Better Call Saul not only succeeded as a prequel and spin-off – it arguably surpassed the quality of Breaking Bad. This success, however, has led to debate about the best way to watch the entire Breaking Bad story. Currently, the Breaking Bad universe includes two TV shows and a movie.
The series Breaking Bad has five seasons with 62 episodes, while its spin-off, Better Call Saul, has six seasons and 63 episodes. Watching Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad in the right order is key to fully understanding the story and connections within that world.
Better Call Saul tells the story of Saul Goodman, existing both before and after the events of Breaking Bad. Initially, the show was planned as a simple origin story, showing only Saul’s past. But in a surprising move, the series began by showing what happened to Saul after the end of Breaking Bad.
After a certain point, Better Call Saul became more than just a prequel to Breaking Bad; it really continued the story from that earlier show. However, most of Better Call Saul still takes place before Saul Goodman’s first meeting with “Mr. Mayhew” in Breaking Bad.
The Complete Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul Watch Order
The best way to watch the shows is based on when each series finale and the movie came out. Breaking Bad originally aired from 2008 to 2013. Better Call Saul ran from 2015 to 2022, and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie was released in 2019. Vince Gilligan, the creator, intended viewers to watch the series in this order:
| Title | Release |
|---|---|
| Breaking Bad | January 20, 2008 – September 29, 2013 |
| El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie | October 11, 2019 |
| Better Call Saul | February 8, 2015 – August 15, 2022 |
The black-and-white scenes in Better Call Saul showing Jimmy McGill as Gene Takavic, the Cinnabon manager, take place after the events of Breaking Bad. Some viewers found the way the show switched between these two timelines a bit confusing. However, watching the shows in the order outlined above will help clarify everything, as the story fully connects in the later episodes.
Why Breaking Bad’s Chronological Watching Order Doesn’t Work
You can watch Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie in the exact order the events happen, but it’s not the best way to enjoy them. While some guides suggest watching the series chronologically for the purest experience, doing so actually disrupts the natural storytelling of both shows.
Watching Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad out of order would diminish your enjoyment of both shows. The way each show unfolds, its rhythm and pace, is more crucial than simply following the timeline of events.
One issue with watching Breaking Bad in strict chronological order is that much of Gene Takavic’s storyline from Better Call Saul ends up happening before the events of Breaking Bad on your timeline. For instance, the very first episode of Better Call Saul starts with a glimpse of Saul’s life after Breaking Bad, then jumps back in time to show us Jimmy McGill’s earlier days.
Watching Breaking Bad followed by Better Call Saul in the order the stories happen requires skipping around within Better Call Saul episodes. This creates a disjointed and uneven experience, even though both shows are fantastic.
Better Call Saul’s Gene Moments Don’t Land Without Breaking Bad
You could also watch Better Call Saul before Breaking Bad. However, Better Call Saul isn’t a straight prequel – it includes scenes set during and after the events of Breaking Bad. If it weren’t for those later scenes (featuring the character Gene), watching Better Call Saul first would be a good way to go.
As a huge fan of both shows, I always thought it was brilliant how Better Call Saul filled in the backstory of Jimmy McGill, showing us everything that led him to become Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad. Plus, rewatching Breaking Bad after Better Call Saul adds so much depth to characters like Gus and Mike – you understand their motivations on a whole new level. However, the black-and-white ‘Gene’ scenes in Better Call Saul are tricky. If you haven’t seen Breaking Bad first, those scenes just won’t click; they’re designed to be understood after knowing what happens to Saul. It really feels like Breaking Bad needs to come first to fully appreciate that part of the story.
It was clear Gene was on the run from the law, but figuring out his crimes and how they fit into the story of Better Call Saul wasn’t simple. Without knowing Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul immediately reveals that Jimmy McGill will eventually face trouble. And, conversely, the scenes featuring Gene Takavic later in the series give away major plot points from Breaking Bad.
In a phone call during season 6 of Better Call Saul, Gene mentions what happened to characters from Breaking Bad like Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, and Gus Fring. Certain scenes in the final season of Better Call Saul function as a kind of follow-up to Breaking Bad, which is why it’s best to watch Better Call Saul first to fully understand everything.
While viewers have the option to save the scenes with Gene for later, doing so would create a disjointed experience when watching both Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad.
Why You Should Watch Breaking Bad Before Better Call Saul
The ideal way to watch Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul is to start with Breaking Bad first. Although Better Call Saul shows events featuring characters from Breaking Bad that happen before the main story, you’ll get the most enjoyment out of both shows if you watch Breaking Bad initially.
The original idea for the world of Breaking Bad centered on Walter White’s story. Characters like Saul and Mike were initially developed to support and enrich Walter White’s journey, even though they later became significant figures themselves. This same principle applies to characters like Gus and Jesse, who also appear in Better Call Saul – they were first created to serve the narrative of Breaking Bad.
It’s best to watch Breaking Bad before Better Call Saul because it reveals the origins of the characters and makes Better Call Saul‘s storytelling even more remarkable. A great example is Mike Ehrmantraut, who was actually created out of necessity – the show needed a character for Walt and Jesse to interact with in season two of Breaking Bad (“ABQ”) when Bob Odenkirk wasn’t available for filming.
