- Better Call Saul, the prequel to Breaking Bad, has earned a 98% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, placing it at No. 18 on the list of the 100 Best Netflix Series to Watch Right Now.
- Rotten Tomatoes has published an argument titled “Hear Us Out: Better Call Saul Is a Better Show Than Breaking Bad,” praising the slower, character-focused storytelling of the series and its development into one of the most acclaimed television dramas of its era.
- Despite the cultural phenomenon of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul is recommended as a must-watch crime drama on Netflix, with its reputation as a worthy — and possibly superior — successor to its predecessor continuing to grow.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 18 years, you know that Breaking Badpretty well broke AMC when it exploded among viewers. Two years after its tenure was up, the excitement was palpable when a prequel series came out, but not everyone went into it with the expectation that the spinoff would usurp the original.
As it was, Better Call Saulbroke the mold.
The crime drama recently appeared at No. 18 on Rotten Tomatoes’ list of the 100 Best Netflix Series to Watch Right Now, earning a 98% Tomatometer score. The ranking places it among the streaming service’s most acclaimed shows, alongside series including Derry Girls, Baby Reindeer, and Lupin.
That alone would be enough to make the show worth revisiting. But Rotten Tomatoes has also published an entire argument titled “Hear Us Out:Better Call SaulIs a Better Show ThanBreaking Bad,” giving fans plenty of ammunition for one of television’s most persistent debates.
A Prequel That Became Much More Than a Spinoff
When Better Call Saul premiered in 2015, expectations were understandably high. Breaking Bad had become one of television’s defining dramas, and the idea of building another series around its fast-talking criminal lawyer seemed like a risky proposition.
Instead, creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould spent six seasons exploring Jimmy McGill, the man who would eventually become Saul Goodman.
The series follows Jimmy’s transformation from a struggling lawyer and former con artist into the Albuquerque attorney known for representing criminals. Along the way, it expands the world of Breaking Bad while introducing its own central conflicts, relationships, and tragedies.
Rotten Tomatoes’ argument for Better Call Saul points to its slower, more character-focused storytelling as one of its biggest strengths. Rather than immediately chasing the explosive momentum of its predecessor, the series spends time examining Jimmy’s family history, professional ambitions, relationship with Kim Wexler, and gradual moral decline.
That approach helped the show establish an identity of its own.
Collider also noted that Better Call Saul outperformed Breaking Bad on Rotten Tomatoes in several important measures and developed into one of the most acclaimed television dramas of its era. The publication has also ranked Better Call Saul among the greatest crime shows ever made, describing it as just as good as — and in some ways better than — its predecessor.
‘Better Call Saul’ is a Must-Watch on Netflix
Of course, Breaking Bad remains difficult competition. Walter White’s descent into the drug trade became a cultural phenomenon, and the show’s pacing, performances, and escalating stakes helped redefine prestige television.
Better Call Saul simply took a different route.
For anyone looking for a highly acclaimed crime drama to binge on Netflix, Better Call Saul remains an easy recommendation. Rotten Tomatoes’ current ranking puts it among the best series available on the platform, and its long-standing reputation as a worthy — and possibly superior — successor to Breaking Bad has only grown since the series finale.
This story was originally published byMen’s Journalon Sep 14, 2026, where it first appeared in theEntertainmentsection. Add Men’s Journal as aPreferred
