Not even Saul Goodman could get Better Call Saul's absurd Emmy record off the hook. When Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould announced a Breaking Bad prequel centered around Bob Odenkirk's Saul Goodman, the skepticism was understandable, with television's track record of successful spinoffs sporting more holes than Jimmy McGill's criminal record. Better Call Saul quickly defied those odds, enjoying consistent acclaim from critics and viewers alike, and even surpassing Breaking Bad in the eyes of some. By any conceivable measure, Better Call Saul is an underdog victory worthy of Jimmy McGill himself.

It's a shame no one told the Emmys. Television's Oscars has had the good sense to nominate Better Call Saul a total of 46 times between season 1 in 2015 and season 6 in 2022. These nods have covered the full range of gongs handed out - Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actor, Outstanding Directing, Outstanding Writing - but Better Call Saul always found itself clapping awkwardly into camera 2 rather than striding onto stage. That all looked set to change in 2022. Better Call Saul season 6 brought the spinoff shenanigans to a note-perfect end with arguably its strongest-ever run. Even Rhea Seehorn finally received her richly-deserved, long-awaited Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series nomination.

Related: Better Call Saul's Alternate Ending Would Have Been A Lot Worse

Alas, 2022 would not be Better Call Saul's year after all. Despite nominations in four major categories, the Breaking Bad spinoff failed to collect a single statue. Succession ousted Better Call Saul for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Writing, while Ozark's Julia Garner trumped Rhea Seehorn and Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae hopped over Bob Odenkirk in the acting categories. All are worthy winners, certainly, but quite how Better Call Saul has been overlooked on all fronts is a mystery. Combined with the previous 42 nominations Jimmy McGill and his co-conspirators have racked up over past years, and it's baffling how Better Call Saul - widely considered among the finest pieces of television in recent memory - has an Emmy shelf as bare as Gene Takavic's soul.

Why Better Call Saul's Emmy Streak Could Cement Its Legacy

Image of Jimmy McGill from Better Call Saul with a mask.

Better Call Saul's Emmy aspirations aren't necessarily over. The eligibility period for 2022's ceremony ran until May 31, which means only the first half of Better Call Saul season 6 would've counted. The second block of episodes (which ran from July 11 to August 15 and included the epic "Saul Gone" finale) will likely be considered again for the 2023 Emmy Awards ceremony. Saul Goodman gets one last shot at wowing the voters, and the Emmys gets one last chance to prove a TV show nominated 46 times is worthy of at least one victory.

In truth, however, Better Call Saul's legacy won't be adversely affected should Emmys continue to prove elusive - if anything, such a long losing streak will only cement the spinoff's place in TV history further. Famous awards snubs occupy a strangely enduring place in TV and movie lore - Alfred Hitchcock's winless Oscar record, Goodfellas losing to Dances With Wolves, Sandra Oh's nine acting Emmy nominations without a win, Steve Carell's lack of recognition for playing Michael Scott, even Metallica losing to Jethro Tull at the Grammys. All of the above snubs and streaks have become mythic examples of awards injustice. If Better Call Saul continues to be the Emmy bridesmaid without ever walking down the aisle itself, such a criminal oversight would live far longer in the memory than if Better Call Saul finally gets its due in 2023.