Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG nominations for star Bob Odenkirk, plus critical acclaim and a devoted audience that includes Breaking Bad fans who followed Saul Goodman back in time and new viewers who are getting to know Jimmy McGill before they meet Saul… By every measure, Better Call Saul’s debut season was a hit. But series creators Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan, as well as Odenkirk, have repeatedly said they didn’t take that success for granted as they went into the AMC drama nervous about whether or not the spin-off would be embraced.



So, looking back at Season 1 of one of the biggest breakout shows of 2015, what do the Saul creators credit for their success?



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“I think the biggest single decision was to let Jimmy’s character create the spine of the show,” showrunner Gould tells Yahoo TV. “It means that we ended up with a show, Season 1 and Season 2, which is totally unpredictable. In Season 1 especially, there were some episodes that were so dark and some that were so light. They were right next to each other. That was something that scared us, but I’m so glad that we proceeded with that. I’m even happier that the audience went along with us on the ride.”

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Bob Odenkirk as Saul, with Michael McKean as Chuck (Ursula Coyote/AMC)



The tone of the series had been one of the biggest mysteries surrounding Saul before its premiere, with fans wondering if Saul Goodman’s origin story would be more comedic than Breaking Bad. As Gould further describes, the tone, pacing, and even the character development that made the show work so well in Season 1 is a result of the writers’ trust and patience in letting the characters, and the actors portraying them, guide the stories.

“I think we really let the characters shape the story,” says Gould, who, as a Breaking Bad writer, created the Saul Goodman character. “That was just one of the pleasures of doing this kind of television: you can watch the scenes and learn about the characters from watching the actors. By doing that, we learned that there was a lot more to Chuck than we initially thought. We also learned that Jimmy, as played by Bob… None of us would be here if Bob hadn’t said yes back in Season 2 of Breaking Bad when we offered him the role. If anybody else had been cast, I don’t think we’d be talking right now about this. Bob has a vulnerability as Jimmy. This is a guy who can be heard. We went with that. I think that vulnerability is part of the reason why people take to him the way they do.”



Gould, who’s now working with Gilligan on post-production duties for the recently-wrapped Season 2 of Saul, broke down other Season 1 highlights for Yahoo TV — and included a few teases about the sophomore season that premieres Feb. 15, 2016.

Season 2 is filmed. You know the whole story of the season right now… that’s exciting.

We do, and I have to say, at the risk of repeating myself, it surprised us in a good way. We’re real excited about the season. We like it an awful lot. Based on the way the last season ended, I don’t think any of us would have predicted where this was going to go in Season 2. I think it all grows out of the characters. That’s really what we just keep asking ourselves: What would these people do? What’s important to them? That leads us.

It’s obvious that all of you — the writers, the actors, the crew — have such affection for the characters.

It’s true. You grow to love them. I think sometimes writers get a little too easy on the characters in a funny way. If you love them too much, you may want to protect them from the consequences of their actions. That’s one thing we really try to be honest with ourselves about — what happens if you did this or that — and not soften the blow when it comes. So much of what happens in Season 2 is wrapped up in the DNA of the decisions the characters made in Season 1. That’s one of the things that makes it, hopefully, feel like a united whole.