The Emmys were dominated by Succession, The Bear, and Beef, but critical and fan-favourite Better Call Saul failed to break its long-time losing streak. In 2019, Better Call Saul set an unenviable Emmy record – it became the most nominated show with no wins. It then broke this record in 2020, again in 2022, and finally for the last time this year, ending at a staggering 53 nominations and zero wins. (Technically speaking, the marketing team did win two Emmys in the Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama category for promotional material in 2017 and 2020, but those are awarded to the channel, in this case, AMC, and not to the show.) (Also read: Emmy Awards 2024 full list of winners: Succession and The Bear tie with six wins each)
Better Call Saul and its Breaking Bad pedigree
Better Call Saul is part of the Breaking Bad universe, a spin-off focusing on supporting character Saul Goodman as played by comedy legend, Bob Odenkirk. The show functions both as a prequel and a sequel to Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul shows us how the young impressionable Jimmy McGill went on a long journey to become Saul Goodman, surviving the events of Breaking Bad, and escaping to a quiet life as Gene Takovic before his inner Saul woke up again.
Better Call Saul had a tough act to follow; Breaking Bad is considered to be one of the best TV shows of all time. But it delivered, with a significant segment of critics and fans deeming it to be better than its predecessor. However, when it comes to the Emmys, Breaking Bad was regularly rewarded, resulting in 16 wins from 58 nominations. Saul on the other hand, did not win for its lead, Bob Odenkirk, who was nominated six times for Best Actor. Not for the brilliant Rhea Seehorn as the conflicted Kim Wexler, and not for the show itself which was nominated for Best Drama seven times (its sixth season was released in two parts which were eligible in two different Emmy periods).
Better Call Saul has the same creative DNA as Breaking Bad, and the team’s skill and craft has only improved in the last decade. The show has developed its own signature style that fans have come to love. The acting, writing, cinematography, are all top-notch. Its command of tone is impressive, switching from dark and bleak, to playful and imaginative, sometimes within the same scene. Critics routinely cite Better Call Saul as an example of a show operating at the highest level.
What are the Emmys thinking?
How does a show with this kind of pedigree, sequel to an Emmy darling, not win a single award? What happened in the ten years since Breaking Bad won Best Drama (and Lead Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, and Writing) for its final season?
The TV Academy is not a monolith – its 20,000 strong membership consists of actors, writers, producers, TV executives, craftspeople and technicians, many of whom have their own shows in contention each year. Maybe voters lost faith in the show after it failed to win in the early years, and moved on to more current shows. Or it could be that AMC is no longer a channel of interest for voters, a brief shining period in the early 2000s with Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead. Sometimes it’s just a matter of timing – Better Call Saul overlapped with the last few years of Emmy juggernaut Game of Thrones, and the entire run of current favourite Succession. While all the nominees for each award are deserving, there can only be one winner.
While it’s disappointing to not win a single Emmy, the show has been nominated almost as many times as Breaking Bad. That’s a sign of recognition and appreciation. Look at The Wire, arguably the greatest television show ever, which has only two Emmy nominations and no wins. Better Call Saul is clearly not the first great show with no Emmys and it definitely won’t be the last.
In the wise words of our favourite lawyer/conman, “It’s all good, man.”
