Bob Odenkirk’s CCA win breaks Better Call Saul major awards curse

The curse has been broken. On January 15, at the broadcast ceremony for the 28th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards, 60-year-old Bob Odenkirk won Best Actor in a Drama Series for his lead role in the legal crime drama Better Call Saul.

It was the spell break for a series that always seemed to come up empty at the major awards shows. Especially the acting plaudits.

But that’s over now. The Critics’ Choice Awards are “presented annually by the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement in both film and television.”

Fans of the series always felt that Odenkirk winning a major trophy should have happened a long time ago. These alleged “snubs” seemed extremely strange, like the series was cursed.

Especially since the cast and production never wanted for nominations throughout all of its six seasons, from the Emmys to Golden Globes.

How many awards did Better Call Saul win at the Critics’ Choice Awards?

Considering Odenkirk also had a near-fatal cardiac arrest while filming the final season, his CCA victory was all the sweeter. The excellent and nuanced storytelling of the series was never in doubt.

Ever since its parent show Breaking Bad ended, fans clamored for a spinoff, wanting to know more about the sleazy and clever cartel lawyer Saul Goodman. The AMC spinoff, set in the early 2000s in New Mexico, gave fans what they craved.

Viewers were immediately hooked, as they followed the journey of everyman lawyer Jimmy McGill, from his humble beginnings in the mail room of a big firm, to a megalomaniacal and eccentric criminal defense attorney who had rebranded himself Saul Goodman. Now it’s remarkable storyline and excellent writing has been validated by a major award show.

When he took the stage, Odenkirk was generous with his praise for everyone on the show. Especially his lead co-star Rhea Seehorn, who played Goodman’s beau and partner-in-crime Kim Wexler.

“When you see me acting, OK, you’re not watching talent, you’re watching only elbow grease,” Odenkirk said. “Rhea Seehorn, it’s ridiculous that this award isn’t with you…You led the way and you were amazing.”

Better Call Saul went into the CCA with four nominations: one for Odenkirk, another for Giancarlo Esposito, one for Best Drama, and the last for Rhea Seehorn. They walked home with three.

It was almost a clean sweep for the BCS crew. Only Rhea Seehorn came away empty, despite her exemplary performance as Wexler, especially in the final season.

The three trophies made it the biggest TV champion for the year. A true coup of finally getting what is deserved ala the arc of the moral universe.

It was so much of a surprise that even BCS showrunner Peter Gould seemed stupefied. “I can’t believe we won — we never win!” he shouted when he was given the trophy on the stage.

Were you confident Odenkirk would get the win at the Critics’ Choice Awards, or did you think there would be another snub? Let us know in the comments below!

You can watch five of the six seasons of Better Call Saul on Netflix.