AMC originally wanted Saul Goodman removed from his first Breaking Bad episode: "Could we start again and come up with a different story?"

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Better Call Vince

Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul
(Image credit: AMC)

Saul Goodman exploded onto our television screens back in 2009. But the Breaking Bad character almost didn't get that far, with Bob Odenkirk's at-all-costs lawyer being the subject of a script note that wanted him cut from the AMC series.

As revealed in an Entertainment Weekly excerpt from Alan Sepinwall's upcoming book Saul Goodman V. Jimmy McGill, one "unnamed" executive wasn't too keen on Saul Goodman's antics in season 2 episode 'Better Call Saul'.

"[Creator] Vince [Gilligan] and I were on a conference call, and the question came up, basically, 'We don’t like this character. Could we start again and come up with a different story for this episode?'" Gould revealed.

Thankfully for Saul and viewers everywhere, Gilligan stood his ground – and the rest is television history.

Saul Goodman, of course, went on to become one of Breaking Bad's big breakout hits. A spin-off series, diving into the past of 'Slippin' Jimmy', premiered in 2015 and ran for six seasons – largely to the same universal acclaim as Breaking Bad.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.