Bob Odenkirk Is Only 1 Of 4 Actors To Play Saul Goodman In Breaking Bad’s Universe

Bob Odenkirk couldn’t have been more perfect for Saul Goodman, but three different actors also played him in Breaking Bad’s universe. Very few actors are as inextricably attached to a role as Odenkirk is with 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 went on and the character was developed a lot more — and especially after he was given his own spin-off show — this role also introduced the world to Odenkirk’s untapped abilities as a dramatic actor.

Across Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, outside of a couple of isolated flashbacks, Jimmy McGill was mostly only played by Odenkirk. A couple of younger actors were brought in to briefly play the character at different stages of his life, but Odenkirk was never too far away from the spotlight — until a third series was introduced to the Breaking Bad universe. When the franchise premiered a third show, an animated spin-off called Slippin’ Jimmy, a different actor with a very different take came in to play the character.

Sean Giambrone Played Saul Goodman In Slippin’ Jimmy

Slippin’ Jimmy Goes Back To Saul’s Childhood

To coincide with the final season of Better Call Saul, AMC released a third show within the Breaking Bad universe: an animated prequel series called Slippin’ Jimmy. Slippin’ Jimmy goes back to Jimmy’s younger years in Cicero, Illinois, and chronicles the wild antics he got up to with his best friend and partner-in-crime, Marco Pasternak, who was featured briefly in Better Call Saul. The anthology-style series has everything ranging from a spaghetti western episode to a silent comedy episode to an Exorcist parody episode. It was certainly a novel premise, but it fell short of the other acclaimed franchise entries.

Slippin’ Jimmy
premiered all six of its episodes on May 23, 2022.

Rather than bringing back Odenkirk, Slippin’ Jimmy brought in Sean Giambrone to play the title character. Giambrone is best known for playing the lead role of Adam Goldberg in the long-running sitcom The Goldbergs, and he’s also played other animated voice roles, like Yumyulack Opposites, Jr. in Solar Opposites and Luan’s boyfriend Benny in The Loud House. Slippin’ Jimmy is a drastic tonal departure from the franchise’s other shows, replacing the gritty, grounded, character-focused drama with zany, off-the-wall, absurdist comedy. Unsurprisingly, Slippin’ Jimmy wasn’t as well-received as its predecessors; it was panned by critics and instantly forgotten about.

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 Better Call Saul dug into Jimmy’s past, a couple of 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 opens with a flashback to Jimmy working in his father’s store in 1973. A con man comes in to cheat Jimmy’s dad out of money and tells Jimmy there are only wolves and sheep in the world, setting up Jimmy’s transformation into a scam artist.

Whitaker appeared in the season 3 finale — season 3, episode 10, “Lantern” — which opens with a flashback to a young Chuck reading The Adventures of Mabel to an even younger Jimmy McGill while they stay in a tent in their backyard, lit by a lantern. Not only does the use of a lantern foreshadow the episode’s tragic ending; the flashback also shows that Jimmy and Chuck once had a good relationship before bringing their bitter feud to a head in the present-day storyline. These were the only two Better Call Saul scenes where Jimmy wasn’t played by Odenkirk.

Recasting Saul Goodman Proves The Slippin’ Jimmy Spinoff Was Never Going To Work

No One Other Than Bob Odenkirk Should Play Saul Goodman

The fact that the producers of Slippin’ Jimmy had to recast the role of Saul proves that this Breaking Bad spin-off was never going to work. It’s not like Batman or James Bond, where the role can be played by anyone; the audience’s interest in this character is specifically tied to Odenkirk’s performance. Giambrone does his best, but it was a fool’s errand for anyone else to play this part.

The audience’s interest in this character is specifically tied to Odenkirk’s performance. Giambrone does his best, but it was a fool’s errand for anyone else to play this part.

Odenkirk couldn’t have voiced Jimmy in his early years, but maybe that should’ve been taken as a sign that the animated Breaking Bad spin-off was a bad idea from the get-go. Better Call Saul already showed audiences 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.