Better Call Saul redefined spin-offs, but this legal classic paved the way

The Bob Odenkirk-starrer Better Call Saul premiered in 2015, and was hailed as one of the best spinoffs to come out of an already acclaimed parent show. Odenkirka’s Saul Goodman was introduced in Breaking Bad as the defense attorney who went to great lengths to support his clients, who were mostly from the criminal world. Odenkirk quickly became popular among fans, and hence we got a perfectly created shows, Better Call Saul.

In Better Call Saul, we witnessed how Jimmy McGill started using the alias Saul Goodman and several other personal and professional stories, giving the character more depth. However, this is not the first time a legal drama, which was a spinoff of a popular show, became as popular as the parent show. A decade earlier, the spin-off of The Practice, called Boston Legal, achieved the same feat that Better Call Saul would do later.

Boston Legal was a spinoff of The Practice and was based on a character who was introduced later in the show. Boston Legal’s Alan Shore was introduced in the final season of The Practice, and due to the popularity of the character, he got a show of his own.

More on this in our story.

Just like Better Call Saul, Boston Legal achieved the same popularity as its parent show

Breaking Bad is regarded as one of the best TV shows, and widely considered by crime show fans to be a cultural phenomenal. Whether the storyline or character arcs, Breaking Bad excelled in both. Then came Better Call Saul, bringing Saul’s back story to the screen. Surprisingly, the show also didn’t disappoint at any point in the narrative, as the storylines were at times sharp and also introduced some hilarious moments. Like Walter White in Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul gave us a well-written character and depicted depth of plot and relationships accurately.

Boston Legal did the same a decade before, when it premiered in 2004. James Spader’s Alan Shore depicted an attorney who never shied away from breaking laws to win his cases. Shore was known for his creative but sometimes law-breaking ways to win cases, even when it looked like he might lose. This aspect of the show made the legal drama thrilling and entertaining, as it kept the audience guessing about what new plan Shore would come up with to win this time.

Besides the interesting premise of Boston Legal, the characters were also interesting and compelling. Like the chemistry between Jimmy/Saul and Kim, who reluctantly became part of Jimmy’s dubious professional choices. While Kim and Jimmy were also romantically involved, their camaraderie didn’t end there, as both had great individual stories. Boston Legal also had a duo that made the show further sharp and witty: Shore and Danny (William Shatner).

Spader’s Shore and Danny Crane’s bromance became one of the central tropes of the show. Like Saul and Kim, Shore and Danny also had different personalities; one would go to any lengths to win the case, and the other cared more about his reputation. But the most important difference was their political opinions, as Danny was a conservative and loved firearms. Despite that, they were the best of friends, and their enduring friendship was the highlight of the show.

Furthermore, like Better Call Saul, Boston Legal was also regarded as one of the best shows when it aired and had earned numerous accolades. While The Practice was popular, Boston Legal achieved the similar popularity despite being a spin-off, and introduced more viewers to both shows.

A decade later, in 2015, Better Call Saul became another drama like Boston Legal, which became as popular and acclaimed as its parent show, Breaking Bad.

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