Entertainment NOW

Entertainment Now | February 22 - 28, 2020 By Kyla Brewer TV Media T elevision has evolved. With entire series avail- able at the touch of a but- ton through on-demand and streaming services, TV fans don't need to wait to be enter- tained. Still, some things are worth waiting for. After a long hi- atus, everyone's favorite "crimi- nal" lawyer is headed back to prime time. Bob Odenkirk ("Mr. Show With Bob and David") returns as Jimmy McGill, aka Saul Good- man, in the two-night season premiere of "Better Call Saul," beginning Sunday and continu- ing Monday, Feb. 23 and 24, on AMC. The character famously originated in AMC's "Breaking Bad" and proved so popular that Odenkirk was given his own show, which serves as a prequel to the previous series. Goodman's origin story con- tinues in the new season of "Bet- ter Call Saul," which follows Jim- my/Saul as he sheds his one-time hapless persona for that of a sleazy but highly capable lawyer. All the while, longtime friend and sometimes lover Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn, "Whitney") makes her way as an ambitious lawyer, albeit with a very differ- ent approach to practicing law. Mike Ermantraut (Jonathan Banks, "Breaking Bad") is also back this season. The cantanker- ous former cop finds himself on the other side of the law as he works for underworld figure Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposi- to, "The Mandalorian"). Both Fring and Ermantraut were main characters who met their demise in "Breaking Bad." Fans have been waiting a long time for new episodes of "Saul." The Season 4 finale aired in Oc- tober 2018, and fans will likely be expecting a big payoff for their patience. By all accounts, Odenkirk appears to think that they will be satisfied with "Bet- ter Call Saul's" 10-episode fifth season. At the 2020 Winter Tele- vision Critics Association Press Tour, the actor said that the new season would be "bigger." "I do feel like we go faster in Season 5," he said. "More hap- pens. It's a bigger season. The snowball is coming down the mountain and it's breaking up." At the same event, Peter Gould, who co-created both "Breaking Bad" and "Saul" with Vince Gilligan, echoed Oden- kirk's enthusiasm for the new season: "I'd say this season, where it goes, is a little more ki- netic," Gould explained. "There are scenes that are certainly as violent as anything we had on 'Breaking Bad.'" Speaking of "Breaking Bad," fans of the now-defunct AMC drama may be happy to know that a couple of familiar faces will show up in the new season of "Better Call Saul." The biggest buzz is that Dean Norris ("Claws") will guest star as Hank Schrader, DEA agent and brother-in-law to "Breaking Bad's" main character, meth cook Walter White (Bryan Crans- ton, "Malcolm in the Middle"). In a blog post on AMC.com, Nor- ris was quoted as saying: "I was absolutely thrilled to revisit my old friend Hank Schrader. It was particularly fun to play the early Hank with swagger. Getting time on set again with my 'Breaking Bad' family was a cherry on top. I hope the fans enjoy it as much as I did." As an added bonus, Schrader's ever-loyal sidekick, Gomez (Ste- ven Michael Quezada, "Beer- fest," 2006), will be back in ac- tion, too. They're scheduled to appear in two episodes of the new season, and the dynamic duo caused a hullabaloo when they showed up in the "Better Call Saul" Season 5 trailer. The trailer offers some glimps- es of what's to come. Saul and Kim share a kiss. Gus appears to be engaged in some intense wheelings and dealings. "Break- ing Bad" psychopath Tuco Sala- manca (Raymond Cruz, "The Closer"), who appeared in the first and second seasons of "Saul," returns with his bell. Gang member Nacho (Michael Mando, "Orphan Black") broods. In the trailer's best clip, Mike shows some young whip- persnappers that he's not to be trifled with. In addition to the other "Break- ing Bad" alums, Robert Forster ("Jackie Brown," 1997) is set to make an appearance as vacuum cleaner salesman Ed Gailbraith, who has a side job helping people disappear witness-protection style — for a fee, of course. Sadly, For- ster appears posthumously, hav- ing died in October 2019, from brain cancer. With so many nefarious charac- ters in the new season, Saul should have no trouble finding cli- ents for his burgeoning law prac- tice, shady though it may be. His transformation from Jimmy to Saul should be almost complete by the season's end, but there will surely be more to explore since "Better Call Saul" has already been renewed for Season 6. Un- fortunately, that will be its final season, as the prequel nears the "Breaking Bad" timeline. Who knows, perhaps White and part- ner-in-crime Jesse Pinkman (Aar- on Paul, "The Path") will turn up in Season 6? Critics and fans praised Paul's reprisal of Pinkman in last year's Netflix film "El Cami- no," which served as an epilogue for "Breaking Bad," proving that there's still a hunger for the show's characters. As Season 5 kicks off, Saul comes up with an unorthodox strategy for getting new clients that tests Kim's patience. Else- where, Lalo (Tony Dalton, "Sr. Avila") searches for the mysteri- ous Michael. Don't miss what happens next in the season pre- miere of "Better Call Saul," air- ing Sunday and Monday, Feb. 23 and 24, on AMC. Rhea Seehorn as seen in "Better Call Saul" S'all good, man: 'Better Call Saul' is back on AMC 2 | Cover story A/Grindstone Charlie's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4" Moore's Home Health 5 x 2" Expires 2/29/2020

• Cover