Breaking Bad fans discover little-known secret about Mike's iconic role

Daily Mirror

3 days ago

A fan favourite character from the hit show Breaking Bad was written to cover for a cast member's absence. The Bryan Cranston-starring show was lauded by critics and the public on its release and is now regarded as one of the best shows in history. The series also featured Bob Odenkirk, Aaron Paul, and Jonathan Banks.
Banks, who plays fan favourite Mike Ehrmantraut in both Breaking Bad and the prequel series, Better Call Saul, was brought in for the show's second series, and was never meant to be a main cast member. But the fans loved his work so much during another character's absence that the decision was made to keep him on.
Other cast members were also meant to depart the show earlier than expected. Aaron Paul, who portrays Jesse Pinkman in all series and the sequel Netflix movie, was set to leave Breaking Bad after its first series.
He was kept on, however, after a series of rewrites. Revisions were also made to cover for Odenkirk's absence, with his lowlife lawyer character, Saul Goodman, absent for a few episodes.
In his place, Banks filled in as the enforcer Ehrmantraut, because Odenkirk had obligations to film a different series. His recurring role on How I Met Your Mother clashed with Breaking Bad's shooting schedule.
A character was then needed to cover for Odenkirk's absence, and led to the writing of the Mike Ehrmantraut character. A Better Call Saul fan account posted the fact to X, which has since been verified by writers from the show.
The post reads: "Writers for Breaking Bad created Mike Ehrmantraut as a substitute for Saul Goodman when Bob Odenkirk was unavailable because of a commitment to appear in How I Met Your Mother."
Odenkirk was unavailable for the season two finale episode, and thus a replacement character was brought in. Fans were delighted to realise the origins of Ehrmantraut come from the absence of another beloved character.
One user wrote: "IMO, the most interesting character on BB or BCS. I wish there was a series to take us from Mike the policeman to Mike the fixer."
Another added: "I love characters who were meant to be one offs due to outstanding circumstances become the fan favourites."
A third wrote: "It's funny how such a small twist of fate could have prevented us from seeing what is, in my opinion, one of the greatest characters in TV history."
Other fans of the show have praised the unexpected stand-in, and the legendary character it led to. One user wrote: "Best piece of lore I have read in a long time."
Another added: "It's probably the best story that came out after the show finished." A third shared: "After that infamous finale, this is literally the only good thing that HIMYM did. Mike Ehrmantraut is one of the best characters in all of television."