Bob Odenkirk is just one of four actors to play Saul Goodman in the Breaking Bad universe

Bob Odenkirk couldn’t have been more perfect for Saul Goodman, but three different actors also played him breaking BadThe universe. Very few actors are as inextricably linked to a role as Odenkirk is to Saul; It’s like James Gandolfini with Tony Soprano or Bryan Cranston with Walter White. Saul’s early episodes in breaking Bad made great use of Odenkirk’s comedic talents, but as the series progressed and the character evolved – and especially after he got his own spin-off show – this role also introduced the world to Odenkirk’s untapped skills as a dramatic actor.

Over breaking Bad And You better call Saul, Aside from a few scattered flashbacks, Jimmy McGill was largely played by Odenkirk. A few younger actors were brought in to briefly portray the character at various stages of his life, but Odenkirk was never too far from the spotlight – until a third season was introduced breaking Bad Universe. When the franchise premiered a third show, an animated spin-off came calling Slippin’ JimmyAnother actor with a completely different perspective came in to play the character.

Sean Giambrone played Saul Goodman in Slippin’ Jimmy

Slippin’ Jimmy returns to Saul’s childhood

Appropriate for the final season of You better call SaulAMC released a third show within the breaking Bad Universe: an animated prequel series called Slippin’ Jimmy. Slippin’ Jimmy dates back to Jimmy’s younger years in Cicero, Illinoisand describes the wild escapades he got up to with his best friend and accomplice Marco Pasternak, who was briefly seen in You better call Saul. The anthology-style series features everything from a spaghetti western episode to a silent film episode to a Exorcist Parody episode. It was certainly a novel premise, but it fell short of other acclaimed franchise entries.

Instead of bringing Odenkirk back, Slippin’ Jimmy brought in Sean Giambrone to play the title character. Giambrone is best known for his starring role as Adam Goldberg on the long-running sitcom The Goldbergsand he has also played other animated voice roles, such as Yumyulack Opposites, Jr. in Sun opposites and Luan’s friend Benny there The loud house. Slippin’ Jimmy is a drastic tonal departure from the other shows in the franchisewhich replaces the dark, down-to-earth, character-centered drama with a crazy, offbeat, absurdist comedy. It’s not surprising Slippin’ Jimmy was not as well received as its predecessors; It was panned by critics and immediately forgotten.

2 young actors play Jimmy McGill as a child in Better Call Saul

Cole Whitaker played Jimmy as a young boy and Blake Bertrand played him as a teenager

As You better call Saul Because he was dealing with Jimmy’s past, a few other actors were brought in to play him in his younger years. Cole Whitaker played Jimmy as a young boy and Blake Bertrand played him as a teenager. Bertrand played young Jimmy in Season 2, Episode 7, “Inflatable.” The episode begins with a flashback to Jimmy working at his father’s store in 1973. A con man comes in to con Jimmy’s father out of money and tells Jimmy that there are only wolves and sheep in the world, setting up Jimmy’s transformation into a con man.

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Whitaker appeared in the third season finale – Season 3, Episode 10, “Lantern” – which begins with a flashback to a young Chuck reading The Adventures of Mabel to an even younger Jimmy McGill as they sleep in a tent in their backyard, lit by a lantern. The use of a lantern not only foreshadows the tragic end of the episode; The flashback also reveals that Jimmy and Chuck once had a good relationship before their bitter feud reached its peak in the present-day storyline. Those were the only two You better call Saul Scenes in which Jimmy was not played by Odenkirk.

The recasting of Saul Goodman proves that the Slippin’ Jimmy spinoff was never going to work

None other than Bob Odenkirk was supposed to play Saul Goodman

The fact that the manufacturers of Slippin’ Jimmy The role of Saul had to be recast proves this breaking Bad Spin-off would never work. It’s not like Batman or James Bond, where anyone can play the role; Audience interest in this character is specifically tied to Odenkirk’s performance. Giambrone does his best, but it was a stupid task for someone else to play that role.

Odenkirk wouldn’t have been able to voice Jimmy in his early years, but perhaps that should have been taken as a sign that he was animated breaking Bad Spin-off was a bad idea from the start. You better call Saul already showed viewers everything they needed to see from Jimmy’s childhood to understand his character. Slippin’ Jimmy Put the need for new content ahead of the needs of the story and characters.

Created by Vince Gilligan, “Breaking Bad” follows a chemistry teacher and drug lord named Walter White (Bryan Cranston) who tries to support his family after a fatal diagnosis. With nothing left to fear, White rises to power in the world of drugs and crime, transforming the simple family man into someone known only as Heisenberg.

Pour

Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, Anna Gunn, RJ Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Giancarlo Esposito, Steven Michael Quezada, Charles Baker, Christopher Cousins, Matt Jones, Michael Shamus Wiles, Lavell Crawford, Jesse Plemons, Ray Campbell, Tina Parker, Carmen Serano, Emily Rios, Krysten Ritter, Laura Fraser, Jeremiah Bitsui, Mark Margolis, Ian Posada, David House, David Costabile, Michael Bowen, Kevin Rankin, Aaron Hill, Harry Groener, Patrick Sane, Daniel Moncada, Luis Moncada, Marius Stan, Bill Burr, Todd Terry, Jessica Hecht, Tait Fletcher, Rodney Rush, Kaija Roze Bales, Matt Metzler, John de Lancie, Tom Kiesche, Jere Burns, Maurice Compte, Morse Bicknell, Nigel Gibbs, Tess Harper, Raymond Cruz, Max Arciniega, Cesar Garcia, Jesus Jr., Michael Bofshever, Julie Dretzin, Mike Seal, Christopher Dempsey, Javier Grajeda, Mike Batayeh, Chris Freihofer, Louis Ferreira, Gonzalo Menendez, Jason Douglas, Adam Godley

Seasons

5

Showrunner

Vince Gilligan

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