Better Call Saul started out as Breaking Bad’s little brother, the prequel series that was supposed to be a nice companion piece to the best crime drama of the 21st century. After six seasons and a vivid vision executed by showrunner Peter Gould, the spinoff starring Bob Odenkirk became an equal to its predecessor and even surpassed it in some aspects of storytelling, acting, and direction.
The series follows the life of Jimmy McGill, a sleazy lawyer who slowly loses his morality as he evolves into the broken shell of a man we see in Breaking Bad. The complexity of the other characters and the way the show creates a grander universe that ties both shows together is something to behold. Somehow, Better Call Saul never won a single Emmy for its greatness despite being nominated 54 times throughout the 2010s. It often lost to shinier competitors like Succession and Game of Thrones.
Better Call Saul represents an amalgamation of several different genres; therefore, when thinking of similar shows, the list can range from legal dramas to mafia series. These shows like Better Call Saul are thrilling, contemplative, and even funny a lot of the time. You’ll find a lot of the best shows to ever air below.
Breaking Bad (2008)
Believe it or not, some people watched Better Call Saul before Breaking Bad. I’m one of those people! If you did decide to watch the prequel before the original, make sure you watch the O.G. as soon as possible. Breaking Bad follows Walter White and Jesse Pinkman as they build a drug empire and drag everyone they love and care about to the grave due to their moral deterioration. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul are masterful, the cinematography here helped Better Call Saul improve upon it in the years after, and many of Saul’s best actors are here such as Odenkirk, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jonathan Banks.
Suits (2011)
Suits is a much more collaborative effort than Better Call Saul, but if you’re looking for a legal show with a sense of humor look no further than here. The story follows a group of lawyers at a Manhattan firm as they compete, help, and hurt each other in pursuit of professional accomplishments. Suits LA recently released on NBC and Peacock.
The Wire (2002)
The Wire would be the only show you could argue is superior to Better Call Saul and also was snubbed at the Emmys for its entire run. This classic crime drama leads fans through the entirety of Baltimore. From cops to criminals to lawyers, David Simon successfully analyzed the ways different people’s lives leak into one another and make or break a great American city. The second and fourth seasons are especially noteworthy for their attention to critical issues like immigration and the country’s education system.
The Sopranos (1999)
Ozark (2017)
Ozark resembles Better Call Saul because both shows demonstrate how an otherwise decent person devolves into something sinister when they get involved with horrible criminal organizations. Jason Bateman plays a financial expert who puts his skills to the test when he launders dirty money for a cartel from a hick town in Missouri. His family gets in on the action, and it’s Laura Linney’s character who becomes the most antiheroic and controversial in the series.
Mad Men (2007)
Mad Men stars Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, and so many other big TV stars of the last 20 years as a group of advertisers struggling through 1960s America in New York City. The show’s slow-burn character development and requirement that you actually put your phone down and pay attention to the series is what Better Call Saul fans will enjoy the most. Creator Matthew Weiner was daring in his storytelling and wanted audiences to see the immorality of the time period while still feeling sympathy for the people involved.
House (2004)
House features a megawatt performance by Hugh Laurie as a domineering doctor who breaks the rules while sometimes helping his patients. The way Dr. House goes about his medical practice is definitely in the same vein as Jimmy McGill in Better Call Saul. Eight seasons of great TV here, but unfortunately Laurie never won an Emmy for his performance, usually losing to Bryan Cranston.
Narcos (2015)
Much of Better Call Saul is split between two storylines in the first few seasons. There’s Jimmy’s legal plot and family drama with his brother, and there’s Mike and Gus’s involvement in the early days of their drug operation. Narcos will satisfy fans of the second plot line by loosely following the exploits of the cartel down in Mexico during the 1980s. Pedro Pascal is a standout performer.
