There may not be many who have not seen, or at least heard of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, the shows created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Breaking Bad ran from 2008 to 2013, spread across 5 seasons and it’s spinoff Better Call Saul ran for longer – 6 seasons that came to an end this month.
BB has been the most critically acclaimed television show of all time, and BCS is not far behind. The storylines were thoroughly enjoyable, but the hallmarks of these shows were the watertight scripts, with an attention to granular detail. The script was such that it would have needed multiple writers to collaborate over the main plot, sub-plots and then intricately bring them together as and when required. A mammoth effort no less.
On one side we have that, and on another we have the Ekta-Kapoor type tv sitcom, that is mostly written on the way to the shooting.
Ever since the advent of OTT, there have been some noteworthy serials from the Indian stable, but I have yet to come across one that spans so many seasons, and yet maintaining the quality and viewer engagement. It takes a lot of thinking, planning and effort, besides the obvious creativity, and it’s not like there is a dearth of talent in India. We are a large market and can monetize this effort as well. Then why haven’t we done it as yet?
A good question, one that I hope gets answered soon.
In the meantime, check out the final season of Better Call Saul. A befitting ending to an enjoyable journey. Slippin Jimmy is now officially part of folklore!