It’s official – Better Call Saul is the biggest loser of all time. At least, at The Emmys.
The 75th Emmy Award Winners have been revealed, and while Better Call Saul received five nominations across four different categories, it didn't take home any trophies. And it’s not the first time.
Since the show debuted in 2015, Better Call Saul has received a staggering 53 nominations across both Primetime and Creative Arts Emmys… but hasn’t won a single one of them. Well, sort of.
“Better Call Saul has set an unfortunate Emmys record for most losses ever,” claimed Variety on X/Twitter. “It received 53 Emmy nominations during its run and never won a single one.”
Technically, that’s true.
However, the Better Call Saul miniseries Better Call Saul Employee Training has in fact racked up two wins – Legal Ethics with Kim Wexler winning the Outstanding Short Form Comedy Or Drama Series in 2020 while Los Pollos Hermanos Employee Training won that very same award back in 2017.
Sure, a case could be made that they’re not part of the show… but, starring Rhea Seahorn and Giancarlo Esposito, they’re certainly a part of the Better Call Saul world. The show’s writers seem to agree on that:
Seems a good time to mention that the incomparable @arielslevine won two Emmys for her short form Better Call Saul episodes. https://t.co/gVzVfEBCZf
— Gennifer Hutchison (@GennHutchison) January 16, 2024
Looking at the official Emmys website, the Television Academy groups these shorts on different pages, keeping up with the previously reported 53 nominations and zero wins on the Better Call Saul page.
So, for now, we'll say Better Call Saul does indeed hold onto this unfortunate distinction, while also recognizing that it doesn't take away from the Breaking Bad spinoff's many creative accomplishments.
“Better Call Saul has officially entered the vaunted “too good for Emmys” pantheon, alongside The Wire, It’s Always Sunny, The Leftovers, Bojack Horseman, and plenty more of the greatest TV series ever,” said critic Isaac Feldberg on Twitter.
However, Better Call Saul writer Thomas Schnauz isn't phased.
“WE DID IT!!!!” he wrote in response to Variety’s tweet. I guess perfection really is the enemy of the perfectly adequate.
WE DID IT!!!! https://t.co/rrgUjs5Flb
— Thomas Schnauz (@TomSchnauz) January 16, 2024
IGN’s Better Call Saul series finale review gave it 10/10 and said: “Better Call Saul ends with a Dickensian episode that recalls the past, contextualizes the present, and looks toward the future with optimistic eyes. The story of Jimmy McGill comes to a satisfying close that brings the themes of this show and Breaking Bad to a boiling point, providing plenty of gut punches, unexpected cameos, shocking revelations, and one of the most satisfying, cathartic, and earned endings for a TV show in years.”
Want to read more about Better Call Saul? Check out which was the easiest scene Bob Odenkirk ever shot for the show and find out which was the most-watched episode of Better Call Saul.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
