Better Call Saul: Season Two

This multiple-Emmy-nominated prequel to Breaking Bad is a legal drama with a wily sense of black humor that explores the origins of the show's shady lawyer Saul back when he was known as Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), a one-time con-man and grifter turned lawyer (thanks to a degree from a Caribbean law school). The second season follows Jimmy's efforts to fit into a major law firm, along with his personal battle with older brother Chuck (Michael McKean), who suffers from crippling hypersensitivity to electricity and has become a shut-in yet risks his health in order to sabotage his brother's career. This is not out of jealousy but rather a severe sense of justice: Chuck sees Jimmy, who admittedly has a tendency to take short cuts and work around the law, as a cheater and doesn't think he deserves his success. The show also chronicles the origins of Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), a bodyguard and "fixer" who works outside the law and sometimes for Jimmy. Neither hero nor anti-hero, Jimmy is loyal and he commits himself entirely to his clients and friends. The series puts the audience in the awkward position of rooting for Jimmy even when he breaks the law to help his friend and legal partner Kim (Rhea Seehorn). Presenting all 10 episodes from the 2016 second season, extras include episode commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a table read, and a gag reel (exclusive to the Blu-ray release are additional featurettes, interviews, and faux commercials). Recommended. (S. Axmaker)