'Saul' better than any 'Breaking Bad' fan could have imagined

In five short weeks, AMC's “Breaking Bad” spinoff, “Better Call Saul” (9 p.m. Mondays), already has established itself as one of the best shows on television.

A prequel series to Vince Gilligan's crime epic starring former Naperville resident Bob Odenkirk's slimy lawyer character sounded, to me, like ill-advised fan service when it was conceived in 2013. I'd give it a chance, but I didn't expect “Better Call Saul” to be essential viewing — I was sure it would be a cheap pretender to the throne.

But what we've gotten so far is “Breaking Bad,” Season Zero. And it's tremendous.

If you weren't convinced by the pilot, the second episode, directed by “Breaking Bad” and “Game of Thrones” veteran Michelle McLaren, closed the deal with its extended, terrifying desert encounter between Odenkirk and Raymond Cruz, reprising his role as Walter White's first arch-nemesis, Tuco Salamanca.

The gorgeous visuals. The elegant montages. The uneasy brand of humor. The uncommonly good acting. All the hallmarks of “Breaking Bad” are on display in “Better Call Saul,” and if you're not on board now, you should get caught up soon before you find yourself with five seasons of TV to binge-watch on Netflix in a few years. (Hmm. Maybe that way would be more fun, now that I think about it.)

If “Better Call Saul” is a rousing success, what other improbable spinoffs could the TV universe give us? I have a few ideas:

• “Costanza” — Comedy turns to tragedy in this dark, disturbing chronicle of George Costanza's warped childhood. Jason Alexander narrates, “Wonder Years”-style.

• “Saving Sally” — After “Mad Men” ends, Kiernan Shipka takes us through Sally Draper's tumultuous college years, finally escaping her damaging domestic drama just as the American public's sentiments against the Vietnam War reach a fever pitch. Hanoi Sally, perhaps?

• “The Hurley & Ben Happy Hour” — Jorge Garcia and Michael Emerson reprise their “Lost” roles as the island's new stewards who use its powers to stage a variety show with all the ghosts who are still milling about. Who wouldn't want to see John Locke's death-defying knife-throwing display, or Jack's one-man show featuring nothing but weepy monologues? (These are the jokes, people.)

• Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald copy editor and a tireless consumer of pop culture. You can follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.