Copyright Screen Rant
Breaking Bad created a franchise with the spinoff Better Call Saul and movie El Camino, but there's a specific reason why Vince Gilligan didn't continue with more spinoffs. Considered one of the best TV shows of all time, Breaking Bad debuted in 2008 and aired for five seasons. It quickly became a critical darling, with a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. After the success of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Gilligan chose not to expand the franchise further, despite being pressured to do so. While promoting his new Apple TV show Pluribus, the TV show creator admitted to NME that Sony executives wanted to know what would be coming next in the Breaking Bad universe after the Better Call Saul series finale. Instead of bowing to the pressure, Gilligan told the studio executives that they all should "take a break" from that universe for a while and "move on." He wanted to explore other non-Breaking Bad stories, which he is now doing with Pluribus, which stars Rhea Seehorn, who played Kim Wexler on Better Call Saul. The Apple TV series depicts a society that has been taken over by a virus, causing everyone to be happy all the time. However, Seehorn's character, Carol Sturka, is immune, for some reason. It was "scary" to walk away from the Breaking Bad franchise, admitted Gilligan, and it "remains scary" to this day. Check out his additional comments below: They would say, ‘What do you think’s next in the Breaking Bad universe?’ I said, ‘Maybe we should take a break from it for a while. Maybe it’s time to move on…I wanted to see if I had any other stories in me that people would like. And it was scary. It is scary. It remains scary. Not only was Breaking Bad a hit with critics and viewers, but it won several awards throughout its run, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Bryan Cranston), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Aaron Paul), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Anna Gunn), and Outstanding Drama Series. A spinoff was inevitable, with Better Call Saul premiering two years after the Breaking Bad series finale aired and focusing on supporting character Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman, played by Bob Odenkirk. The series was a prequel and included many Breaking Bad references and appearances from cast members of the original show. Amazingly, Better Call Saul has an even higher Rotten Tomatoes rating than its predecessor, with a 98% score. However, the spinoff never won a single Emmy Award, despite being nominated over 50 times. In the middle of Better Call Saul's six-season run, Netflix released a TV movie called El Camino, which centered on Paul's character, Jesse Pinkman, after the events of Breaking Bad. It was nominated for Outstanding TV Movie at the Emmys, but lost to Bad Education. Better Call Saul ended three years ago, but interest in the Breaking Bad franchise remains extremely high, and Gilligan keeps having to field questions about a continuation of the franchise. Giancarlo Esposito, who played Gus Fring on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, has talked about wanting to star in a spinoff about his character.
