Better Call Saul Dared to Bore Us

Do we still have time for slow TV?

- By Spencer Kornhaber. Illustration by Paul Spella

People who respect the integrity of television as an art form tend to be horrified by the Netflix feature that lets viewers speed up what they're watching. Yet I recently found myself unable to resist the “1.5x” button as I caught up with one of the most acclaimed shows on TV. AMC's Better Call Saul, the Breaking Bad spin-off that debuted to record cable viewership in 2015 and will begin airing its sixth and final season this spring, can be magnificent. It can also be tedious. Frequent-depictions-of-tooth-brushing tedious. Multiseason-subplot-about-retirement-home billing tedious. Slow-and-repetitive-commentary-on the-human-condition tedious. I-stopped-watching after-three-years tedious.