Why order matters here
Better Call Saul is a prequel that charts Jimmy McGill's slide into Saul Goodman — but it also contains black-and-white sequences set after Breaking Bad ends. So it isn't a clean "watch this first" prequel. The order you choose changes which reveals surprise you and which ones land as quiet inevitability.
Option 1 — Release order (my top pick for first-timers)
Watch Breaking Bad (5 seasons), then El Camino, then Better Call Saul (6 seasons). This is how the world experienced the story. Breaking Bad delivers the original gut-punch at full force, and going into Better Call Saul afterwards adds a layer of tragic hindsight to every character you already know — you watch Jimmy become Saul knowing exactly where it leads. For a first watch, this is the richer emotional route.
Option 2 — Chronological order
Start with Better Call Saul season 1, run it through season 6, then watch Breaking Bad, then El Camino. This follows the internal timeline and is great if you strongly dislike spoilers of the "how did they meet" variety. The trade-off: several Better Call Saul moments are written as callbacks and land softer when you haven't seen Breaking Bad yet, and Saul's black-and-white flash-forwards will confuse more than intrigue.
Option 3 — Hybrid (best on a rewatch)
If you've already seen Breaking Bad, a hybrid pass is the connoisseur's route: use Better Call Saul to deepen the characters, then drop back into Breaking Bad's key episodes with that context fresh. There's no single "correct" hybrid — the point is to let each show inform the other. Save this for a second viewing, not your first.
Where does El Camino fit?
El Camino is a film-length epilogue that picks up in the minutes after Breaking Bad's finale. It should always come after Breaking Bad, in any order you choose. It resolves one specific character's fate and isn't essential to the plot, but it's a satisfying full stop if you care about him.
How much time to budget
This is a big commitment: Breaking Bad is 62 episodes, Better Call Saul is 63, plus the El Camino film. That's well over 100 hours combined — a project measured in weeks, not a weekend. Both shows reward patience, so don't rush the finales.
Where to watch
Both series and El Camino have moved between streaming homes over the years and are split differently by country, so check your local apps first. If a season is on a service you subscribe to in another region but not yours, a VPN can connect you to that catalogue — it's legal in most countries and works like any subscription app; just follow the streaming service's terms.
More watch-order guides
For another tightly-connected universe, see the FBI universe watch order, or untangle a film franchise with the X-Men watch order. Back to all guides.