Slippin' Jimmy
{{short description|American animated comedy short-form series}}
{{About|the show|the character nicknamed Slippin' Jimmy|Saul Goodman}}{{Use American English|date=April 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Slippin' Jimmy poster.jpg
| image_upright =
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| caption = Promotional poster
| genre = Comedy
| creator =
| based_on = {{Based on|Better Call Saul|Vince Gilligan|Peter Gould}}
| writer = {{Plainlist|
- Ariel Levine
- Kathleen Williams-Foshee
}}
| director = Zac Palladino
| voices = {{Plainlist|
- Sean Giambrone
- Kyle S. More
- Will Vought
}}
| narrated =
| theme_music_composer =
| open_theme =
| end_theme =
| composer =
| country = United States
| language = English
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 6
| list_episodes =
| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|
- Peter Gould
- Melissa Bernstein
- Gordon Smith
- Ariel Levine
- Kathleen Williams-Foshee
- James A. Fino
}}
| producer = Jenny Mika
| cinematography =
| animator = Starburns Industries
| editor =
| runtime = 8–9 minutes
| company = {{Plainlist|
- AMC Networks Content Room
- Starburns Industries
}}
| budget =
| network = AMC+
| released = {{Start date|2022|05|23}}
| last_aired =
| related = Better Call Saul
}}
Better Call Saul Presents: Slippin' Jimmy, more commonly known as Slippin' Jimmy, is an American animated short-form series and a spin-off of Better Call Saul (itself a spin-off of Breaking Bad).{{Cite web |last=Oddo |first=Marco Vito |date=May 24, 2022 |title='Better Call Saul' Animated Prequel 'Slippin' Jimmy' Arrives on AMC+ |url=https://collider.com/slippin-jimmy-animated-better-call-saul-prequel-amc-plus/ |access-date=September 2, 2022 |website=Collider |language=en-US |archive-date=June 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623215801/https://collider.com/slippin-jimmy-animated-better-call-saul-prequel-amc-plus/ |url-status=live }} The series follows a young Jimmy McGill's misadventures in Cicero with his best friend Marco Pasternak. The show's release on AMC+ was set to coincide with the release of the final episode of the first half of Better Call Saul's sixth season.
Production
= Development =
Variety reported in March 2021 that AMC was developing an animated spinoff series of Better Call Saul, titled Slippin' Jimmy.{{Cite web |last=Steinberg |first=Brian |date=March 19, 2021 |title=AMC Networks Touts 'Dead,' 'Saul' Finales, 'Slippin' Jimmy' in Upfront Talks |url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/amc-networks-tv-upfront-walking-dead-better-call-saul-finale-1234934360/ |access-date=September 3, 2022 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=March 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320173044/https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/amc-networks-tv-upfront-walking-dead-better-call-saul-finale-1234934360/ |url-status=live }} The series, a prequel based on younger Jimmy and Chuck's time in Cicero, Illinois, was developed by Ariel Levine and Kathleen Williams-Foshee, who previously worked on the associated live-action web series. Voice actors include Chi McBride, Laraine Newman, and Sean Giambrone as Jimmy.{{cite web |url=https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/better-call-saul-animated-show-slippin-jimmy-amc-breaking-bad-fat-albert-style/ |title=Better Call Saul: Fat Albert-Style Animated Show 'Slippin' Jimmy' in Development at AMC |first=Cameron |last=Bonomolo |date=March 19, 2021 |accessdate=March 21, 2021 |work=Comicbook.com |archive-date=March 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321161442/https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/better-call-saul-animated-show-slippin-jimmy-amc-breaking-bad-fat-albert-style/ |url-status=live}}
Slippin' Jimmy was later revealed as a short-form series on February 10, 2022, along with the next season of the Better Call Saul Employee Training Video series and Cooper's Bar starring Rhea Seehorn. Told in the style of classic 1970s-era cartoons, each episode is an ode to a specific movie genre—from Spaghetti Westerns and Buster Keaton to The Exorcist. The series was produced by Rick and Morty animators Starburns and written by Levine and Williams-Foshee.{{Cite news |last=Maas |first=Jennifer |date=February 10, 2022 |title='Better Call Saul' Final Season Gets Premiere Dates for Both Halves |work=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/better-call-saul-season-6-premiere-1235174021/ |url-status=live |access-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210170230/https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/better-call-saul-season-6-premiere-1235174021/}}
= Release =
The first teaser clip was released on February 10, 2022, when the series was officially unveiled.{{cite web|last=Petski|first=Denise|title='Better Call Saul' Gets Premiere Dates For Both Halves Of Sixth & Final Season|url=https://deadline.com/2022/02/better-call-saul-premiere-dates-sixth-final-season-1234930761/|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=February 10, 2022|access-date=September 15, 2022|archive-date=June 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610171745/https://deadline.com/2022/02/better-call-saul-premiere-dates-sixth-final-season-1234930761/|url-status=live}} A release date was announced to occur during the sixth season of Better Call Saul. All six episodes of Slippin' Jimmy were released on May 23, 2022, on AMC+ to coincide with the release of Better Call Saul{{'}}s mid-season six finale "Plan and Execution".{{Cite web |last=Roush |first=Matt |title=Our Prehistoric Planet, 'Saul' Midseason finale and Animated 'Slippin' Jimmy,' 'NCIS' and More Season Finales |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/1045418/prehistoric-planet-saul-ncis-neighborhood/ |access-date=September 3, 2022 |website=TV Insider |date=May 23, 2022 |language=en-US |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524160654/https://www.tvinsider.com/1045418/prehistoric-planet-saul-ncis-neighborhood/ |url-status=live }}
Cast
=Starring=
- Sean Giambrone as Jimmy McGill
- Kyle S. More as Marco Pasternak
- Will Vought as Trent Titweiler
=Recurring=
- Beth Grant as Ms. Retch & Mrs. Brockfrater
- Jasmine Gatewood as Bobbi & Sue
- Chi McBride as Father Karras
- Gideon Adlon as Dawn Marie
- Gary Anthony Williams as Demon
- Laraine Newman as Sister Beth
- Carlos Alazraqui as Cheech & Comic Store Worker
- Brian Sommer as Radio Host & Taxi Driver
- Zac Palladino as Trent's Mom
- David Herman (additional voices)
Episodes
|EpisodeNumber = 1
|Title = Fistful of Snowballs
|DirectedBy = Zac Palladino
|WrittenBy = Ariel Levine & Kathleen Williams-Foshee
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|05|23}}
|LineColor = 004391
|ShortSummary = Jimmy battles Trent and his friends in a snowball fight to rescue Marco.
