With the critically-acclaimed drama series "Better Call Saul" renewed for a fourth season last June, Bob Odenkirk, who plays the protagonist Jimmy McGill, series creator Peter Gould, and writer Gordon Smith shared some of their writing secrets as they spoke about plans for the upcoming season.
The trio shared Gould's rule about happenstance that they employ on the show, as well as Gould's other hit creation "Breaking Bad." Odenkirk introduced the audience to the secret, but Gould protested that they would be giving away their secret. Odenkirk insisted, saying, "You can give this away, this is a good writing secret."
Gould went on to explain that when writing for a drama, coincidences can be a tricky thing. He said that a coincidence that benefits the character, tends to be problematic, while a coincidence that damages or diminishes the character can often be good. "If they win the lottery, that's not ok, because it solves their problems," added Odenkirk, who also serves as a producer in the show.
"We tend to go towards problems instead of away from them," said Gould. He said that it's one of the trickiest part of writing a drama, because humans tend to avoid problems.
Odenkirk, who has made an abrupt shift from comedy to drama when he starred in "Breaking Bad," shared his hopes for the show as a fan. He referenced a scene in "Breaking Bad" wherein his character was kidnapped by Walter (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul). In the scene, he panics and starts shouting out names of people that were not in the show, like Ignacio or Lalo.
"I want that little monologue to mean a lot to me as a fan," he shared. Ignacio has been introduced as a part of the "Better Call Saul" storyline, which is set before the events of "Breaking Bad." "We have to meet Lalo," the actor added.
The fourth season of "Better Call Saul" will return in 2018 on AMC.
