Which show came first breaking bad or better call saul
Executive summary
Breaking Bad premiered first as a TV series in 2008 and ran through 2013, while Better Call Saul debuted later as a spin-off prequel in 2015; however, Better Call Saul primarily tells events that take place before Breaking Bad in the fictional timeline even as it includes brief post‑Breaking Bad flash‑forwards [1] [2]. The simple answer to which show "came first" depends on whether the question refers to release order—Breaking Bad—or in‑universe chronology—mostly Better Call Saul covers earlier years [1] [3].
1. Release order: Breaking Bad arrived years before its spin-off
Breaking Bad launched in 2008 and concluded in 2013, establishing the original Albuquerque saga and introducing the world that later expanded into additional projects, and it is therefore indisputably the earlier series in terms of broadcast history [1]. Better Call Saul, developed by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould as a companion piece to that world, did not premiere on AMC until February 8, 2015, making it the successor in production and release [2] [4].
2. Narrative order: Better Call Saul is largely a prequel to Breaking Bad
Although Better Call Saul premiered later, it functions primarily as a prequel: the main Jimmy McGill timeline is set in the early to mid‑2000s, years before Walter White’s arc, even while the series contains black‑and‑white flash‑forwards to 2010 after Breaking Bad’s finale [2] [3]. Critics and timeline guides caution that the franchise’s chronology is intricate—Better Call Saul covers both the earliest and some of the latest moments in the shared universe because of those post‑series flash‑forwards [5] [3].
3. How the character first appeared: Saul Goodman debuted within Breaking Bad
The character of Saul Goodman was introduced in a Breaking Bad episode titled “Better Call Saul,” which aired on April 26, 2009, and that episode seeded the idea for a standalone series exploring the lawyer’s origins [6]. Creators Gilligan and Gould had considered a Saul spin‑off as early as 2009, and development was publicly confirmed in the years following Breaking Bad’s run, culminating in the 2015 premiere of Better Call Saul [2] [7].
4. Intentions and motivations behind the spin‑off
Producers framed Better Call Saul as a creative expansion of the Breaking Bad universe—an attempt to dig deeper into a compelling secondary character—but commercial incentives were also at play: outlets and some commentary note AMC’s interest in extending a lucrative franchise, even as critics have praised the spin‑off’s artistic merits [8] [7]. That dual motive—artistic exploration tethered to franchise value—helps explain why the prequel was greenlit after Breaking Bad proved both critically lauded and commercially successful.
5. Why the question can be ambiguous and what people usually mean
When people ask “which show came first,” most mean release order, in which case Breaking Bad is the clear answer [1]. But among fans debating the best viewing order, some propose chronological viewing—starting with Better Call Saul’s early‑2000s timeline—so discussions can conflate "which came first" with "which story comes first" in the universe, producing legitimate but distinct answers [9] [3].
6. Bottom line with nuance
Factually: Breaking Bad aired before Better Call Saul—2008–2013 for Breaking Bad versus 2015–2022 for Better Call Saul—so Breaking Bad "came first" in the real world [1] [2]. Contextually: Better Call Saul mostly depicts earlier events in the characters’ lives and therefore precedes Breaking Bad within the fictional timeline, though it also contains scenes set after Breaking Bad’s finale [2] [5].