Better Call Saul is a spin-off of Breaking Bad, a crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan that aired on AMC from 2008 to 2013, consisting of five seasons.

While filming the Breaking Bad episode "Full Measure", Gilligan asked Bob Odenkirk, the actor of Saul Goodman, what he thought of a spinoff of the show.

[7] Netflix was one of many interested distributors, but ultimately a deal was made between AMC and Breaking Bad production company Sony Pictures Television.

In January 2014, it was announced that Jonathan Banks would reprise his Breaking Bad role as Mike Ehrmantraut and be a series regular.

[12] Dean Norris, who played Hank Schrader in Breaking Bad, announced that he would not make an appearance, partly due to his involvement in the CBS series Under the Dome.

After sending in an audition tape, he was flown to Los Angeles to meet with showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and perform a screen test.

In November 2014, it was announced that Julie Ann Emery and Jeremy Shamos had been cast as Betsy and Craig Kettleman, described as "the world's squarest outlaws.

[29] As filming began on June 2, 2014,[30] Gilligan told The Hollywood Reporter that he was skeptical about the show's success, revealing production was almost two weeks behind schedule for the first season.

[34] In December 2020, Odenkirk said that filming the first season had a negative impact on his health as he had to be in almost every scene, with little time to memorize his lines and even less to remember them, which proved overwhelming for him.

[35] In December 2013, Netflix announced that the entire first season would be available for streaming in the United States and Canada after the airing of the first-season finale, and in Latin America and Europe each episode will be available a few days after the episode airs in the U.S.[46] In Australia, Better Call Saul premiered on the streaming service Stan[47] on February 9, 2015, acting as the service's flagship program.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Better Call Saul is a quirky, dark character study that manages to stand on its own without being overshadowed by the series that spawned it.

[62] Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times wrote, "Better Call Saul is better than good: It's delightful – in a brutal, darkly comic way, of course.

"[65] The episode "Five-O" received near universal acclaim, with unanimous praise for Jonathan Banks' performance, with some critics considering it award-worthy.

She concluded, "Better Call Saul continues to deliver some of the best of what television has to offer as both those familiar with Breaking Bad and new viewers alike were given a shattering look at Mike's tragic past.

A limited edition Blu-ray set was also released with 3D packaging and a postcard vinyl of the Better Call Saul theme song by Junior Brown.