Should I watch Better Call Saul before Breaking Bad?

Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul.
(Image credit: AMC)

Now that Better Call Saul has come to an end, there has never been a more perfect time to binge the entire series. But there's one question that seems to be on many people's minds: *How* should I watch Better Call Saul? And should I watch it before Breaking Bad?

And we're not talking about where to watch or how to stream, we're talking about how the Breaking Bad prequel's timeline lines up with the flagship show and what's the easiest or perhaps most enjoyable way to consume both series. Don't worry: we have options for those starting out, as well as those curious about watching the Breaking Bad series in chronological order from start to finish.

Can you watch Better Call Saul before Breaking Bad?

Better Call Saul season 6

(Image credit: AMC)

Though the series takes place years before the events of Breaking Bad, it begins with a look into Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman's life at the end of the flagship series and makes frequent cuts to these scenes (shown in black and white as not to confuse the viewer).

Considering that it quite literally picks up where Breaking Bad ends, and then rewinds to how Jimmy even became a seedy lawyer in the first place, it's definitely possible (and recommended) to watch all of Breaking Bad first. This creates a pretty cool contrast between the Saul who gets involved with Walt and Jesse and the Jimmy we meet in season 1.

Can I watch Better Call Saul without watching Breaking Bad?

Walter White (Bryan Cranston) in Breaking Bad

(Image credit: AMC)

A common misconception when the spinoff began was that the show was made for Breaking Bad fans and only Breaking Bad fans. In reality, Better Call Saul functions as its own entity – even though it contains many of the same characters. The average person can sit down and watch the show without any knowledge of who Walter White even is. 

Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould do a pretty great job of setting up Jimmy's backstory and putting an emphasis on the characters who are important to him and have a direct impact on his life – while also incorporating Breaking Bad favorites like Mike, The Twins, and 'Chicken Man' Gustavo Fring. But if you're not familiar with the latter, it really doesn't matter. 

It does get a little confusing with the final season, as the show functions as its own thing up until halfway through season 6. There, Saul finally meets Walt and Jesse and things fast forward to the aftermath of Walt's destructive crimes as an epilogue to the Breaking Bad universe. So, yes, you can watch the vast majority of the show without any prior knowledge of Breaking Bad, but the final act will spoil Breaking Bad and, ultimately, won't feel quite as satisfying.

How to watch Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul in chronological order

While some have proposed watching them at the same time – the same way you would watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel, for example – this really doesn't work. Why? The shows operate on two different timelines which don't match up until the very last episodes. 

Here's our recommendation on how to watch both series:

  • Better Call Saul season 1
  • Better Call Saul season 2
  • Better Call Saul season 3
  • Better Call Saul season 4
  • Better Call Saul season 5
  • Better Call Saul season 6, up to episode 9
  • Breaking Bad seasons 1-5
  • El Camino (the Breaking Bad movie)
  • Better Call Saul season 6, episodes 10-13

To be fair, while El Camino is a "Breaking Bad movie," it's a standalone film that explains what happened to Jesse during the last season of Breaking Bad – or, at least, the events that take place before the speed-up of the final episode. It can be watched before or after Saul, just as long as you finish it after Breaking Bad (or risk spoiling the entire series).

If you do want to make yourself a little crazy and watch the shows in a chronological order that matches up references and nods and flashbacks between both shows, we recommend doing this after you've watched Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad in a somewhat normal way – whether you follow our guide or watch each separately. 

A Reddit user by the name of milestogo71 compiled the complete chronology in one neat – albeit spoiler-heavy – post. It might take you a thousand years, but it's definitely a fun way for the super fan to watch.

For more, here's how Better Call Saul avoided TV's history of disappointing finales – and made Breaking Bad even better. For what to stream next, check out our list of the best new TV shows coming your way in 2022 and beyond.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

Read more
Andrew Lincoln as Rick in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
How to watch The Walking Dead franchise in order (release and chronological)
How to watch Attack on Titan in order
How to watch Attack on Titan in order
How to watch the Star Wars movies in order
How to watch the Star Wars movies in order (release and chronological)
Walter White (Bryan Cranston) in Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is leaving Netflix – but not for another two years
Ichigo in a sword fight with Renji during the events of Bleach
How to watch Bleach in order (TV show and movies)
Dragon Ball in order: Goku, Bulma and Yamcha in the anime, Dragon Ball.
How to watch Dragon Ball in order (TV shows and movies)
Latest in Drama Shows
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last Of Us season 2
The Last of Us showrunner says he isn't worried about fan reaction to season 2: "The best way we could respect our fans and honor them is to not worry about them"
The Last of Us
The Last of Us season 2 showrunner talks new and even more terrifying types of infected with a big tease: "The Rat King is something that anybody who has played TLOU Part 2 is traumatized by"
fool me once
Harlan Coben’s new novel is set to be "more of a sequel" to the hit Netflix series Fool Me Once: "I don’t know any time that’s ever happened"
Owen Cooper in Adolescence
Sorry, Adolescence season 2 isn't happening, despite its 99% Rotten Tomatoes score and record-breaking Netflix audience
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in The Last of Us episode 3
The Last of Us season 2 showrunners tease a "gorgeous" episode akin to season 1’s Emmy-nominated Bill and Frank story: "Just you wait"
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last of Us
The Last of Us season 2 showrunners changed the way they introduce Abby so fans don’t get "spoiled in between seasons": "It felt appropriate to give viewers that context right off the bat"
Latest in News
Everybody's Golf Hot Shots
The surprise theme of today's Nintendo Direct was classic PlayStation franchises getting a comeback without Sony's involvement
Hogwarts Legacy how many spells
Unannounced Hogwarts Legacy DLC reportedly canceled, partly because the studio wasn't sure it'd be worth players' money
Ultimate X-Men #14
Ultimate X-Men #14 pays homage to a classic Wolverine moment as the Shadow King returns
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Ubisoft reaches deal with Tencent to create $4.3 billion mini-Ubisoft subsidiary to "spearhead development" on new Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six games
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last Of Us season 2
The Last of Us showrunner says he isn't worried about fan reaction to season 2: "The best way we could respect our fans and honor them is to not worry about them"
Black Myth: Wukong
English is no longer the biggest language on Steam as Chinese gamers embrace PC gaming even harder after Black Myth: Wukong