page_title: Chuck McGill
section_title: Reception
hierarchical_section_title: Chuck McGill / Reception
caption_attribution_description: MICHAEL MCKEAN October 20 1999 MARK TWAIN AWARDS AT KENNEDY CENTER.WASHINGTON DC.
context_page_description: Charles Lindbergh McGill Jr. is a fictional character who appears in the crime drama television series Better Call Saul, a spin-off prequel of Breaking Bad. He is portrayed by Michael McKean, and was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould.
  Chuck was born in Cicero, Illinois and is the eldest son of Ruth and Charles McGill Sr. He is the older brother of fellow lawyer and titular character Jimmy McGill. Chuck is a successful attorney, who runs his own law firm, Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill, with partner Howard Hamlin. Chuck has become semi-reclusive and believes that he suffers from electromagnetic hypersensitivity. He was amicably divorced from his wife, Rebecca Bois, who was unaware of his EMS, a few years before the events of Better Call Saul.
  Although in the first season he was initially supportive of Jimmy, Chuck harbored resentful feelings toward him, fearing the questionable ethics of "Slipping Jimmy" as a lawyer. From the second season onward, Chuck transforms into Jimmy's main antagonist. His betrayal of and opposition to Jimmy, and his subsequent death, serves as a catalyst for Jimmy's transformation into Saul Goodman.
context_section_description: Michael McKean's portrayal of Chuck McGill has received critical acclaim.
  The first season episode "Pimento" received critical acclaim, with many critics praising the performances from Bob Odenkirk and Michael McKean. Roth Cornet of IGN gave the episode a 9.0 rating; concluding: "Better Call Saul revealed the betrayal that may very well be at the heart of what turns Jimmy McGill into Saul Goodman, as this stunningly crafted story continues to unfold."
  The third season episode "Chicanery" received universal acclaim, with some critics considering it to be a series-best. Terri Schwartz of IGN awarded the episode a perfect 10 out of 10, describing it as "the best episode of Better Call Saul to date". It currently holds a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 9.5/10 based on 12 reviews. The site consensus reads: "The war between Jimmy and Chuck comes to an unprecedented climax in the heartbreaking, sober, and defining 'Chicanery', an episode that clearly cements Better Call Saul as essential television." TVLine named Michael McKean the "Performer of the Week" for his performance in this episode, writing it was the "finest showcase yet for his fascinatingly layered performance as Jimmy's brother Chuck McGill." Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club, who gave the episode an "A" rating, praised the courtroom scene, saying "it isn’t just to give us the satisfaction of a courtroom drama, the neat ending where the truth comes out. The brilliance of this structure is to give us a slow-motion view of the heavens falling, an outcome methodically pursued by Kim and Jimmy, which nevertheless seems to give them no satisfaction."
  Many critics were disappointed when McKean, who was said to have given "one of the best performances by anyone in TV all year", failed to secure an Emmy nomination in 2017 while his co-star Jonathan Banks did. For his performances as Chuck, Michael McKean won a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2018 at the 22nd Satellite Awards. McKean later received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series nomination for his guest appearance in the fourth season.
  Matt Zoller Seitz of Vulture considers him to be the Better Call Saul equivalent of Breaking Bad character Skyler White.
caption: Michael McKean portrays Chuck McGill
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