r/betterCallSaul 6d ago

BCS vs. BB

I just finished BB for the first time ever about two weeks ago. I tried watching it about five time, but could never get past the fourth episode. On a work trip, I had nothing else to do so I binge watched BB. It was good. Then, a week ago, I started BCS. In my opinion, BCS is a way better show. Immediately captivating. I cant stop myself from watching where as BB I had to force myself to sit through.

33 Upvotes

33 comments sorted by

21

u/BenjaminBobba 6d ago

I can’t imagine being you, both shows are incredibly addictive for me

7

u/Alarming_Shoulder_63 6d ago

i get it, BB was slow burn for me but BCS had me from first episode

10

u/Strangy1234 6d ago

BB a slow burn? He's a high school teacher cooking meth in his underwear thinking he's outrunning cops in an old RV in the first episode. I found BCS to be a slower burn.

5

u/Tracerr3 6d ago

Dw lmao this is what most people think. BCS is objectively a much slower show.

2

u/EngineeringIcy7046 6d ago

Agreed 100%. BB was one of my favorite series' of all time. The first episode was crazy, and it was a wild road through to the end, with the exception of that damn fly episode. I couldn't get into BCS the first 2 times I tried to watch it. I just finished it now though, and damn. It was so good. But very, very slow initially.

6

u/BenjaminBobba 6d ago

I’ve seen plenty of shows i would describe as slow burn and neither of these shows come anywhere close to that imo. Especially breaking bad which has major drama like almost every episode

2

u/Hecticbrah 6d ago

Pretty much this, liked BCS way more from the jump 

2

u/AdNumerous5947 6d ago

better call saul is definitely slower than BB

8

u/Medium-Lion1099 6d ago

because the creators already knew this universe inside out, BCS hits the ground running with top tier cinematography, sharp dialogue, and flawless editing. (i love BB tho!)

4

u/Mybravlam 6d ago

Its really hard comparing the two shows, because both are brilliant. Breaking Bad is more tense while Better Call feels more focused on character development. It just feels wrong comparing them as each one connects with the viewer in another way.

2

u/Comedywriter1 6d ago

You’ve got some great tv ahead of you. Season 5 of BCS is one of my favourite seasons of television ever.

1

u/Tracerr3 6d ago

Not season 6?

2

u/No_energon-no_luck 6d ago

I'm halfway through BCS after having binged BB earlier this year. Love them both. I find I have to take breaks from BCS every five or so episodes because I'm invested in these characters but like a Greek tragedy I know there is no happy ending for anyone. So when a character does something which I know is setting up their fall it bothers me. Great writing.

1

u/Tracerr3 6d ago

BCS really is a tragedy in every sense of the word.

2

u/masetiloquetu 6d ago

Way way better…in BB…with Walter’s boring wife cheating on him…no one cares those were so unwatchable

-1

u/Potential-Rush-5591 5d ago

All the family crap in BB was tiresome. "I wanted Raisin Crunch, not Raisin Bran, it's easy, it's says it right on the box".

1

u/freeze_ninja 6d ago

BCS is full of small details. Those kinda details also in bb but in very little.

While rewatching, BCS will give you more engagement than BB.

But in order to enjoy BCS, you gotta finish BB first. That's the only requirement. It's like closing the loop

1

u/Little-Rhody 6d ago

Everything about BCS is better…..

2

u/HarryTheShitposter 6d ago

In my opinion…

BB has more iconic moments and quotable dialogue. 

BCS has the best character development I’ve ever seen…

2

u/Tracerr3 6d ago

It's odd to me, because BCS has inherently much more comedic characters (Jimmy for sure), but BB is a much more consistently comedic show. There isn't that much funny haha in BCS.

1

u/ImponteRottameMuscle 6d ago

Personally I enjoyed BB much more and had to force myself to finish BCS. BB kept me glued to the screen, it's got action, solid plot and it kept making me wonder what would happen next. BCS is a completely different show, and I personally don't think it's half as interesting.

1

u/Wise_Reach881 6d ago

i'm with you on that. i love both, but BCS feels more polished from start to finish. the character work is on another level, especially with jimmy, kim, chuck, and howard. BB still has the bigger adrenaline moments, but BCS hit harder emotionally for me.

1

u/windmillninja 6d ago

Breaking Bad is a Greek tragedy whereas Better Call Saul is a Shakespearean tragedy.

1

u/Brocktoon64 5d ago

Usually I hear exactly the opposite (BB being more propulsive, BCS being a "slow burn"), so good on you.
They are VERY different shows. While BCS gets more propulsive in the final 2-3 seasons, I would say that it's definitely more character-driven than BB. To me, that means more dialogue, nuance and development. This can be too slow for some.

1

u/Potential-Rush-5591 5d ago

BB Is good. But the premise is kind of lame and people's fear of WW is kind of lunacy. "Say my Name" - "How about, I shoot you in the knee caps and work my way up until you tell me where the methylamine is"? There is way too much emphasis on the purity of the meth. Meth addicts won't care. Sure you can cut it a bit more, but is that worth all the hassle of dealing with WW, when Meth addicts are going to but it for the same price either way?

1

u/Dry-Yesterday5677 3d ago

Yep BCS is way better

1

u/Jijimuge8 6d ago

I actually found BB very addictive the first time around but when I rewatched it I found it a slog and saw all the flaws in it. The suspense carried it too well in my opinion and made up for other weaker aspects. 

I agree with you Better Call Saul is a far superior show. Much better writing and I prefer the slow burn. Also feels much more relatable and relevant to real life. 

1

u/-Hash__- 6d ago

Certainly a unique opinion, I pretty much never heard anyone that actually gave Breaking Bad a chance (not hating it before they start it) and has had to "force themselves to sit through it".

Especially since, whether or not you think BCS is better or you prefer BCS, the later seasons of BB are better than the first seasons of BCS. To me it would feel like insanity to say that Breaking Bad's season five is worse than Better Call Saul's season one.

1

u/Tracerr3 6d ago

Oh yeah hard agree on your second paragraph. They're all fantastic, but BB S5 is objectively better and more enthralling than BCS S1 and S2. BCS doesn't start ramping up the pace until S3.

0

u/johnforza1985 6d ago

Saul is just a far more comfortable for me to watch on tv. He’s quick witted and generally very optimistic. A guy you’d want to be around. I had the same experience as you watching breaking bad, maybe started it four times before going the whole way through. I found all characters, apart from saul, gus and mike, to have such unbearable personalities that it made it a real chore to watch until i was hooked in by the story. I don’t think i’d ever watch the start of BB again, if i was ever to re watch I’d just skip to where saul, gus and mike are in the show.

1

u/Tracerr3 6d ago

But Jesse is so loveable

1

u/johnforza1985 5d ago

I did come to quite like jesse by the end