Most critics welcome Better Call Saul as a confident prequel, with praise centred on Bob Odenkirk’s ability to make Jimmy McGill funny, wounded and sympathetic without softening his defects. The reviews find plenty to enjoy in the dark comedy and the small, pathetic details of Jimmy’s working life. Direction and editing also draw praise, while the gentler tone and attention to character give the series enough of its own identity to avoid depending entirely on Breaking Bad.
The main reservation concerns how much these opening episodes deliver beyond a promising introduction. The Hollywood Reporter treats the slow start as grounds for patience, whereas Variety finds the pilot short of an emotional core and questions whether its origin story is compelling enough yet. The spread is otherwise fairly narrow: enthusiasm varies, but the dissent concerns dramatic substance rather than Odenkirk’s performance or the assurance of the filmmaking.