Better Call Saul’s Devastating Emmy Record Is A Travesty

Sometimes, truly great works of art just aren’t appreciated by awards committees, but it can feel downright diabolical when a television series gets nominated and then loses over and over again. Great shows like “The Wire” have legendarily gone their entire run without winning any Primetime Emmy Awards, but they were only nominated twice. The lack of recognition is certainly a shame, but it’s nothing like the ridiculous run of bad luck Vince Gilligan’s fantastic crime drama “Better Call Saul” had at the Emmys. The series, which served as both a prequel and sequel to Gilligan’s massive hit “Breaking Bad,” had a record-breaking 53 nominations with zero wins. “Breaking Bad,” by comparison, had 58 nominations and won 16 Emmy Awards, including nods for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Bryan Cranston, and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Aaron Paul. 

It took the Television Academy a little bit of time to catch onto the greatness of “Breaking Bad,” so fans were hopeful that “Better Call Saul” might similarly start winning awards in later seasons, but unfortunately, it got completely snubbed and now holds the record as the most-snubbed television series of all time at the Emmys. Bigger, buzzier shows, like the media mogul family dynasty drama “Succession” and the equally treacherous but more dragon-heavy “Game of Thrones,” started snagging the big awards, leaving “Better Call Saul” in their dust. 

There are always snubs at every awards show because not everything can win, but the sheer number of losses suffered by the people who created “Better Call Saul” is pretty brutal. Zero for 53 is seriously something, especially when you look at the greatness of “Better Call Saul” overall. The series followed down-on-his-luck lawyer Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), who made a name for himself as “Slippin’ Jimmy” by learning how to carefully bend the rules to get away with bad behavior.

Jimmy would eventually become slick Albuquerque defense lawyer Saul Goodman, who did his best to keep “Breaking Bad” characters like Walter White (Bryan Cranston) out of prison, but “Better Call Saul” was his own tragic tale. The writing, directing, cinematography, and production design on “Better Call Saul” are all top-notch, with quite a bit of crossover with the “Breaking Bad” team, but somehow they just didn’t manage to win any of their nominations. The bigger surprise, however, is that none of the actors won any awards, because they really put in some phenomenal performances. 

Rhea Seehorn earned rave reviews from critics and was beloved by fans as Jimmy’s sometimes romantic partner and permanent partner-in-crime, lawyer Kim Wexler, but the Television Academy failed to recognize her greatness with an Emmy all the same. She regularly gave some of the best performances on television in any year, but was unfortunately ignored in favor of Jennifer Coolidge’s much-talked-about turn in the glitzy HBO series “The White Lotus” in 2023 and Julia Garner’s role in the grim Netflix drama “Ozark” in 2023. Series star Odenkirk had it worse, however, with six nominations for Best Lead Actor in a Drama, though he never won a single one. 

“Better Call Saul” is just as good as (or better than) “Breaking Bad,” and it deserved at least as much recognition at awards ceremonies, but because it came out at a different time (and was a less flashy series), it just didn’t have the juice. Oh well, at least “Better Call Saul” won over fans’ hearts, and that matters more than some award, even if you can’t put it on your mantle.