Breaking Bad TV spinoff Better Call Saul gets go-ahead

A spinoff of the successful U.S. cable television series Breaking Bad has been given the green light from network AMC and producer Sony Pictures Television, the companies said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

Better Call Saul will be based on the character Saul Goodman, who is played by Bob Odenkirk in Breaking Bad.

The one-hour show will be a prequel and tell the story of Goodman before he became the lawyer for Walter White, the series' main character played by Bryan Cranston.

AMC, which is part of AMC Networks Inc, and Sony Corp's Sony Pictures Television did not say when production would start or when it was projected to air.

Prequel to Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad, which concludes its five-season run this month, is a dark drug drama about a high school chemistry teacher who begins producing and selling methamphetamine to secure his family's financial future after he is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

The series' actors have won five Emmys, including three top TV drama actor accolades for Cranston and two best supporting actor awards for Aaron Paul, who plays White's former-student-turned-business-partner Jesse Pinkman.

Breaking Bad has been nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards this year, including best drama series.