Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

Apple TV+ gives Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul’s Vince Gilligan a blank check

Everything we know about Vince Gilligan's new project for Apple TV+ so far

By

 There’s been some breaking — good — news about a new project coming to Apple TV+. The streaming service announced a commitment with Vince Gilligan, the mastermind co-creator behind the critically acclaimed series Breaking Bad and its prequel, Better Call Saul.

There’s not much known about the new series, including the name, but, spoiler alert, it will be a “blended, grounded genre drama,” according to a recent Deadline report. Without even creating a pilot episode, the show received a two-season green light, which highlights the confidence Apple TV+ has in Gilligan.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Gilligan will be the series showrunner and executive producer through his production company, High Bridge Productions. Rhea Seehorn, who played attorney Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul, has been tapped as the lead.

Recommended Videos

The plot of the show is still under wraps. However, it marks a departure from the supervillain criminals Gilligan brought us in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, the latter of which ended its six-season run on AMC with the series finale in August. There will be no Saul (Bob Odenkirk), Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), or Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), who starred in both smash series. And Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) likely won’t make appearances – you’ll have to get your fix of them on Netflix.

two people watching TV on the couch. one person has a remote. another is eating popcorn.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

However, if the new project is anything like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, you can expect plenty of plot twists and Emmy nominations. Gilligan is one of the most lauded TV creators of his time. Combined, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul have received nearly 50 Emmy nominations, including a pair for Outstanding Drama series. Gilligan’s credits also include The X-Files, where he served as a writer and producer.

With a resume like that, there was unsurprisingly plenty of interest in Gilligan’s new project. Deadline reported at least eight networks and steaming platforms wanted to read the script and learn more, and they engaged in a multiple-round bidding war. Deadline says the budget is about $13.5 to $15 million per episode, which is high but still pales in comparison to House of the Dragon and LOTR: The Rings of Power. Those two shows reportedly get at least $20 million to spend per episode. (Of course, the budgets necessary for fantasy shows like that are completely different from something that bills itself as a “grounded genre drama” — which gives Gilligan plenty of room to work with.)

Apple TV+ may have had a leg-up from the start. Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, who launched the streaming service, were the presidents at Sony Pictures Television and sold Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.

 The new project may not have a name or premiere date, but it already has at least one fan. Odenkirk has already thrown his support behind the series.

“This is gonna be so great!!  All the best people,” Odenkirk tweeted.

OMG this is gonna be so great!! All the best people! Vince Gilligan’s Next Series Starring Rhea Seehorn Lands At Apple TV+ – Deadline https://t.co/KFFiQx0W9Q

— Mr. Bob Odenkirk (@mrbobodenkirk) September 22, 2022

We tend to agree.

Editors’ Recommendations

BethAnn Mayer
BethAnn Mayer
Contributor
Beth Ann's work has appeared on healthline.com and parents.com. In her spare time, you can find her running (either marathons…
If you love Masters of the Air, you need to watch this Apple TV+ documentary
Love Masters of the Air? Watch this documentary
Austin Butler and Callum Turner in Masters of the Air.

Much like the other World War II miniseries that Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have produced, Masters of the Air tells the true story of the 100th bomb group, who served in the Air Force during World War II. The series is set to debut its finale on Apple TV Plus on March 15, and now, we've learned that it will be accompanied by a documentary that tells the true story of the soldiers who are so central to the show.

The documentary, which is called The Bloody Hundredth, was produced by Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and will be narrated by Tom Hanks.
“Directed by Mark Herzog and long-time Spielberg collaborator Laurent Bouzereau, the hour-long documentary spotlights the true stories of several characters and real-life airmen featured in “Masters of the Air” including John Egan (played by Callum Turner), Gale Cleven (played by Austin Butler), Harry Crosby (played by Anthony Boyle), Robert “Rosie” Rosenthal (played by Nate Mann), Frank Murphy (played by Jonas Moore), Alexander Jefferson (played by Brandon Cook), Richard Macon (played by Josiah Cross), as well as veterans John “Lucky” Luckadoo, Robert Wolf, and many others. From the shock of Pearl Harbor to the joy of VE Day, “The Bloody Hundredth” is a record of what was endured and achieved by a group of young Americans when their country and the world needed them most.”
The documentary is produced by Spielberg, Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and will likely be the perfect complement to Masters of the Air as the show wraps its run.

Read more
Apple TV Plus finally adds this feature that other streaming platforms have — but there’s a catch
Apple TV Plus adds third-party content
The Apple TV Plus Logo

One of the things that unites most of the best streaming services is that, in addition to all of the original content they produce, they also have a selection of movies and TV shows that originally aired or were created somewhere else. This back catalog leads to a more robust library, and, at least in theory, attracts people who might be turned off by the limitations of seeing only original offerings. This is true for almost every streaming platform with the exception of Apple TV Plus, at least until now.

In anticipation of the 2024 Oscars, Apple TV Plus has announced that more than 50 older movies are hitting the service for the first time. Those films include some award winners and some more populist picks designed to celebrate the broad range of what movies can offer.

Read more
Apple TV Plus’ Masters of the Air: Everything we know about Austin Butler, Steven Spielberg’s follow-up to Band of Brothers
This WW2 epic may be the best one yet
Austin Butler in Masters of the Air.

In addition to being one of the greatest directors in movie history, Steven Spielberg has also had an illustrious career as a producer. One of the director's favorite subjects, both in his own work and in the work he produces, has always been World War 2. Now, the director is set to produce another WW2 series to go right alongside The Pacific and Band of Brothers, two of the most acclaimed miniseries in history. Just as he did for Band of Brothers, Spielberg is reteaming with producers Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman for Masters of the Air, which will take a more aviation-oriented perspective to the war. Unlike those projects, though, this miniseries is headed for a streaming service: Apple TV Plus.

Now that the new miniseries is only a couple of months away, many are understandably curious about the details behind the series, including who's in the cast, when the series is set to start streaming, and what the story is about.
Who is in the cast of Masters of the Air?
Masters of the Air is set to be led by Austin Butler, who has had a meteoric rise to stardom after earning an Oscar nomination for his work in last year's Elvis. Butler already has several more movies in the hopper, including Dune: Part 2 and The Bikeriders, and now he's teaming up with Spielberg to lead this miniseries.

Read more