“You have meddled with the primal forces of nature… and I won’t have it.” Such might be the response of a dedicated Breaking Bad addict to its new spin-off show, Better Call Saul. Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), the "criminal” lawyer prone to dramatic outbursts such as the one above returns to our TV – or invariably laptop – screens on February 8. Will Better Call Saul be able to recreate the winning formula of moral metamorphosis, black humour and brilliant acting that made the original show such compelling viewing?

Peter Gould, co-creator of the new show along with Vince Gilligan, has confirmed that Byran Cranston and Aaron Paul will not be reprising their respective roles as Walter White and Jessie Pinkman – at least in season one. As a prequel primarily set five years before Walter seeks the dubious legal services of Saul, this entirely makes sense. There is however the welcome return of Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) as a series regular. The new trailer reveals their first antagonistic meeting at a tollbooth, hinting at how Better Call Saul will explore the development of one of the most interesting relationships in the original show.

The trailer highlights how metamorphosis will play a prominent part in the new story, with the opening showing the prostrate 'Saul Goodman' still going by his birth name. It is suggested that 'James McGill' will undergo deeper changes than in name. His materialism and disdain for authority remain the same as ever. But, as in Breaking Bad, it is physical illness that is the catalyst for moral decay – though in this case the threat of death hangs over 'Chuck McGill' – James’s brother. With the second half of the trailer vividly establishing the conflict between 'Jimmy' (a.k.a. Saul) and the partners who are attempting to cut Chuck out of the profits of his legal firm, Better Call Saul’s premise becomes clear. It is to illustrate what it takes for a lawyer, a man, to turn "criminal”.

Although some of the actors may have changed, Gilligan remains to oversee the writing and character development of the show, suggesting that its trajectory could be quite similar to Breaking Bad. However, despite an initial idea of making the spin-off a comedy failing, there are enough indications that Better Call Saul will not just be a pale imitation of the original show. In an interview with Variety, the show-runners are at pains to assert the “different” and “bold choices” made in the show’s cinematography, direction and pacing.

But despite having high production values, Breaking Bad’s greatest strength was always in how the writing created a detailed portrait of a disturbing anti-hero. The challenge for Gilligan and Gould will be to craft a similarly engrossing account of the personal struggles of a character who we have mostly seen acting, albeit very ably portrayed by Odenkirk, in a more superficially comedic manner. 

The commercial pressures for studios to extract as much profit as possible from a successful show have led to such monstrosities as Joey. However, based on the intriguing plotlines teased by the trailer, and the maintenance of Gilligan and Gould on the creative side, Better Call Saul looks promising. As with most spinoffs, much of the tension for us viewers will be in seeing if and how the new show fails to synthesise fresh developments with the pure genius of the old show.