Prequel producers hope to better 'Breaking Bad' series

It's late August in Albuquerque, and the Better Call Saul crew is relieved to have an indoor shoot day. The production has been plagued by freak lightning storms all summer, causing unpredictable scheduling setbacks.

The high-altitude desert climate is hard enough to handle, with soaring temperatures that lead to dehydration; there's also the occasional paparazzo. Aside from series star Bob Odenkirk, who's in nearly every scene, the medic might be the busiest person on set, constantly reminding everyone to drink water and apply sunscreen.

So today's location shoot, though a bit cramped, has everyone smiling - as, likely, Breaking Bad fans will when they see it. It's Loyola's Diner - yes, that diner, where we see Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) and the ever-so-charming Lydia (Laura Fraser) first meet.

But there's no Stevia in sight. Better Call Saul, which has been conceived by showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould as a prequel to Breaking Bad, is set in 2002 - before the birth of the artificial sweetener, and before Saul Goodman became Saul Goodman. That was just a made-up name - so here, he's Jimmy McGill.

All involved - from the creators to the cast to the network and studio executives - know all too well they're walking a tightrope. With Breaking Bad holding a rarefied place in the TV pantheon, the pressure is on for Better Call Saul to honour its predecessor's legacy and perform well for AMC.