Better Call Saul season 3: The early reviews are in...

It seems like showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould have done it again

It's been almost a year since we last caught up with Jimmy McGill, the lawyer we previously knew as Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad, but fret not - the third season of prequel series Better Call Saul is only a matter of weeks away.

Starring Bob Odenkirk, the series also features appearances from Jonathan Banks who reprises his role of Breaking Bad's Mike Ehrmentraut as well as Rhea Seehorn (Kim Wexler) and Michael McKean as McGill's brother, Chuck.

Having featured a few Breaking Bad cameos since it began in 2015, creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould have made no secret of the fact that the popular AMC series' big villain Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) will be showing up at some stage this season bridging the gap between both shows.

Below are the first look reviews of the upcoming season's opening two episodes - don't worry: no spoilers follow.

Indiewire - Liz Shannon Miller

"You probably don’t want spoilers if you’re reading this. You just want to know whether or not the third season of AMC’s celebrated drama lives up to expectations established by previous years. And fortunately, we can report that yes, we remain scared for the characters we’ve come to love dearly, and yes, everything you love about the show continues as you might hope. Specifically, every action has a reaction, and every bad choice made by Jimmy and his cohorts will come back to haunt them.

"But while that remains true, it doesn’t mean that “Saul” remains static. Instead, creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould have not only kept front and centre the reverberations of Jimmy’s actions from last season, but also continued to advance us closer to the inevitable Breaking Bad-set future they’ve committed to honouring."

Collider - Allison Keene - 4 stars

"Better Call Saul has always been Odenkirk’s showcase, even though the rest of the cast is fantastic. But there’s something about Jimmy that is so specifically spellbinding, both in his calculated charm and his vulnerability. Even with Breaking Bad encroaching, one shouldn’t be so quick want to leave Slippin’ Jimmy behind. Still one of TV’s best slow-cookers."

TV Guide - Liam Mathews

"[Peter] Gould promised that the season “starts with a bang,” which isn't exactly true. He also promised “so much rip-roaring conflict” that “goes to a new level.” That remains to be seen, but after two seasons of which isn't exactly true. He also promised ”so much rip-roaring conflict“ that ”goes to a new level.“ That remains to be seen, but after two seasons of Better Call Saul and five of Breaking Bad, most viewers are probably already in or out. And if they're in, they trust that Gilligan and Gould know how to deliver ”rip-roaring conflict“ of both the action and emotional variety. It may take awhile to get there, but it'll be worth it when it arrives, and the journey there sure was pretty, wasn't it?"

We Got This Covered - Stephen Puddicombe

"The dots that link the events of Better Call Saul to Breaking Bad are slowly but surely being joined, and we can rest assured after another excellent start to the season that the journey will provide plenty to be excited about."

Better Call Saul season three premieres in the UK on Netflix, 11 April, one day after its AMC premiere in the US.