Thursday brought a duality of good news and bad news for “Breaking Bad” fans.
The good news? AMC announced that prequel “Better Caul Saul,” which focuses Bob Odenkirk’s popular Saul Goodman character, has already been renewed for a second season.
The bad news? The first season will not even premiere until 2015.
The ten-episode first season was originally expected to bow this year. Instead, it will air in early 2015, and a thirteen-episode sophomore season will follow in early 2016.
“Production on ‘Better Call Saul’ is underway and we could not be more proud of nor more excited about the work to date. We join the fans in eager anticipation for this series and today we happily confirm that our initial ‘Saul’ order is for two seasons and a total of 23 episodes,” said AMC president Charlie Collier. “When introducing any series, especially one with the DNA of ‘Breaking Bad,’ there are countless factors to consider in making sure the show gets the launch it deserves. We have a strong history with Vince, Peter, Bob, the studio and so many involved with this production; we are enjoying the process on ‘Saul’ and all share a focus on making it a true television event. No half measures.”
A critical darling from its first episode, “Breaking Bad” evolved into a pop culture phenomenon by the end of its five-season run. In addition to becoming one of television’s most popular series in the adults 18-49 demographic, “Bad” finally won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2013 ceremony. It has a strong chance of repeating at the 2014 Emmys.