Jonathan Banks became a key star in the series Better Call Saul, and his character, Mike, frequently stood out. Similarly, Saul Goodman initially appears as a fairly simple character in Breaking Bad, lacking the depth and complexity of Jimmy McGill in Better Call Saul.
Watching Breaking Bad in the order Vince Gilligan intended helps you understand the characters and their motivations. Better Call Saul actually builds on that knowledge, assuming you’ve seen and remember important events from Breaking Bad. For instance, when Gus appears in Better Call Saul, viewers who have watched Breaking Bad will immediately understand his actions and why he’s behaving that way.
Watching Saul Goodman at his lowest point in Breaking Bad and then learning Jimmy McGill’s backstory is far more rewarding than trying to watch the shows in any other order.
How El Camino Fits Into Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul’s Watching Order
The movie El Camino is a continuation of the Breaking Bad story, picking up right after the series finale. After a brief flashback, the film immediately shows Jesse Pinkman escaping from the compound where the series ended.
To get the most out of the story, it’s best to watch El Camino immediately after finishing Breaking Bad – it wraps up the series’ events. Also, watch it before starting Better Call Saul, because a quick scene in Better Call Saul season 6 reveals a key detail about how El Camino ends.
Vince Gilligan Confirmed The Breaking Bad Universe Is Finished
Despite fan interest in continuing the story, Vince Gilligan has stated that the world of Breaking Bad is finished after the conclusion of Better Call Saul. While he’s considered revisiting these characters, he believes it’s important to know when to stop, explaining, “There’s a point where you’ve simply done too much.”
It seems the current timeline for Breaking Bad is now complete. While many fans will be sad to see the story end, there were still numerous storylines people were hoping to see, like the backstory of Gus Fring and what happens to Kim Wexler after the events of the show.
It’s easy to understand Gilligan’s perspective, though. While Breaking Bad and its follow-up shows have been incredibly popular, every story needs to conclude eventually. Stretching things out too long can damage what fans originally enjoyed.
There’s A Chronological Watch Order For Repeat Viewings
Although the ideal way to enjoy the world of Breaking Bad is to watch the shows and movies as they were originally released, dedicated fans might enjoy a chronological re-watch. However, this isn’t how the story was meant to be seen, and we don’t recommend it for first-time viewers.
Because shows like Better Call Saul often switch between different time periods, figuring out the best way to watch them can be tricky.
The Breaking Bad Universe In Chronological Order:
| Show/Movie | Notes |
|---|---|
| Better Call Saul |
Season 1, Episode 1 to Season 6, Episode 9
|
| Breaking Bad | Season 1, Episode 1 to Season 5, Episode 16 |
| El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie | Entire movie |
| Better Call Saul | Season 6, Episode 10 to Season 6, Episode 13 |
The story of the Breaking Bad world actually starts with the first episode of Better Call Saul. It introduces us to Jimmy McGill, a small-time hustler who’s trying to become a lawyer. Throughout the show, we see Jimmy’s life develop as he meets Mike Ehrmantraut, connects with Kim Wexler, and deals with the challenges posed by his unusual brother, Chuck.
The recommended viewing order builds towards the show’s conclusion, culminating in season six, episode nine, where Jimmy and Kim split up, and Jimmy fully becomes Saul Goodman.
After that, the recommended viewing order moves to Breaking Bad, which tells the story of Walter White. The first season shows how he teams up with Jesse Pinkman and starts a drug-making operation. Later, in season 2, episode 8, they meet Saul Goodman, who becomes their legal counsel.
As a huge fan, I was thrilled to see characters from Better Call Saul – like Mike and Gus Fring – woven into the story. The final season really focused on Saul trying to escape his past and build a new life after Walt’s actions came to light. It all culminated in a dramatic ending where Walt sacrificed himself to free Jesse.
After that, the story continues in El Camino, which picks up immediately after the end of Breaking Bad. It follows Jesse as he tries to escape and start a new life. The film concludes with Jesse finally reaching Alaska.
After watching those episodes, you can finish with the rest of Better Call Saul‘s final season. These episodes show Jimmy’s life while he’s in hiding, his relapse into crime, and how he’s finally caught. Just like with the usual viewing order, the story of Jimmy McGill ends with him going to prison.
This watch order isn’t flawless – the show and movie both use flashbacks that jump around in time. But if you want to experience the story of Breaking Bad as closely to chronological order as possible, this is the way to go.
How Long It Takes To Watch The Breaking Bad Franchise
Between Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, there are a total of 125 episodes, each averaging around 45 minutes. That adds up to over 94 hours of television. Including the El Camino movie and a few longer episodes, you’re looking at roughly 100 hours of content – perfect for a serious binge-watching session.
Vince Gilligan Has Released His First Show Since Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul
Even though the Breaking Bad story has finished, Vince Gilligan is continuing to create high-quality television. His latest show, Pluribus, launched on Apple TV+ in November and has been a hit – it received excellent reviews and was quickly renewed for a second season, even before all the episodes of the first season were released.
The new show, Pluribus, has a post-apocalyptic setting, which is a departure for creator Gilligan, though it still shares some of the same core elements as his previous work. Rhea Seehorn, known for her role in Better Call Saul, stars as the main character, Carol, and her performance even earned her a Golden Globe award.
Now that the show is a success on Apple TV and looks promising, we might see more characters from the original Breaking Bad series make an appearance.
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2026-01-22 14:14