For Bob Odenkirk, the ending of Better Call Saul was the climax of a very long journey for his Breaking Bad character. However, it seems that his new show Straight Man has a lot of similarities to the story of crooked lawyer Saul Goodman. Having seen out six seasons of Better Call Saul, which climaxed in August this year, Odenkirk has moved quickly onto his next project, which continues his work with AMC in the adaptation of 1997 novel Straight Man by Richard Russo.
In Straight Man, Odenkirk plays William Henry Devereaux Jr, an English professor who is heading towards the end of his career. The eight part series is described as being half comedy and half drama, and that is something that Odenkirk says the show has in common with Better Call Saul. Odenkirk told EW:
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Having made the iconic Breaking Bad role of Saul Goodman aka Jimmy McGill even more iconic by return to play him in Better Call Saul, anything that Odenkirk does is always going to stand just one step behind that performance. Audiences took to Saul with great affection, even when some of his decisions and actions were not those of a man who always deserved that kind of adoration.
“It’s more comic. I feel like I relate to the main character, who’s a misanthrope. He’s a cranky guy, but you like him. And I just think tonally it’s great. It feels like a new mashup of comedy and drama that we’ve been on the verge of for a long time…It’s really a great mashup of comedy and the kind of drama that we’ve gotten to do on Better Call Saul and it’s become more prevalent in streaming shows, and I think it’ll be neat. I hope the audience is up for it.”
However, while Better Call Saul had its funny moments, Straight Man looks like it will be pushing the humor side of things further, and will give Odenkirk the chance to return to the kind of performances that started his career. Of course, this time around the character of William Devereaux Jr will have more scruples than Saul Goodman as he enters a mid-life crisis, which will involve a fair amount of family dynamics.
When it comes to Saul Goodman, Better Call Saul’s ending led to many fans unhappy at the rogue lawyer ending up behind bars and preparing to live out his days there. While in the end it was his choice to give up his wayward life as Goodman, his flawed character was one that became a firm fan-favorite from the minute he first appeared way back in the second season of Breaking Bad. However, with Goodman’s story now permanently wrapped up, his new venture could give audiences another Bob Odenkirk character to take to their hearts. Straight Man will make its debut on AMC in 2023.
