Like everyone else I loved Breaking Bad but the quick development of this prequel series rather turned me off so I never intended to watch it. When it finally ended after six seasons however, the consensus seemed to be that it’s actually a worthy show in its own right. I thought I’d give the first season at least a shot and so far we’re down for more of it. It’s a lot funnier than we thought it would be and though it lacks the wow factor of drug dealing, the firm focus on legal work keeps it intelligent and interesting.

The main thrust of the show documents the legal career of Jimmy McGill, before he changed his name to Saul though there are short flashback and flashforward shots that reference other periods of his life. He struggles to establish his legal practice, working and living out of an Asian massage shop, and has to take on poorly paid public defender jobs. At the same time, he has to take care of his elder brother Chuck, a famous and successful lawyer who is now confined to his own home due to a phobia against electromagnetic radiation. Jimmy has a past as a small-time con artist. When he fails to be hired by a county treasurer accused of embezzling state money, he stages a fake accident to get the couple to change their mind only to land himself in even more trouble with serious criminals. He is continually at odds with Howard Hamlin, one of the partners of the large law firm HHM Chuck co-founded. Meanwhile the first season also traces the backstory of Mike Ehrmantraut as a retired police officer who moves to Albuquerque to be near his daughter-in-law after his son’s death.

Everyone expects this show to be another fall to darkness story in the vein of Breaking Bad and that’s largely true. It’s a very slow fall however as of this first season as Jimmy is mostly shown trying to build a legitimate career as a lawyer even if he resorts to petty tricks to promote himself and get things done. I have my doubts as to how accurately it portrays American law but it’s plausible enough and I love how Jimmy tries to solve his problems with a combination of both fast talking legalese and grunt legwork. He’s no fighter and folds at the slightest threat of violence. He may be greedy, but he lacks the desperation and ruthlessness of Walter White, making him a different type of character entirely. This also means that we don’t get the crowning moments of awesome that occasionally punctuated Breaking Bad but this show is still highly entertaining by being unexpectedly funny. It’s so cringey and at the same time funny when we watch him try to talk his way out of trouble.

A huge part of why this works so well is down to the superb acting of Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks. Jimmy kind of is a scumbag, but he’s also very likable. Similarly Mike has little regard for the law but follows his own code of honor. The actors do a great job at portraying their characters. One problem here is that they act so much better than everyone else that it becomes unbalanced in emotionally intense scenes as the other actor isn’t able to match their level of intensity. Then there are the scenes featuring a very young Jimmy and even Odenkirk struggles to jump an age gap that large. Finally this show feels less premium than Breaking Bad. Maybe it’s because the ending seasons of the older show were so regularly filled with huge setpieces and plenty of action. So far this show feels much more grounded and small stakes in comparison. I expect things will escalate in later seasons but I also appreciated how problems are solved through talking and Mike’s simple tradecraft tricks.

I’m not sure if we’re going to stick with this for all six seasons but this has been a fun show so far and I found myself looking forward to each episode. Its biggest stumbling block might be in handling Jimmy’s transformation to Saul which is only beginning at the end of the first season. It’s a step that needs to happen at some point but can they retain the audience’s sympathy for the character even as he changes?