Bob Odenkirk discusses his new book and bids farewell to Saul Goodman: The finale is excellent

Bob Odenkirk has a lot to be thankful for.

First and foremost, he is alive, thanks to a heart attack in July that turned Twitter into a collective prayer vigil in anticipation of his recovery. Even if his ticket had been punched, he would still be a very lucky guy, according to his new autobiography, “Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama” (Random House, 304 pp., out now). It’s not every day that a man gets to collaborate with some of the greatest comedic talents of his generation to become a beloved fringe sketch comedian with HBO’s cult classic “Mr. Show,” and then a four-time Emmy-nominated actor for a career-defining role as Jimmy McGill, aka Saul Goodman, in AMC’s “Breaking Bad” and its spin-off series “Better Call Saul,” which begins its sixth and final season Monday (9 EDT/ “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”).

It was one of the motivations for writing the book “Odenkirk explained to USA TODAY. His biography is a remarkable account of his career, especially considering Odenkirk’s recent success as an action film actor in last year’s harrowing “Nobody.” In 2023, he is also expected to appear in the AMC series “Straight Man,” which is based on Richard Russo’s novel of the same name and has only recently been confirmed as a possibility.

There will be some “shatteringly upsetting moments” in the last season of “Better Call Saul.”
According to Odenkirk, his success was the result of a combination of dumb luck and hard work. Despite his talent, reading Odenkirk’s past quickly demonstrates that no individual is an island, especially in Hollywood. The list of world-class comedic talents with whom he has collaborated is impressive: David Cross, Conan O’Brien, Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Judd Apatow, and Janeane Garofalo are among the celebrities whose names appear in Odenkirk’s book, which examines the trajectory of his illustrious career. The book is full of gratitude for the skilled colleagues and lucky events that transformed the middle-class suburban child from Naperville, Illinois, into a serious – and extremely gifted – theatre actor.