'Better Call Saul' will be 'Breaking Bad' spinoff

Gary Levin | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption 'Breaking Bad' spinoff will have fans calling Saul AMC executives have announced that 'Better Call Saul' will become a 'Breaking Bad' spinoff sometime after the series finale. The new show will be a prequel, focussing on lawyer Saul Goodman's exploits before he met Walt and Jesse.

%27Breaking Bad%27 spawns spinoff centered on sleazy lawyer Saul Goodman

Show will be produced by %27Bad%27 team for AMC

Will likely surface next year

AMC has signed up for a Breaking Bad spinoff.

Better Call Saul, in discussions for months, will be a one-hour "prequel" to the acclaimed drama that will "focus on the evolution of the popular Saul Goodman character before he ever became Walter White's lawyer," the network said in a joint statement with Sony Pictures Television. The show's title is the cheesy attorney's ad slogan.

White, of course, is the teacher-turned-meth-dealer played by Emmy-winning Bryan Cranston. Goodman, played by Bob Odenkirk, has been a regular character since the second season, and was created by Bad writer Peter Gould, who will produce the new show.

In lengthy discussions with creator Vince Gilligan, AMC spent time searching for the right tone for the new show, president Charlie Collier has said, while Sony privately mulled plans to shop it elsewhere if AMC had passed.

No word on when the show will hit the air, though it's not likely before the second half of next year.