Better Call Saul Season 6 Doesn't Need Breaking Bad Reunion, Says Creator
Better Call Saul showrunner Peter Gould says the creative team doesn't feel an obligation to include Walter and Jesse due to El Camino.
Better Call Saul showrunner Peter Gould explains why the spinoff doesn't need a Breaking Bad reunion with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. The question of whether or not Walter and Jesse would cameo on Better Call Saul has been a recurring one since the show premiered back in 2015, but it's arguably been less prevalent over the past few years. With now five full seasons under its belt, Better Call Saul has emerged from Breaking Bad's shadow and established itself as one of the finest dramas on TV. Standing on its own merits as a compelling story, Better Call Saul isn't dependent on its Breaking Bad connections to draw viewers in.
Still, fans would enjoy seeing Saul Goodman's two most famous clients grace the screen one last time as Better Call Saul prepares for its last hurrah. Better Call Saul was renewed for a sixth and final season, meaning if Walter and Jesse are to appear, time is running out to make it happen. However, it appears getting the two on the spinoff isn't a pressing priority for the creative team.
In an interview with Collider, Gould was asked about the possibility of Walter and Jesse popping up in Better Call Saul season 6. While Gould would like to have Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul back, he doesn't feel it's something that's necessary:
“I like to think that we don’t have as much of an obligation to have Walt and Jesse back in Better Call Saul because they’re such a great appearance in El Camino. But having said that, I would love to have them back. I’d love to have Bryan direct an episode. I got to write an episode [of Breaking Bad] that Bryan directed and I was on set with him every day, and it was a wonderful experience. He’s a magnificent director. He’s one of the few directors who has a facility for the lightest comedy and the darkest drama. He’s remarkable. And Aaron Paul is possibly the happiest human being I’ve ever met, and he makes everybody around him happy. So yeah, I would love to have them back.”
Breaking Bad fans were treated to one last great scene with Walter and Jesse in last year's El Camino, which was a more fitting project for their sendoff (the movie focused on Jesse's story after Breaking Bad). The trick with integrating either character into Better Call Saul is that it'd have to be organic to the story being told; Vince Gilligan isn't one to use cheap fan service as a crutch. Hence, it may be difficult to pull off a Walter and Jesse cameo, since it's hard to see where they'd fit in right now. Better Call Saul season 5 ended with a pair of gripping cliffhangers, and the last thing the creative team wants to do is distract from either of those threads. When season 6 picks up, all the attention should be on Lalo's plan for revenge and Jimmy and Kim's heartbreaking end.
This isn't to say Walter and Jesse shouldn't appear in Better Call Saul if there's a good idea, but it's telling that Gould feels there isn't an "obligation." That suggests it really isn't on the forefront of his mind as Better Call Saul season 6 is written, and they aren't going to force something for the sake of giving the two iconic characters cameos. Ultimately, Better Call Saul is Jimmy McGill's story, chronicling his transformation into Saul Goodman. He - and Better Call Saul's memorable cast of supporting characters - deserve this moment in the spotlight. There are still a lot of questions for Better Call Saul season 6 to answer, so there probably isn't room for Walter and Jesse too.
Source: Collider