Better Call Saul Fans Will Love Michael McKean's Brutal Response To Bob Odenkirk Emmys Snub
"Better Call Saul," which recently ended, is a very popular show that was poised to do well at the 74th Emmy Awards, which were presented on September 12, 2022. According to the Emmy Awards website, the nominations tat "Better Call Saul" received for its final season included: Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (for Bob Odenkirk, who plays Jimmy McGill aka Saul Goodman), outstanding supporting actress in a drama series (for Rhea Seehorn, who plays Kim Wexler), outstanding writing for a drama series, outstanding sound editing, outstanding sound mixing, and outstanding music supervision.
Unfortunately, despite the bumper crop of nominations and widespread critical acclaim, the series did not win any Emmys this year, making it one of the awards season's most notable snubs. The award for outstanding drama series went to "Succession," outstanding lead actor in a drama series went to Lee Jung-jae for his role as Seong Gi-hun (Player 456) on "Squid Game," and outstanding supporting actress in a drama series went to Julia Garner for her role as Ruth Langmore on "Ozark."
Although these other shows, actors, and actresses were certainly well-deserving of their awards, it is still disappointing for fans and creators alike that a show as good as "Better Call Saul" got shut out. This is especially true because this same thing happened in past years. "Better Call Saul" has been nominated previously for outstanding drama series, outstanding sound editing, outstanding lead actor (for Bob Odenkirk), outstanding supporting actor (for Giancarlo Esposito, who plays Gus Fring, as well as Jonathan Banks, who plays Mike Ehrmantraut), outstanding directing, and outstanding picture editing, and has a paltry few statues to show for it.
Michael McKean was not having it on Twitter
Overall, according to the Emmys website, the only Emmy awards "Better Call Saul" has ever won are: outstanding writing for a drama series (2019), and outstanding guest actor in a drama series (for Michael McKean, who plays Chuck McGill, 2019). Although Chuck dies in Season 4 of "Better Call Saul," he was an essential part of the show, and left a lasting mark. He also continued to root for the show, and for his fictional younger brother Bob Odenkirk, after he was done with it. In fact, Michael McKean said the best part of working on the show was going all out in the scenes where Chuck and Jimmy argue with each other. McKean loved working with Odenkirk, and certainly wanted him to win an Emmy.
After "Better Call Saul" did not win any awards at the 74th Emmys — its final chance at glory — McKean took to Twitter to defend the series. He tweeted, "Well, f*** that noise," receiving 24,000 likes and over 3,000 retweets. He seemed particularly agitated at the lack of acknowledgment for his former co-star, Odenkirk, based on the timing. Clearly, many fans agreed with and appreciated McKean's blunt response, which sounds oddly like something that crotchety old Chuck might say if he was in a mood to defend Jimmy rather than criticize him.
Luckily, McKean seems much more consistently supportive of Odenkirk in real life than Chuck is of Jimmy on the show. Sometimes this type of (fake) brotherly love can be more important than an award.