Better Call Saul, the famed AMC show running since 2015, had its final chance at being critically recognized by THE major award show for television, The Emmys. Better Call Saul and its many actors have been up for 53 total Emmys, in the show’s 7-year, 6-season run. Even with the number of nominations, Better Call Saul walked away from the 2023 Emmys going officially empty-handed for the show’s entire run.
If you aren’t familiar with Better Call Saul, it might be easier to recognize it as the spinoff series to Breaking Bad, a 12-time Emmy winner and common pick for anyone’s favorite show. Throughout its 5 season run, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and Anna Gunn (lead/supporting actors/actress) were honored with 9 awards, with 4 being won by Cranston, 3 by Paul, and 2 by Gunn. With the show itself/writers being honored with 3.
Better Call Saul follows a struggling lawyer living in Albuquerque, New Mexico trying to make it by, but that’s just at its surface. The show takes a character that notoriously lacked background and important lore while in Breaking Bad, and turns him into a man who can’t help himself. Messing up over and over, but his shady past has perfectly equipped him to work around the law, even while he is fighting for it. Each character is given a heart-wrenching background story that shows exactly how they got to Albuquerque and got involved in the drug/crime game. Whenever a character is having their story developed, you’ll spend no time wishing you were following another character because the show is jam-packed with character and relationship development.
The cinematography of Better Call Saul is unrivaled by any other show. shot composition and perfect positioning are crucial to keeping the motif of the show running throughout each season.
As a big fan of Better Call Saul, it hurts to see the actors and actresses who delivered the performances of a lifetime not be officially recognized by the biggest stage on television, especially when many losses came to shows that just cannot compare.
The Emmys hold a special place in television, the same as the Grammys for music or Oscars for film. Being able to walk away from a piece of art you put years of your life into with official recognition means the world to the actors and actresses who couldn’t have dreamed of winning. But having to leave empty-handed after 6 years of being nominated and invited is crushing. For actors and fans alike.
