Better Call Saul
So Breaking Bad ’s over after five glorious seasons, but don’t be disheartened – a spin-off show centred around lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) is already in the works .
Masterminded by BB ’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, Better Call Saul will be a one-hour drama shot in Albuquerque, set before Breaking Bad , and will reunite much of BB ’s original crew.
The main question on everybody’s lips, though, is: should we expect cameo appearances from previous Breaking Bad players? We’ve drawn up a wishlist of characters we want to see more of…
Huell Babineaux
Obviously. What would Saul be without his trusty bodyguard? Though Huell (Lavell Crawford) only crops up in season four of Breaking Bad (and Better Call Saul is a prequel to that series), he’s surely deserving of his own sub-plot that would eventually lead him to Saul.
Think of him as the (less intelligent) Bane of Breaking Bad – a massive lug who can snap bones with his thumb and forefinger, but also turn his hand to pick-pocketing should the occasion arise.
Gus Fring
If anybody needs a lawyer like Saul representing him, it’s Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito). A Chilean chicken shop owner, he has links to a Mexican drug cartel and uses his shop as a front for his meth business.
Frankly, Gus is one of the coolest characters in Breaking Bad , and we’d love to see more of him in Better Call Saul.
We’ve seen what Gus is capable of (he’s the main villain in Breaking Bad ’s third and fourth seasons), but how did he become the kingpin we all love to hate? This could be the perfect opportunity to fill in his backstory, especially if one of his low-level guys goes to Saul for advice.
Badger and Skinny Pete
Jesse’s buddies in Breaking Bad , Badger (Matt L. Jones) and Skinny Pete (Charles Baker) are the kind of guys who are always getting into scrapes, which means it’s entirely feasible that they’d be forced to call on Saul at some point.
Though it’s doubtful they’d be able to afford his services, Saul’s no scrooge, and we can see him setting up a payment plan to help these guys out.
Having Badger and Skinny Pete around would also be a good way of referencing Jesse in the show even if he doesn’t appear.
Hank
Brother-in-law to Walt (Bryan Cranston) and a dedicated DEA agent, you can bet Hank has had run-ins with Saul before – especially considering Saul’s, er, ‘colourful’ clientele.
Hank could even be involved in investigating Saul, or one of his business associates, making life just as difficult for our titular lawyer as he did for Walt...
The Hoover Man
Just who is the Hoover Man (Robert Forster)? He appeared late on in BB season five to help Saul’s client ‘disappear’, but beyond that we know basically nothing about him.
There’s clearly an interesting history between Hoover and Saul, though, and this is one of the main relationships that you can bet showrunner Vince Gilligan will explore in the spin-off.
Unless, of course, he decides to leave him a mystery as he was in Breaking Bad …
Jane
She comes a cropper at the end of Breaking Bad ’s second season (that was cold, Walt, really cold), but Jane’s popularity on the show means we could see her being crow-barred into Better Call Saul – especially as Krysten Ritter’s other show, Don’t Trust The Bitch In Apartment 23 , has been cancelled, meaning she’s (we assume) available.
In BB , Jane’s a recovering addict with a rich daddy, and Saul would provide the perfectly opportunity to delve into Jane’s backstory.
How did she become an addict and how bad did it get? We could find out here…
Todd & Family
Just about the nastiest characters Walt (Cranston) encountered in Breaking Bad , Todd (Jesse Plemon) and his family pitched up in the show’s fifth season and, well, they make Leatherface look like a polite, timid young choir boy.
Todd and his crew were responsible for killing one of Breaking Bad ’s main players (we won’t spoil who), and they could really make life miserable for Saul if he ever went up against them.
Just picture a pack of rabid dogs (only rabid dogs who know how to work firearms), and you’ve got the picture…
Lydia Rodarte-Quayle
Pitching up in Breaking Bad season five as a businesswoman who helps Gus crank the numbers in his drug empire, Lydia’s a nervy high-flyer (some would brand her a ‘snob’) who loves specialty teas.
She’s also as ruthless as a Wall Street suit – and when we say ‘ruthless’, we mean if she comes across a human roadblock, she’s not against hiring somebody to blow that roadblock to smithereens.
In short, Lydia’s exactly the kind of catty maven who could really give Saul a hard time.
Walt & Jesse
Better Call Saul is meant to be a prequel to Breaking Bad , and what better way to close out the show than with our charismatic lawyer meeting Walt and Jesse?
They wouldn’t even necessarily need to shoot much new footage – they could recycle scenes from season two in which Walt goes to him for help.
Who do you want to see in Better Call Saul ? Tell us below…
