Better Call Saul's Unseen Alternate Ending Would Have Ruined The Show

For many years, there were a lot of shows inspired by the controversial, open-ended format of The Sopranos. Meanwhile, other TV series present fans with a more straightforward and rewarding final episode.

The finale of Breaking Bad left such a statement that some still debate whether it's the best TV conclusion of all time.

Regardless, most agree that the ending to Breaking Bad was so satisfying that it inspired a craving for more, thus launching the popular spin-off, Better Call Saul.

Fast forward seven years (and six successful seasons) later, and the overall consensus is that the conclusion to Better Call Saul was satisfying and appropriate.

However, what most fans of Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad do not know is how the ending to Saul Goodman's legacy almost ended much differently.

Moreover, had series creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould gone with the initial draft of the series finale (S6, E13: "Saul Gone"), it would have finished very similar to Breaking Bad.

Gould recently sat down with Screen Rant to reveal how the writers and producers were considering an alternative ending to the series.

For instance, there was a proposition to finish it with Saul's prisoners chanting "Better Call Saul! Better Call Saul" on the bus en route to the penitentiary. There were some valid arguments for concluding with this much darker, gloomier ending.

Nevertheless, after careful consideration, the producers decided to switch to the ending that fans have seen in the episode.

For Gilligan and Gould, this was an obvious move since the alternative conclusion did not account for Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn).

Thus, finishing with a scene in the visitation room where Kim and Jimmy share one last cigarette seemed like a more fair and gratifying finale.

Despite a dreary final episode, Better Call Saul ultimately ended with Jimmy doing something redeeming on behalf of Kim.

It's a heartbreaking conclusion, in one regard, because even if they enabled the worst in each other, they also were hollow and depressed apart.

It's a tragic final act that reminds some viewers of the bittersweet ending to Romeo and Juliet.

Be that as it may, the producers of Better Call Saul also made the correct judgment avoiding an ending that was just like Breaking Bad.

During the interview, Gould acknowledged that finishing with Jimmy on the bus drew too many comparisons to how Walter White rots alone in a pit of a neo-Nazi bunker, despite one last good deed.

It's not unusual for a script to go through multiple revisions, particularly for a series finale. Thus, the original concept usually doesn't reach the final page.

Notwithstanding, the producers made the right call by focusing on Jimmy and Kim, in the end.