After the wild success of Breaking Bad, it was thought near impossible for Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, and the rest of their crew to catch lightning in a bottle a second time. Despite the odds, fans were gifted Better Call Saul, which is thought to not only carry the torch, but in certain areas even surpass its predecessor, all while redefining the traditional legal drama. A prequel to the team's previous AMC program, the fan favorite drama features a good chunk of Breaking Bad alumni, as well as many new faces bringing to the table much desired backstories and added context to a world that viewers have already been sucked into.
After recently being named TV Guide's "Best TV Show of 2022" and being nominated for several Critic's Choice Awards, now's a great time to look back at the cast and characters who helped bring the critically acclaimed show to life.
Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman / Gene Takovic (Bob Odenkirk)
A man of many personas, and even more tacky suits, Jimmy McGill grew up on the streets of Cicero, Illinois where he made a habit out of performing low-level street scams. After eventually being saved from going to prison by his brother and respected lawyer Charles McGill, Jimmy agrees to work in the mailroom of his sibling's firm, HHM.
Later going into law practice for himself and receiving heavy criticism from peers for his sense of "showmanship" and moral flexibility, Bob Odenkirk's range is on full display as viewers watch Jimmy slip into his new persona Saul Goodman, a brand change/tragic coping mechanism. After the events of Breaking Bad transpire, Jimmy goes into hiding and adopts yet another name, Gene Takovic, working at a food court Cinnabon in a Nebraskan mall while waiting anxiously for the day his luck finally runs out.
Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn)
A fiercely intelligent and hard-working lawyer, Kim Wexler started out in the mailroom of HHM and showed much promise as she passed the bar and climbed the ranks. Growing up in a small town with an uncaring mother, Kim soon began being her own parent, and vowed to never let herself live a meaningless life where she can't make a difference.
After meeting Jimmy in the mailroom, the two began a friendship that would later grow into love as they forged an incredibly tight bond. With Rhea Seehorn's expert performance, Kim's journey of wanting to help others and be by Jimmy's side through the good and very, very bad is one of heavy emotions, but provides some of the most heartwarming scenes within the series.
Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks)
There are very few people who are able to get one up on Mike Ehrmantraut, the retired Philadelphian corrupt cop turned Albuquerque underground hired gun. Operating a courthouse toll booth at the beginning of the series, fans get to watch Breaking Bad favorite Jonathan Banks reprise his role from an earlier point in the character's life, as he succumbs to the pressure he feels to provide for his family by taking on less-than-legal extracurricular activities.
Unable to face his pent-up emotions about the tragic loss of his son and the self-blame that came with it, Mike isn't exactly a bastion of tender sentiments, and as a disgraced high school chemistry teacher would one day put it, "Probably threatened someone before breakfast." Being a man of few words, "The Cleaner" always stays one step ahead of the crooks he finds himself up against, at least until a local fried chicken restaurateur and future employer gives him a run for his money.
Ignacio "Nacho" Varga (Michael Mando)
Though he may seem like a cold-blooded cartel member at first glance, the more time viewers spend with Ignacio Varga, known as "Nacho", the more his unfortunate story becomes clear. Working with the infamous Salamanca crime family to sell drugs, Nacho begins to resent the unpredictable and self-destructive nature of his colleagues, especially when it seems his law-abiding father's safety is being put in jeopardy due to his criminal associations.
Michael Mando plays Varga with a quiet, methodical intelligence as he works with Mike Ehrmantraut to plot against the Salamancas from the inside, hoping to save himself and his father from their tyrannical control. Though the more that the young drug peddler tries to get out, the more he gets pulled back in, and ends up forced to be a puppet for more than one crazed meth kingpin.
Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian)
Often found under the thumb of Charles McGill, a fellow partner at the law firm HHM, Howard Hamlin can be seen as the antithesis of Jimmy McGill, despite both being in the same profession. Where Jimmy works out of a nail salon and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, Howard is greatly successful and holds his firm, as well as his personal morality, to a high standard.
A cufflinks and coffee type of guy, Howard was ushered into his firm by his father, deciding it to be a safer bet than practicing law on his own. Always living a life under the watchful eyes of those he looks up to, there's a hint of regret within the lawyer's demeanor, subtly woven in by Patrick Fabian, and a sense of wanting to do what's right by everyone, even if it doesn't always seem like it.
Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito)
Revenge is the gray fuel that carries Gustavo "Gus" Fring forward, a Chilean-American restaurant owner/drug kingpin. Having started his restaurant Los Pollos Hermanos as well as his drug peddling business years prior with his former partner Max, the duo had managed to get themselves a meeting with the head of the cartel, Don Eladio. Unfortunately for them both, only Gus left that day, taking with him a ferociously inhuman desire for vengeance.
After his partner was murdered at the hands of Hector Salamanca, Fring would spend the next two decades quietly building his drug empire, patiently waiting for his opportunity to destroy the Salamanca family leaving Hector for last. Giancarlo Esposito commands attention in every scene, with Gus' calculated and distinguished approach defining his character both in the world of restaurants and violent crime.
Charles McGill (Michael McKean)
One of the most respected and admired attorneys among his peers, the name Charles "Chuck" McGill carries heavy weight, perhaps most of all to his brother. Having helped Jimmy out of legal trouble in the past, Chuck always assumes the worst when it comes to his sibling, despite his little brother only wanting respect.
Audiences love to hate Michael McKean as, while he may be correctly calling out Jimmy for his theatric and absurd antics to garner attention, his manner of doing so is despicably condescending, demonstrating a deep jealousy for his little brother's ability to reach people on a personal level. The eldest McGill also recently begins suffering from self-diagnosed "electromagnetic hypersensitivity," causing him to be unable to work or live around any electronic devices, and falling deeper into his antisocial tendencies. Chuck is a wickedly complicated character for McKean, who is best known as a comic actor in Christopher Guest mockumentaries.
Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca (Tony Dalton)
Though he may be the latest addition to the main cast, once Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca appears, it's almost impossible to imagine the show without him. After the infamous drug lord Hector Salamanca has a stroke leaving him wheelchair-bound and unable to speak, Lalo is the next Salamanca in line to watch over the family business. While being a bit more cool-headed than his relatives, it's his smiley demeanor that makes the murderous cartel boss all the more creepy.
Pulling Jimmy McGill along using fear as a motivator, Lalo is able to dodge any criminal offenses while he works, setting his sights on his rival, Gustavo Fring. The fun of watching Tony Dalton's performance as a cheery yet conniving killer is unmatched as he slowly uncovers Fring's secret lab operation, being the only person to ever truly strike fear into the "Chicken Man," and setting into action some of the show's most intense storylines.