After 15 years, we are seemingly saying farewell (or, “Saul Gone”) to the world of Saul Goodman, Better Call Saul, and the Breaking Bad world as we know it.
With the prequel series wrapping up its six-year run this month, and now that co-creator Vince Gilligan has all but shut down the idea of any more series being set in this world (at least any time in the near future), we’re left to wonder where we can see more of the amazing, tantalizing, brilliant performances from the cast that brought so many characters to life and filled them with vivid color (and occasionally, black and white).
We know some faces will continue popping up in film and television on screens near us (hello there, Giancarlo Esposito), but what is next for the cast of Better Call Saul?
Let’s start with the duo that made up so much of the heart of the show, and expand to the rest of the cast we’ve come to revere (and even fear).
Bob Odenkirk (Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman/Gene Takovic/Viktor St. Claire)
More than rumored to be ramping up to begin shooting for the sequel to 2021’s action flick Nobody, Odenkirk works frequently enough that we shouldn’t be without his talents in our lives for too long.
After a health scare during filming for Better Call Saul’s final season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Odenkirk step back for a much-deserved break.
Over the past year, he’s lent his voice to the animated series Chicago Party Aunt, which airs on Netflix. He also appeared in the shows Mom and I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson over the last year-plus. You can also see him in this year’s music video for the song “Karaoke” by the band Beach Bunny.
But for fans of his entire body of work, you’ll be thrilled to know that he is teaming up with partner-in-crime David Cross once again for a docuseries called Guru Nation for Paramount Plus.
Oh, and if you’ve never seen Mr. Show, and witnessed just how far Odenkirk has come from his pure comedy days, do yourself a favor and do just that.
Rhea Seehorn (Kim Wexler)
While most of us don’t want to say goodbye to Seehorn’s immaculate performance as Kim Wexler, we have a feeling she’ll be getting boatloads of great offers.
This year, she appeared in the indie film Linoleum with Jim Gaffigan, with the movie premiering at SXSW to rave reviews. She is also in the TV show called Cooper’s Bar, which did not receive the same rave reviews, and the first season is available to watch via AMC.
Unfortunately, despite some wide searching, we can’t seem to find if and when Linoleum will get a wider release, or will be streaming online somewhere, but based on all the reviews, it lets Seehorn shine.
She also had a role in the 2021 Netflix horror movie Things Heard & Seen, but again, it seems that nobody has found and/or given Seehorn a role suited to her amazing abilities.
Fans pining for more Wexler would be thrilled if Kim somehow got her own spinoff, which can’t be ruled out even as Gilligan said he doesn’t want to return to the Breaking Bad world, because technically, any prequel of her (or postquel — if that’s a word?) could be set in a totally different world, with totally different settings.
But is there really anything more to mine from the characters we’ve learned so much about already?
We just hope someone finds the right role for Seehorn that allows her to unleash her immense talents on the screen over and over.
For a small glimpse more of Seehorn, you could rewatch a little bit of Veep, but again, she’s tragically not given enough screen time in that show.
Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fring)
Well, for fans of superhero shows, you’ve probably seen Esposito around a little bit.
He starred as the big bad in both seasons of The Mandalorian on Disney Plus, and something tells us he’ll be around again in season three when it comes out.
On the other hand, he is also playing a somewhat nefarious character, Stan Edgar, in Amazon Prime’s The Boys.
He’s lent his voice to animated series such as Duck Tales and The Boys spinoff, known as Diabolical.
Next year, he is set to appear in a show called The Driver, which will come to AMC in 2023, and he’ll be in another series on the horizon for Netflix called Jigsaw.
Movie-wise, he’s set to also be in The Long Home, which is in post-production and was supposed to be released way back in 2017, but has been held up and has no release info as of 2022.
Esposito is also rumored to be joining the MCU, and fans are in a tizzy dreaming of who he might appear as, maybe as Charles Xavier AKA Professor X, or even as Magneto, another villain which is right up his alley.
Furthermore, even though it’s a long shot, fans are also hopeful that maybe we’ll get some sort of series with him reprising his role as Gus Fring, perhaps showing his life before he came to be known as “The Chicken Man,” but even if that were the case, it might be too far in the past now for him to play the role.
Jonathan Banks (Mike Ehrmantraut)
The man known as Mike sure has a long, illustrious career (just check out that IMDB or Wikipedia filmography page).
This year, he lent his voice to the animated film Catwoman: Hunted, as well as the computer animated series A Tale Dark & Grimm, which was developed for Netflix.
Banks is also going to appear in a series called Constellation, a conspiracy-based thriller for Apple TV, next year.
Patrick Fabian (Howard Hamlin)
Though his reputation was sullied and tarnished following his tragic death in the show, the often smiling and joyous Fabian lives on.
Currently, he is working on a film called The Other Zoey, which is rumored to hit theaters at the end of this year.
Last year, he appeared on an episode of The Morning Show. Fabian has appeared in dozens and dozens of shows since 1992, and it might be that he’s taking a quick breather before hitting the ground running again.
Michael Mando (Nacho Varga)
While we all wait for Kevin Feige and the MCU to remember they already teased the wonderful Mando as Mac Gargan AKA Scorpion in Spider-Man: Homecoming, the man who played Nacho has been a little less active while shooting Better Call Saul.
He popped up again in the Far Cry universe in Far Cry 6, reprising his role as Vaas Montenegro from Far Cry 3, but otherwise hasn’t put out any other work in the past couple years.
Maybe, just maybe, he’ll play Vaas again in a Far Cry movie, as has been rumored.
Michael McKean (Chuck McGill)
Although they never shared the screen together in the Breaking Bad universe, McKean recently appeared in Jerry & Marge Go Large, a movie starring Bryan Cranston and Annette Benning that is currently streaming on Paramount Plus.
McKean appeared on an episode of Billions earlier this year, and just last year, he had a starring role in the film Playing God.
He might sound familiar as the voice of Lou Pickles in the reboot of Rugrats, too.
And if you really want to get some more McKean in your life, queue up the still-phenomenal Spinal Tap and find out for yourself just how awesome McKean is.
Tony Dalton (Lalo Salamanca)
Oh, Lalo. How Dalton brought the charming yet sinister character to life (and death) in Better Call Saul.
You might recall seeing Dalton doing his dastardly charming bit as Jack Duquesne in Hawkeye last year as well, and if not, the show is worth watching for his performance alone.
Let’s see him as a spinoff character in The Swordsman, and soon!
Ed Begley, Jr. (Clifford Main)
A man of many roles who never seems to cease, Begley, Jr. is a Hollywood legend.
During his turn in Better Call Saul, he’s also appeared in the show Young Sheldon, as well as Mr. Mayor and SpongeBob SquarePants.
Mark Margolis (Hector Salamanca)
The once mighty Salamanca who got to reprise his role in Better Call Saul both before and after being paralyzed, Margolis most recently showed up in episodes of Snowpiercer in 2020 and Prodigal Son in 2021.
Tina Parker (Francesca Liddy)
Often left to do the dirty work (literally) for Saul in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Parker most recently appeared in the film The Pale Door (along with Pat Healy, who plays Jeff in the last season of BCS) in 2020.
