Breaking Bad might’ve never introduced Saul Goodman — and, by extension, Better Call Saul wouldn’t have been made — if a behind-the-scenes hiccup hadn’t ruined the writers’ original plans for Walt and Jesse’s story. Saul was first introduced in Breaking Bad season 2, episode 8, appropriately titled “Better Call Saul.” After Badger is arrested for selling Walt and Jesse’s product on the street, they hire Saul (who, according to Jesse, is a *criminal* lawyer) to represent him. Saul ends up recruiting a fake Heisenberg to take the fall and go to jail for a fee.
Saul quickly became a fan-favorite character and continued to represent Walt and Jesse in all their legal matters for the rest of Breaking Bad’s five seasons. After the show ended, Saul got his own spinoff, which turned him into every bit the three-dimensional antihero that Walt himself was. But according to Alan Sepinwall’s new book Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill: The Complete Critical Companion to Better Call Saul, a comprehensive guide to the series, none of that would’ve happened if the writers had been able to stick to their original plans.
Breaking Bad Only Killed Off Tuco Because Raymond Cruz Was Called Back To His Other TV Show
The Closer Needed Cruz Back Sooner Than Expected
Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill includes an interview with Peter Gould, who wrote Saul’s first Breaking Bad episode and went on to co-create and co-showrun the spinoff with Vince Gilligan, which is full of fascinating insights. In the interview, Gould explains that when the writers were going into Breaking Bad season 2, they were expecting that Walt and Jesse would work with Tuco for the long haul. They’d spent the whole first season building up to this fraught business partnership and expected it to sustain Walt and Jesse’s meth business for a while.
Raymond Cruz played Detective Julio Sanchez in 105 episodes of The Closer.
But Tuco’s actor, Raymond Cruz, was on loan to Breaking Bad from his TNT cop drama The Closer, in which he played Detective Julio Sanchez. The Closer needed him back sooner than they anticipated, so the Breaking Bad writers had to figure out a way to write Tuco out of the show and continue the story without him. They decided that Tuco would be killed by Hank and Walt and Jesse would go into business on their own. This drastically changed the trajectory of the series and paved the way for Saul’s introduction.
Walt & Jesse Going Into Business For Themselves Necessitated The Introduction Of A Lawyer Character
The First Storyline The Writers Came Up With Was One Of Walt & Jesse’s Dealers Getting Arrested
Under their initial deal with Tuco, Walt and Jesse just had to worry about producing the meth and meeting their quota. But with Tuco out of the picture, Walt and Jesse had to run their own operation, which came with all sorts of problems: they had to deal with competitors, they had to come up with a viable distribution model, and they had to contend with police interference. After deciding that Walt and Jesse would go into business for themselves, the first storyline the writers came up with was one of their dealers getting arrested.
The writers asked themselves: what kind of lawyer would agree to represent a drug lord? That’s when Gould came up with Saul Goodman, the flashily-dressed, ambulance-chasing circus clown who will do whatever it takes to stay out of a court of law.
This led to the opening scene of “Better Call Saul,” in which Badger is approached by a prospective customer who turns out to be an undercover cop. Badger’s arrest necessitated the introduction of a lawyer character, so the writers asked themselves: what kind of lawyer would agree to represent a drug lord? That’s when Gould came up with Saul Goodman, the flashily-dressed, ambulance-chasing circus clown who will do whatever it takes to stay out of a court of law. Saul only exists because Tuco had to go.
If Tuco Had The Longer Arc That Was Planned, Breaking Bad Might’ve Never Introduced Saul
The Show Would’ve Gone In A Completely Different Direction
If Cruz had been able to stick around and the writers were able to give Tuco the longer arc that was planned, then Breaking Bad might’ve never introduced Saul. If Walt and Jesse continued producing meth for Tuco and never had to go into business on their own, then the series would’ve gone in a completely different direction. Walt and Jesse’s need for large-scale distribution is what led to their difficult working relationship with Gus Fring and, eventually, their international drug empire.
Related
Vince Gilligan initially developed Better Call Saul as a half-hour sitcom, which would’ve been awesome, but the version we got is even better.
In a world where Tuco could remain in Breaking Bad’s cast indefinitely, then Saul, Mike, Gus, Todd, and any number of major characters might’ve never been created — or, if they were, they’d have a very different role in the story. It stands to reason that, even with Tuco handling distribution, Walt and Jesse would eventually need the services of an attorney. But in Breaking Bad’s eventual form, the stars aligned just right for that attorney to be Saul Goodman.
Source: Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill: The Complete Critical Companion to Better Call Saul by Alan Sepinwall
10/10
- Release Date
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2008 – 2013-00-00
- Showrunner
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Vince Gilligan
- Directors
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Vince Gilligan, Michelle Maclaren
- Writers
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Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, Vince Gilligan, George Mastras, Moira Walley-Beckett, Sam Catlin, Thomas Schnauz