Slippin’ Jimmy, the spinoff ofBreaking Bad’sBetter Call Saul, isn’t great, and many of us are relieved thatBetter Call Saulignored it. While a lot of dedicatedBreaking Badviewers are familiar withSlippin’ Jimmy, there are others who don’t know there arefour different Saul Goodman actors, with Sean Giambrone voicing Jimmy McGill in the animated title.
It’s not uncommon for big franchises to include aforgotten TV spinoff you’ve probably never heard of, and for many,Slippin’ Jimmyis one of them. Saul Goodman is one ofthe best characters from theBreaking Baduniverse, but, to the relief of viewers, the events ofSlippin’ Jimmyaren’t implemented into the final installment ofBetter Call Saul.
Slippin' Jimmy Is A Bizarre Saul Goodman Prequel Released Along With Better Call Saul
The Animated Series Aired Alongside Better Call Saul’s Mid-Season 6 Finale
Breaking Bad’s animated series,Slippin’ Jimmy, focuses on a young Jimmy McGill growing up in Chicago with his brother, Chuck, and best friend, Marco. Across eight episodes, which were originally released alongsideBetter Call Saul’s mid-season 6 finale,Slippin’ Jimmyshows audiences the events of Jimmy’s teen years,which are depicted through various genre styles, like silent comedy and supernatural horror.
Viewers struggle to connect withSlippin’ Jimmyfor a few reasons.It’s a massive change in tone for theBreaking Badfranchise,for example, and each episode ofSlippin’ Jimmyis only six minutes long, so it’s nowhere near as gripping as either parent show. Other than the names of the characters, there’s little else that connects it to the franchise.
Slippin’ Jimmycould have been great, but sadly, it just isn’t. The campy tone and wacky visuals are great to a certain degree, butin relation toBetter Call Saul, it’s jarring and feels out of place.This is especially because Jimmy’s backstory is so dark inBetter Call Saul, butSlippin’ Jimmy’s narrative doesn’t seem to be as dramatic or harrowing.
Better Call Saul Gave Us The Definitive Version Of Jimmy McGill’s Origin Story
The Events Of Slippin' Jimmy Were Explained With Just A Couple Of Scenes In Better Call Saul
The problem withSlippin’ Jimmy’s existence is thatBetter Call Saulalready establishes Jimmy/Saul’s backstory.There are several flashbacks inBetter Call Saulthat explain certain things about Jimmy’s fate during his younger years, like when he meets the con artist in his father’s store in the season 2 episode “Inflatable.”
The name Slippin’ Jimmy actually comes fromBetter Call Saul, too,and in another flashback, it’s explained that it’s actually Jimmy’s nickname from his staged accident scams. While it’s interesting we get an animated depiction of these events from the character’s past, it’s not really needed, and the format only dampens his actions.
The entire premise ofSlippin’ Jimmyis already outlined and discussed in just a handful of scenes.
Better Call Saulalso provides an explanation ofSaul Goodman’s real name, and the reason for why he no longer goes by Jimmy McGill.Jimmy takes on the name of Saul Goodman while running scams with Marco,and so the entire premise ofSlippin’ Jimmyis already outlined and discussed in just a handful of scenes.
Saul Goodman is supposed to be an eerie and suspicious character.Learning more about his backstory throughoutBetter Call Saulis one of the reasons why the show works so well,butSlippin’ Jimmysomewhat trivializes his journey from Jimmy McGill to Saul Goodman.
Better Call Saul
Cast
Better Call Saul follows small-time lawyer Jimmy McGill as he navigates the legal world to make ends meet. The series, set six years before his encounter with Walter White, chronicles Jimmy’s evolution into Saul Goodman, with notable interactions alongside fixer Mike Ehrmantraut.
Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, follows a chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin named Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as he attempts to provide for his family following a fatal diagnosis. With nothing left to fear, White ascends to power in the world of drugs and crime, transforming the simple family man into someone known only as Heisenberg.
Better Call Saul Presents: Slippin' Jimmy
This animated series explores the early misadventures of young Jimmy McGill and his friends in Chicago. Styled after classic 70s-era cartoons, each episode pays homage to various film genres, including spaghetti westerns and silent comedies, creating a comedic backdrop for their escapades.
