Parasocial Relationships and Better Call Saul's Jimmy McGill
This paper explores the concept of parasocial relationships — one-sided emotional bonds audiences form with fictional characters — through a personal analysis of Jimmy McGill from the television series Better Call Saul. Drawing on Berger, Roloff, and Roskos-Ewoldsen's framework of media entertainment analysis, the author examines why viewers develop deep attachments to morally complex characters. The paper argues that Jimmy McGill's portrayal resonates on multiple levels: as a sympathetic character shaped by toxic family dynamics and low self-esteem, and as an illustration of strain theory in sociology. The discussion connects personal identification with broader questions about how television shapes self-reflection and social norms.
- Introduction: One-Sided Audience-Character Bonds: Defines parasocial relationships using Better Call Saul example
- Jimmy McGill: Character Background and Moral Complexity: Explores Jimmy's backstory, moral ambiguity, and audience sympathy
- Personal Identification and Strain Theory: Connects Jimmy's traits to author's life and strain theory
- Entertainment Beyond Entertainment: Levels of Analysis: Links the show to multi-level media entertainment frameworks
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What makes this paper effective
- The author grounds a personal reflection in a clearly defined academic concept — parasocial relationships — before applying it to a specific example, giving the essay both scholarly credibility and genuine voice.
- The analysis connects character traits (Jimmy's low self-esteem, con artistry, family dynamics) to broader sociological frameworks like strain theory, demonstrating interdisciplinary thinking.
- The writing maintains intellectual honesty by acknowledging both personal bias and academic context, making the self-disclosure feel purposeful rather than anecdotal.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates concept application through personal narrative — a technique common in communication and media studies reflection papers. By defining parasocial relationships academically and then illustrating the concept with first-person experience, the author bridges theory and lived reality without sacrificing analytical rigor. Citing Berger, Roloff, and Roskos-Ewoldsen grounds the framework in peer-reviewed scholarship.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with a quoted definition of media entertainment analysis, then introduces the concept of parasocial relationships with a personal example. The second section provides character background on Jimmy McGill. The third section deepens the analysis with personal identification and strain theory. The final section zooms out to connect the discussion to multi-level frameworks of media analysis, ending with a reflective conclusion about self-examination. The structure moves logically from theory → character → self → society.
Introduction: One-Sided Audience-Character Bonds
"[The] future [of] entertainment … is to model synergistic interactions of determinants and dimensions of media entertainment across levels of analysis" (Berger, Roloff, & Roskos-Ewoldsen, 2010, p. 356). One of those levels of analysis has to do with the relationships audiences develop with characters on the shows they watch regularly. These audience-to-character relationships are one-sided, because the character is (a) fictitious and therefore incapable of sustaining a bilateral relationship, and (b) even the actor remains unaware that any individual audience member actually exists. The technical term for these one-sided relationships is parasocial relationships.
For example, I have developed a parasocial relationship with James McGill, the protagonist of Better Call Saul. One of the reasons I developed a relationship with this character is that Better Call Saul is a spin-off of Breaking Bad, which I watched religiously for years. While the "Saul" character on Breaking Bad was not someone I could easily relate to — he was a relatively minor character — he has become someone I feel I know through the backstory developed in Better Call Saul.
Jimmy McGill: Character Background and Moral Complexity
In Better Call Saul, we meet James "Jimmy" McGill and learn that he became a sleazy lawyer through a series of life events. His older brother is a partner in a prestigious law firm but does not help Jimmy gain a foothold in his budding legal career. As a result, Jimmy has low self-esteem and sabotages his own chances of becoming a legitimate attorney, instead working for a pittance helping seniors write their wills. Moreover, Jimmy has a past as a con artist — something he seems to enjoy, as long as no one is getting hurt.
The show's developers manage to insert moral ambiguity and complexity into the characters, making James McGill both believable and sympathetic. Whereas audiences of Breaking Bad saw only the sleazy side of the man who reinvented himself as "Saul," audiences of Better Call Saul understand why he became who he is, and they are able to feel genuine compassion for him. This kind of nuanced character construction is central to how Better Call Saul sustains long-term viewer investment.
Personal Identification and Strain Theory
Outside of his role on Better Call Saul, Jimmy represents many aspects of myself. For one, Jimmy is a person who has allowed himself to be unduly influenced by toxic family members. He has internalized his brother's disrespect, transforming it into disrespect for himself. It is also frustrating to watch Jimmy's brother refuse to help him, seemingly out of jealousy — perhaps because Jimmy's natural charisma and personality outshine his own, which may explain why Jimmy was once a successful con artist.
I also find it compelling that Jimmy elevates con artistry to another dimension, demonstrating that there are illegitimate routes to "success" — and in doing so, he illustrates the core tenets of strain theory in sociology. Strain theory holds that individuals who cannot achieve socially prescribed goals through legitimate means may turn to illegitimate ones. Jimmy's trajectory maps directly onto this framework. I have developed a parasocial relationship with Jimmy in part because his character draws attention to dynamics I recognize in my own life: the ways in which I have rebelled against authority rather than attempted to conform to others' expectations.
References
Berger, C. R., Roloff, M. E., & Roskos-Ewoldsen, D. R. (2010). The Handbook of Communication Science. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Gilligan, V. & Gould, P. (2015). Better Call Saul [Television Series].
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