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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Better Call Saul begins before Breaking Bad, moves toward and overlaps its era, then follows Jimmy McGill—now Gene Takavic—after it. That makes Better Call Saul both a prequel and, in its final timeline, a sequel. For a first viewing, watch the shows and El Camino in release order; for a broad in-universe view, start with the earlier Jimmy McGill story, then follow the shared era and post-series stories.
Where Better Call Saul sits in the Breaking Bad timeline
It starts years earlier
AMC described Better Call Saul as the story of Jimmy McGill before he became Saul Goodman, set six years before Saul meets Walter White. A 2014 TIME report attributed the more specific setting of 2002 to AMC. These establish the show’s early starting point, not a year-by-year date for every season.
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It approaches and overlaps Breaking Bad
As Jimmy’s story advances, it reaches the period associated with Breaking Bad and shares characters and events with that series. The timeline is not a simple “all of Better Call Saul happens first” arrangement: the show’s later Gene Takavic material is set after the main Breaking Bad story.
The Gene chapters move beyond the overlap
In the Gene material, Jimmy is living under an assumed identity after the events of Breaking Bad. Writer Alison Tatlock described the creative shift as “no longer bumping into Breaking Bad but moving beyond it” in a 2022 AMC Talk interview. Co-creator Peter Gould called the Gene segment “the sequel when the rest of the show has been a prequel to Breaking Bad” in another AMC Talk interview.
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Where El Camino fits
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie continues Jesse Pinkman’s story after Breaking Bad. AMC presented it as the next chapter in Jesse’s journey, rather than as a chapter of Better Call Saul. Place it after Breaking Bad in a broad chronological watch, or watch it in its release position after the series if following release order.
Which order should you watch them in?
AMC has not prescribed a single viewing order. These two approaches serve different goals:
| Approach | Suggested order | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Release order | Breaking Bad → Better Call Saul → El Camino | First-time viewers who want to encounter the stories in the order audiences originally did. | Keeps the shows’ prequel and sequel turns as originally introduced; it does not follow fictional chronology from beginning to end. |
| Broad in-universe order | Early Better Call Saul story → Breaking Bad-era story → Breaking Bad → Gene material → El Camino after Breaking Bad | Rewatchers prioritizing the fictional timeline. | There is no verified, official episode-by-episode sequence here; the story’s timelines overlap, so this is a broad guide, not a precise interleaving. |
Release order is the simpler default for a first viewing: it avoids switching between episodes or breaking up the story to chase chronology. If you are rewatching, the broad in-universe approach makes the major time shifts easier to track, but watching all of Better Call Saul before Breaking Bad would put its Gene chapters out of sequence.
Why there is no simple episode-by-episode chronological list
The series moves among distinct periods, including flashbacks and the later Gene story. AMC’s creator and writer interviews explain the broad structure, but they do not establish a definitive scene-by-scene watch sequence. A detailed interleaving you may encounter is a fan reconstruction, not an official order. For a practical viewing plan, keep the early Jimmy story, shared Breaking Bad era, and post-series material distinct rather than treating every episode as part of one uninterrupted prequel.
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A concise timeline
- Better Call Saul opens with Jimmy McGill’s earlier life and his transformation toward Saul Goodman; AMC’s 2014 announcement places it six years before Saul meets Walter White.
- The story advances toward and overlaps the Breaking Bad period.
- The Gene Takavic chapters take place after the main Breaking Bad events.
- El Camino continues Jesse Pinkman’s story after Breaking Bad.
AMC’s 2014 announcement introduced the character as Jimmy McGill, describing a series set before Saul Goodman’s encounter with Walter White. The announcement is available from AMC Global Media.
Quick Recap
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- Walt's (Bryan Cranston) cancer is in remission but his wife has filed for divorce, his DEA agent brother-in-law is out to bust him and a Mexican cartel wants him dead. But Walt cooks up a deal that will make him a fortune, a scheme with a terrible price. Executive produced by Vince Gilligan and Mark Johnson.
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