Slippin' Jimmy

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. The series follows a young Jimmy McGill's misadventures in Cicero, Illinois 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 Sauls sixth season.

Production

Development

Variety reported in March 2021 that AMC was developing an animated spinoff series of Better Call Saul, titled Slippin' Jimmy. The series, a prequel based on younger Jimmy's time in Cicero, 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.
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 Starburns Industries and written by Levine and Williams-Foshee.

Release

The first teaser clip was released on February 10, 2022, when the series was officially unveiled. 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 Sauls mid-season six finale "Plan and Execution".

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

Episodes

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". 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." 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."