Based on quotes from the writers and those associated with the show, it appears Better Call Saul is going to stretch the definition of what it means to be a drama.

“[The show will be] taking an inherently funny character and surprising people in both directions. It’s an hour show, it will be a drama, but it will also be very funny, as Bob’s character was on that show.”

“If it makes sense we’ll do it, if it doesn’t make sense we won’t. I’d love to have [Cranston] as a director … character wise, who knows? Maybe there’s a way to do it.”

–Vince Gilligan

The Breaking Bad finale wasn’t very open-ended and provided closure for most every character, but one notable exception is Jesse Pinkman. When we last saw Jesse he was speeding away from the Nazi camp, free for the first time in a while, but with no real plan for the future. Even Gilligan was intentionally vague when describing Jesse’s fate:

“Some people might think, ‘Well, he probably got two miles down the road before the cops nailed him.’ But I prefer to believe that he got away, and he’s got a long road to recovery ahead… the romantic in me wants to believe that he gets away with it and moves to Alaska and has a peaceful life communing with nature.”

We might not ever meet up with Jesse again, as he probably is going to try to distance himself from every character he met during the Breaking Bad timeline, but I’m sure the fans would appreciate learning what ever became of the show’s heart and soul.

I’m glad to see everyone’s favorite grandfather will be a part of this show, since his gruff and businesslike demeanor should provide a welcome foil to the goofy Saul. Plus he was just an interesting character, as he could be a ruthless killer but showed he had a good heart in the way he cared for Jesse and his granddaughter Kailee.

While Mike started to get a lot of screentime in Seasons 4 and 5, there is still a lot left to say about this character. I’d love to learn more about his time as a Philly police officer, and how exactly he went from a cop to the right-hand man of crooked lawyers and drug kingpins, so I’m hoping Mike becomes a more developed character rather than continuing to serve as a one-dimensional “clean up guy”.

McKean, of This Is Spinal Tap fame, will play Saul’s brother in this series. They intentionally chose a comedian to play this role, so it appears we’re going to see some funny back and forths/hijinks between these two.

“So we have these two comedy legends working together"

– Peter Gould

“You saw from Breaking Bad that we like non-linear storytelling and jumping around in time. I would point you in the that direction, that anything that’s possible in Breaking Bad is possible in Better Call Saul.”

–Vince Gilligan

“In the series it always seemed to me that Saul didn’t know Gus directly. He knew a guy who knew a guy.”

–Vince Gilligan

“These are all characters we love and with Gus there is so much more to say about that character, and we certainly love Giancarlo. Having said that, we’re trying to make something that stands on its own that has an entertainment value that’s not just seeing a series of old favorites. It’s not the series equivalent of a clip show. So we try to balance these things out. But I agree there’s so much to be said about Gus"

–Vince Gilligan

“Faith and begorrah! A fellow potato eater! My real name’s McGill. The Jew thing I just do for the homeboys. They all want a pipe-hitting member of the tribe, so to speak…”

– Saul Goodman