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 2
|Title = The Exor-sister
|DirectedBy = Zac Palladino
|WrittenBy = Ariel Levine & Kathleen Williams-Foshee
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|05|23}}
|LineColor = 004391
|ShortSummary = In detention, Jimmy and Marco must save Sister Beth when she is possessed by a demon.
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 3
|Title = After Bedtime
|DirectedBy = Zac Palladino
|WrittenBy = Ariel Levine & Kathleen Williams-Foshee
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|05|23}}
|LineColor = 004391
|ShortSummary = Jimmy and Marco sneak out at night to visit the comic shop, but run into Trent and his gang of bullies along the way.
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 4
|Title = City Flights
|DirectedBy = Zac Palladino
|WrittenBy = Ariel Levine & Kathleen Williams-Foshee
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|05|23}}
|LineColor = 004391
|ShortSummary = Jimmy buys a gramophone for his brother Chuck and faces many obstacles including an angry policeman and dangerous trains on his way home.
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 5
|Title = Speed Date
|DirectedBy = Zac Palladino
|WrittenBy = Ariel Levine & Kathleen Williams-Foshee
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|05|23}}
|LineColor = 004391
|ShortSummary = On the school bus, Jimmy and Trent race each other to ask out Dawn Marie to the dance.
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 6
|Title = Cool Hand Jimmy
|DirectedBy = Zac Palladino
|WrittenBy = Ariel Levine & Kathleen Williams-Foshee
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|05|23}}
|LineColor = 004391
|ShortSummary = Marco narrates how he met Jimmy at a summer camp and the origin of their friendship.
}}}}
Reception
Noah Villaverde of /Film considered Slippin' Jimmy non-canonical to the Breaking Bad universe and a blemish on the franchise, stating the humor "fails to land in every way" and "the decision to use childish comedy pandering to a demographic that's unlikely to catch your series due to its inseparable ties to a prestige adult drama is so baffling that one wonders how this entire production got greenlit in the first place".{{Cite web |last=Villaverde |first=Noah |title=The Forgotten Breaking Bad Spin-Off That Never Should Have Happened |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1832095/breaking-bad-spin-off-slippin-jimmy/ |date=April 15, 2025 |access-date=April 18, 2025 |website=/Film |language=en-US |archive-date=April 18, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250418185157/https://www.slashfilm.com/1832095/breaking-bad-spin-off-slippin-jimmy/ |url-status=live }} Alex Ashbrook from Comic Book Resources said the series is "crudely drawn and seems to have been hastily put together compared to how beautifully crafted its predecessors were. Despite Peter Gould appearing as an executive director, his skills are nowhere to be found."{{Cite web |last=Ashbrook |first=Alex |title=How Better Call Saul's Animated Prequel Ties Into the Breaking Bad Universe |url=https://www.cbr.com/better-call-saul-slippin-jimmy-breaking-bad-amc/ |date=August 27, 2022 |access-date=September 15, 2022 |website=Comic Book Resources |language=en-US |archive-date=September 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220915202034/https://www.cbr.com/better-call-saul-slippin-jimmy-breaking-bad-amc/ |url-status=live }} Mark Donaldson from Screen Rant criticized the concept, saying "the animated spinoff is being sold as a digital exclusive but this race to provide sellable content to audiences undermines storytelling ... the team behind both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul have proven themselves to be savvy storytellers that respect the journeys of their characters over cheap cash-ins. It's this integrity that makes Slippin{{'}} Jimmy feel like such a misstep."{{Cite web |last=Donaldson |first=Mark |title=Better Call Saul: Slippin' Jimmy Is A Breaking Bad Spinoff Too Far |url=https://screenrant.com/better-call-saul-slippin-jimmy-animated-breaking-bad-spinoff/ |date=February 14, 2022 |access-date=September 15, 2022 |website=Screen Rant |language=en-US |archive-date=September 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220915202144/https://screenrant.com/better-call-saul-slippin-jimmy-animated-breaking-bad-spinoff/ |url-status=live }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|20516438}}
{{Better Call Saul}}
{{Breaking Bad (franchise)}}
{{AMC Shows}}