The Breaking Bad Web Series You Probably Never Watched
"Breaking Bad" first premiered on AMC on January 20, 2008, a development which would change the face of television forever (via IMDb). Though it didn't explode in popularity until just before the final entries in the series, the early seasons of the show laid a groundwork for a franchise that continues to prosper to this day (via Vox). As most "Breaking Bad" fans surely know, the hit series isn't the only successful production in the history of the franchise.
In 2015, less than two years after the series finale of "Breaking Bad," AMC launched "Better Call Saul," a prequel focused on lawyer Saul Goodman (aka Jimmy McGill) (Bob Odenkirk). That series is set to premiere its sixth and final season on April 18, 2022. Additionally, 2019 saw the Netflix release of "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie," a film which tells the story of Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) following the events of "Breaking Bad."
While "Better Call Saul" and "El Camino" are easily the most well-known and successful franchise offshoots, there's one spinoff of "Better Call Saul" we're betting even the most dedicated fans might have missed.
This Better Call Saul web series earned multiple Emmy wins
Because of their usual brevity and relatively low budget, most web series don't normally garner the same attention of a big movie or season premiere, but any associated with "Breaking Bad" could certainly be the exception.
The first season of "Employee Training" premiered in advance of the first appearance of Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) on the third season of "Better Call Saul." Throughout ten episodes, Fring explains the dos and don'ts of working at Los Pollos Hermanos, the restaurant that serves as the character's money laundering operation. While the series is presented as an in-universe production meant to educate new employees, each episode also contains numerous references to events in "Breaking Bad," including quite a few mentions of Fring's secret life.
"Employee Training" proved successful enough that AMC greenlit two additional seasons of similar content, each focused on different characters from "Better Call Saul." Season 2 centers on the security skills of Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), while Season 3 provides viewers with an in-depth look at the ethical aspects of the law, courtesy of Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn). All three seasons of the web series earned Emmy nominations for "Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series," with the first and the third ultimately earning wins. Notably, the second season's nominations were disqualified as a result of the production running short of the running time required for the category (via TheWrap).
All three seasons of "Employee Training" are available for viewing online (via AMC). For its final season, "Better Call Saul" is switching up the web-series formula with "Slippin' Jimmy," a six-part animated series set to focus on Jimmy McGill's early antics with Marco Pasternak (Mel Rodriguez).