After three years, PaleyFest opened back in person celebrating a variety of meaningful and groundbreaking television series at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. This year’s festival, produced by the Paley Center for Media, hand-selected several acclaimed TV shows to debut their first episode with television fans alongside a special panel and Q&A with the creators and cast members of each show. Included in this year’s lineup was Better Call Saul, a spin-off to the crime drama series Breaking Bad featuring Walter White’s attorney, Saul Goodman. The series finale will debut its first 2 episodes on April 18 after 7 years of developing the background of many notable characters first seen in Breaking Bad.
Her Campus at UCLA attended PaleyFest’s special screening, panel, and audience Q&A for Better Call Saul on April 9, speaking with the cast about their emotions heading into the final season. The event debuted the first episode of the season finale, picking up where it left off in the fifth season’s finale following Jimmy McGill’s tumultuous path to transform into Saul Goodman. The episode seamlessly transitions into the consequences of the aftermath of the failed assassination of Cartel member Lalo Salamanca, played by Tony Dalton, as each character involved is left to face moral dilemmas of their own.
The screening was followed by a panel of the cast, including Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Giancarlo Esposito, Jonathan Banks, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando, Tony Dalton, and co-creator Peter Gould. Michael Schneider, television editor for Variety, moderated the panel and discussed the host of emotions felt by both fans and the cast going into the final series. Patrick Fabian, who plays Saul Goodman’s former employee, jokingly stated that “this was the longest job [he’s] ever had as an actor” before discussing how special it was to connect with the cast and crew and recall all of their last moments together as they filmed the final season. Much of the cast reflected on how grateful they were to come together and film the final sixth season with such a connected cast, with Tony Dalton believes this final season comes “full circle” and is the “perfect ending to the culmination of the story” originated in Breaking Bad and finishing in Better Call Saul.
With many of the characters originally starring in Breaking Bad, a few cast members reflected fondly upon their character’s development across both shows. Rhea Seehorn, who plays Saul Goodman’s wife Kim Wexler, reflected on it was “unique to have characters that actually are allowed to evolve and change”. Seehorn spoke more about how it was “tremendous fun” to explore Kim’s complexity throughout Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul as viewers watch her character continuously go through ups and downs in the final season. Seehorn, who was present at the time Bob Odenkirk experienced a heart attack during filming, described how truly grateful she was to have been surrounded by an experienced cast and crew that helped Bob during the situation and made her feel appreciative of the family she had made out of filming. Giancarlo Esposito was also eager to discuss his character’s evolution from his introduction in the world of Breaking Bad. He was excited at the opportunity to “jump between shows” as he loves to “keep [his] razor-sharp senses on the edge” while exploring the depth of the different characters he has portrayed. Esposito plays Gus Fring, a secret drug lord disguised as a businessman, as well as Moff Gideon on The Mandalorian, a spinoff within the Star Wars franchise. Esposito spoke more on how switching between his portrayal of Gus and Moff Gideon allowed him to delve into the roles in an effort to differentiate them from each other, a process he described as both intriguing and exciting.
Peter Gould treated the audience to a few secrets as to who would be making special appearances in the final season. Amongst other guest stars still to be disclosed, Gould revealed that both main characters Walter White and Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad will be making their debuts on Better Call Saul. The cast was excited to tease the audience as to who else would make appear on screen, but the audience was thrilled to hear that more Breaking Bad characters would be making a return from the beloved series. Bob Odenkirk left the audience with more questions than answers when teasing show spoilers as the cast wrapped up the panel by describing the sixth season with 1 word and expressing their love and gratitude for the show. Her Campus at UCLA is appreciative to the Paley Center for Media for extending an offer to experience this incredible panel and speak with an amazing cast. If you haven’t seen Better Call Saul, all 5 seasons are available to watch on Netflix before season 6 starts streaming its first 2 episodes on AMC on April 9!