Creating a spinoff to a popular TV show is never an easy task, which is evidenced when one looks at the long list of failed attempts at doing so. Even harder is creating a spinoff of a critically acclaimed series like Vince Gilligan's crime epic Breaking Bad, which many hold up as one of the best dramas to grace TV in recent memory. Thankfully, Better Call Saul proved more than up to the task, quickly establishing itself as another critical darling.
Of course, it's not just critics who have responded well to Saul, with the series drawing consistently good - if not Walking Dead-level - ratings for AMC. As evidence, Saul's future has never really been in doubt so far, with its renewals for both season 2 and this year's season 3 seen by most as foregone conclusions. In the land of fiction though, one man not pleased with the current direction of Better Call Saul is likely main character Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) himself, whose life just seems to get more complicated with each passing episode.
As fans will recall, Better Call Saul season 2 ended with a crafty Chuck (Michael McKean) tricking Jimmy into admitting to a serious crime while being unwittingly recorded. It remains to be seen what exactly Chuck will do with this proverbial smoking gun of evidence, but there's no way it leads anywhere good for Jimmy. Thankfully, as reported by Variety, AMC has revealed the date on which Jimmy's story will further begin to unfold: Monday, April 10. Additionally, TVLine officially confirms the addition of Breaking Bad villain Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), which was teased earlier this week in an amusing parody commercial for Fring's Los Pollos Hermanos chicken restaurant.
Better Call Saul season 3's April premiere date is noticeably later than that of seasons 1 and 2, which premiered in February. Season 3 will once again consist of 10 episodes though, so it seems that Jimmy's 2017 run will extend nearly into the summer. In addition to the premiere date and Gus Fring reveals, AMC has also released an official sneak peek clip from season 3's premiere, featuring what looks to be a fairly large change in Jimmy and Kim's working relationship at their joint practice. The full clip can be seen above.
During a TCA press event earlier today Esposito made it known that when Gus makes his debut on Better Call Saul, he won't quite be the cold and calculating meth kingpin he was on Breaking Bad, and that he's "still finding his way." For Jimmy's sake, here's hoping he doesn't find his way too quickly. At the moment, Walter White's future "criminal lawyer" has more than enough on his plate.
Better Call Saul season 3 premieres Monday, April 10 on AMC.