5 Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul Characters We Want To Return After Bob Odenkirk’s New Saul Goodman Video

It’s been four years since Better Call Saul ended — and more than a decade since Breaking Bad took its final bow — but Bob Odenkirk’s recent Saul Goodman video is making us miss the series’ characters all over again. Odenkirk briefly returned as the character to share a PSA for America’s 250th birthday. It served as a reminder of why he was so iconic in the role, perfectly balancing humor and a deeper message. It also revealed the best path forward for Saul Goodman in the Breaking Bad franchise: bite-sized clips that don’t affect the main series or its spinoff.

With no new Breaking Bad projects planned, we wouldn’t mind seeing a few other characters return in similar ways. It’d be just enough to keep the series front of mind without posing any risk to its legacy. Of course, there are a couple of players we’d love to see genuinely return in a spinoff as well. We miss all of Breaking Bad‘s major players, but these five deserve comebacks in some form.

5) Jesse Pinkman

Jesse Pinkman already returned in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, and he was given a pretty definitive ending post-Breaking Bad. While there’s technically room to expand on it, doing so would risk rehashing familiar storylines — or prove too dull to actually pay off. The best future for Jesse is a more peaceful life than he’s granted in Breaking Bad. However, that wouldn’t make for a good spinoff story. Aaron Paul’s fan-favorite character would need to return another way.

Fortunately, Jesse is one of the best contenders to star in short videos like the one Odenkirk recently featured in. It’s hard to say what they would be about, but Paul’s comedic timing would lend itself well to such releases. They’d offer a chance to catch up with Jesse, either during the timeline of Breaking Bad or after. And in the former scenario, he could bring in other characters, including Bryan Cranston’s Walter White.

4) Kim Wexler

The reason Saul Goodman’s PSA video works is because he’s reminding people of their rights. The release capitalizes on Saul’s expertise as a lawyer, and Better Call Saul introduces another beloved character who has similar knowledge: Kim Wexler. Rhea Seehorn’s Kim is one of Better Call Saul‘s best additions to the Breaking Bad universe, and she’s often just as slippery as Saul. Video messages set during Better Call Saul’s past timeline could be a fun way for her to return, reuniting us with Kim — and potentially even showcasing more of her relationship with Odenkirk’s lawyer.

Of course, Kim is still alive and walking free after the events of Better Call Saul. Technically, this means she could return in some capacity post-Breaking Bad and its spinoff. As she and Jimmy both see the error of their ways, that would be risky. But it would be interesting to know what Kim does after bidding Jimmy farewell in prison. Her ending doesn’t tell us much on that front.

3) Huell Babineaux

Saul’s return works because he’s so comical, and there’s another character who knows how to elicit laughs throughout Breaking Bad and its prequel: Huell Babineaux. Lavell Crawford’s character is a far more minor player than anyone else on this list, but he delivers a number of memorable scenes and one-liners. He could easily return in short videos, whether it’s to convey his own message or contribute to someone else’s. His dynamic with Saul is a fun one that could be capitalized on during future PSAs. Bill Burr’s Patrick Kuby could also come back, reviving their partnership and making up for the Better Call Saul cameo he never got to have.

As we don’t know a ton about what becomes of Huell after Breaking Bad, short video returns could be a means of giving him closure, too. While it’s fine leaving his fate ambiguous, he’s probably off doing something interesting. If Crawford reprises the role, we can accompany him.

2) Mike Ehrmantraut

Mike Ehrmantraut actually returns in Odenkirk’s recent Saul Goodman PSA, with Jonathan Banks’ character co-signing his statement at the end. However, Mike is one of the few Breaking Bad characters who could carry his own spinoff, even after the main show and Better Call Saul. Given Mike’s fate in Breaking Bad, and how Better Call Saul leads directly into it, a Mike spinoff would need to go further back. But a prequel covering Mike’s corrupt law enforcement days could be interesting, and it could expand further on the tragedy that defines him: the death of his son.

It’s hard to say how well a spinoff like this would work, as a Mike prequel would probably mean recasting the character. It’d also be a very different kind of show compared to Breaking Bad. Yet, handled carefully, it could be an engaging exploration of the character. And even if a spinoff never happens, we’re all too happy to keep reuniting with Mike via short-form videos like Odenkirk’s.

1) Gus Fring

The best character for a Breaking Bad spinoff is undoubtedly Gus Fring, as the series’ villain has an established backstory we never get to see, and it sounds every bit as tense and action-packed as the prior two series. Breaking Bad reveals that Gus wants revenge on the cartel — something he actually ends up getting — because Don Eladio murdered his friend Max in front of him. He also allegedly has a whole history in Chile, which we know very little about. Seeing how Gus becomes the ruthless drug lord we meet in Breaking Bad would be intriguing, and it’s one of the clearest ways to continue the franchise, should Vince Gilligan ever choose to.

Like a Mike spinoff, a Gus series is risky, namely because Giancarlo Esposito would need to be recast. He’s a standout in the role, so they’d have to find someone truly impressive to follow him. Of course, the show could adopt Better Call Saul‘s dual timeline approach and bring Esposito back as well. Perhaps one day it’ll happen. We also wouldn’t mind seeing more of Gus outside of a spinoff.

What Breaking Bad characters would you like to see again? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!