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould can be believed, Better Call Saul’s final episode won’t just mark the end of Jimmy McGill’s (Bob Odenkirk) story. It’ll mark the end of the Breaking Bad universe as a whole.

But should it? After five seasons of Breaking Bad, six of Better Call Saul, and a movie, should this criminal Albuquerque saga close for good? Or is there a chance that this creative team could do the unthinkable and use Walt and the gang to redefine great television a third time? To answer this near-impossible question, we went to the television-watching experts: TV critics.

Yes, the Breaking Bad Universe Should End with Better Call Saul

Miles Surrey, Staff Writer, The Ringer

“I would say yes. Better Call Saul being as good (if not better imo!) than Breaking Bad feels like a minor miracle, and they’ve mined as much as possible out of the Albuquerque Criminal Underworld Cinematic Universe. Might as well go out on another high note.”

Bill Harris, TV Critic and Freelance Writer for the Toronto Sun and Sun Media

“Yes. Not everyone in this universe is equally interesting. Let’s break this off before it really breaks bad.”

Amber Dowling, TV Critic and Freelance Writer for Variety, Spy.con, and Metacritic

“As hard as it is to say goodbye to this beautifully crafted and nuanced world, always leave them wanting more. Eleven acclaimed seasons is an impressive feat but now it’s time to take a bow.”

No, the Breaking Bad Universe Shouldn’t End with Better Call Saul

Liz Shannon Miller, Senior Entertainment Editor, Consequence

“If there’s one creative team I trust to make the right decisions here, it’s them. Other franchises, I might feel differently, but if Vince Gilligan and/or Peter Gould decided that they had a new story in this universe to tell, I’d get my pompoms ready.”

Steve Greene, Associate TV Editor, IndieWire

“As much as these two shows feel like lightning striking the same place twice, I wouldn’t mind if they left the door to Albuquerque open. Though, I’d be most excited to see a show that pulls at a thread on the opposite side of whatever we’ve already seen. Give me Gale Boetticher: The College Years or a multi-cam sitcom built around the Kettlemans or a fictional documentary about whatever magnum opus the UNM film students go on to make next. Maybe hop over to New Orleans and spend a few seasons checking in with Huell or go inside whatever firm is doing crisis PR for Madrigal. Or do none of those things. Fresh ideas always work, too.”

Roger Catlin, TV Critic and Freelance Writer for TV Guide, the Washington Post, and SmithsonianMagazine.com

“No. Unless they do ‘Salamanca!’ with musical interludes and, of course, bells.”

Nicole Gallucci, Senior Reporter and Producer, Decider

“No ♥ Am I worried that Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould would mess up what so many fans consider to be a near-perfect TV universe? Not one bit. Perhaps if Better Call Saul decreased in quality a single notch over the years… but we know it’s only got better. Am I content with six spectacular seasons? Sure. And I trust that those involved feel it’s time to walk away. But if an opportunity to see more of these characters presents itself down the line, I’ll likely be onboard faster than Frank the security guard could polish off a Cinnabon.”

Should the Breaking Bad Universe End with Better Call Saul? Maybe!

Daniel Fienberg, Chief Television Critic, The Hollywood Reporter

“Rolling the dice and attempting to tell another story in the Breaking Bad universe would be an awful idea. You know? Like Better Call Saul was an awful idea! So what I’m saying is that I absolutely, 100 percent think that under no circumstances should they do another prequel or sequel or spinoff, unless Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould say they have an idea, in which case they absolutely, 100 percent should make it.”

Emma Dibdin, TV Critic and Freelance Writer for the New York Times, Elle, and Town and Country Magazine

“My instinct is this should be the end of the Breaking Bad canon. But if you’d asked me this after BB ended nine years ago, I’d have said the same thing, and I would have been wrong. I thought Saul Goodman was a fun but hollow supporting character who could never sustain his own show, so what do I know? Nobody wants to see such an elegantly crafted universe turn into a conveyor belt of IP like The Walking Dead franchise, but I think Vince and co. are too smart to let that happen. I guess what I’m saying is, if they want to go to Alaska next and make Kim & Jesse: The Last Frontier, I will watch.”

The Final Verdict

The consensus on this one is mixed. Out of the nine critics we asked, four critics wanted more from this universe, and two were on the fence. Only three said that this universe should definitively end. Yet even the more negative responses were never critical of this show or its legacy. To paraphrase Steve Greene, most of the hesitancy comes from a shared fear that it’s unlikely that televised lightning can strike a third time. But if Gilligan and Gould were to announce a new show or movie in this universe, chances are high everyone would be tuning back in to AMC.

The final episode of Better Call Saul premieres on AMC and AMC+ tonight (Monday, August 15) at 9/8c p.m.