Better Call Saul! is the spin-off of Vince Gilligan’s hit series, Breaking Bad. Personally, Breaking Bad is my absolute favorite series I have ever seen, with witty and clever writers, a well thought out plot line and unrivaled character development. 

For those of you who have not watched Breaking Bad, once Walt is deep enough into the drug business, he decides he needs a lawyer to take care of his inevitable legal troubles. In his town, there is only one lawyer for this slippery, morally questionable job: Saul Goodman. 

Bob Odenkrik plays this sleezy lawyer who rocks the comb over and is infamous for keeping all types of criminals, large and small, out of prison. Better Call Saul! is the spin-off that follows Saul Goodman through his life as a crooked lawyer, before he meets Walter White, and then follows him through the journey with the greatest meth cook of the west. 

So why should you watch it? I will give you eight good reasons.

8. It is on a Sunday night, the perfect study break. Sunday is the day of the week to catch up on everything you said you were going to get done this weekend, but put off doing. You need to work hard to get back on track and finish everything due on Monday. What better way to reward yourself for writing that ten page paper in one day than the viewing of a phenomenal show?

7. The cinematography is incredible. Maybe I am weird, but I genuinely appreciate good camerawork. It can make or break a good plot line. The beginning of the scene of the pilot episode was entirely in black and white, and not a single character spoke, yet somehow I was hooked! The camera shots are very creative and are very reminiscent of the original Breaking Bad episodes.

6. This could be the best spin-off show of our generation. Vince Gilligan was quoted as saying it could be The Love Boat of its generation, where instead of Milton Berle showing up in a sailor’s cap, hopefully it could be Aaron Paul, also in a sailor’s cap. I think he hit the nail on the head. They had such a great character going in Saul Goodman, that if anyone deserved a spin-off, it was him. This set of circumstances could be the perfect balance between old and new that will hopefully give rise to one kick butt show.

5. There are reappearances of familiar faces with the mix of new characters. In the first episode alone, Mike Ehrmantraut and Tuco make an appearance. But other characters, like henchmen Huell Babineaux and Patrick Kuby and the secretary Franchesca seem like likely candidates that could take a bigger role in this series.

4. The first episode was all that I anticipated it to be and more. The incredible cinematography, the intriguing start of Saul’s background story, to the introduction of two significant Breaking Bad characters all had me instantly hooked on the series. There is so much that can be done with the story and so much anticipation! Thank goodness there was a two night premiere so we didn’t have to wait long for the story to develop more.

3. The Albuquerque world of Breaking Bad does not have to end. As beautifully as the Breaking Bad series ended, there is still a void on my Sunday nights. Better Call Saul fills this void and reunites me with some of my favorite characters while being its own unique series with an interesting story to tell.

2. Vince Gilligan is excited about it. In an interview with Time, Vince Gilligan is quoted saying: “Well, the reasons not to [make a spin-off] vastly outnumber the reasons to do it. The reasons not to, first and foremost, would be unflattering comparisons to the original mothership series… But we just love the character. We love writing for him. It’s fun to put words in Saul Goodman’s mouth... It’s fun to peek inside his head and put that dialogue in his mouth. Time will tell if that was a bad idea or a good one, but that was reason enough to go forward.” When the creator of the show -- along with his all star crew from Breaking Bad including Peter Gould, Thomas Schnauz, and Gennifer Hutchison -- love this concept, you know that this is not just a ploy for more money. This is actually going to be good.

1. Saul Goodman is an incredible main character. Quote me, now, when I say I think Bob Odenkrik has many awards in his future. He is a phenomenal actor who has the opportunity to play a great character. He is an underdog, a lawyer with questionable legality, and in Vince Gilligan’s words, “a rascal with a heart of gold.” The writers love writing for him and he is a character that has the potential to be complex, just like Walt Whitman. You are still not quite sure if you want to root for him or not. Will this protagonist be a hero or follow in Walt’s steps? I guess we can only wait and see. See you next Sunday, Saul.