Better Call Saul is approaching its final season, which means viewers will soon say goodbye to the world of Breaking Bad. The prequel series covering the origins of Bob Odenkirk's smarmy lawyer has only elevated the hit drama series. In the eyes of certain critics, Better Call Saul is in many ways a better show than its predecessor.
Aside from the return of iconic Breaking Bad characters, the show also has its own incredible cast. These characters did not appear in Breaking Bad, but they've certainly made a name for themselves in the world of Better Call Saul. Ten of them may be in contention for the best characters across the Breaking Bad universe.
10 Rebecca Bois
Rebecca only appeared in Better Call Saul a few times, but those appearances were quite memorable. She is introduced in flashbacks as the ex-wife of Chuck McGill and Jimmy's sister-in-law. It's her separation from Chuck that leads the prestigious lawyer to spiral, resulting in a sensitivity to electro-magnetism that plagues him.
While Rebecca's presence in the show is mainly in support of Chuck and Jimmy's conflict, she certainly holds her own in a scene. After Jimmy uses Rebecca to humiliate Chuck in front of the court, she berates Jimmy for turning on his own brother. By the end of Season 3, she's another enemy for Jimmy, thanks to Chuck.
9 Ernesto
Has there ever been a more easily lovable character in the Breaking Bad universe than Ernesto? Viewers first meet Ernesto as one of Jimmy's mailroom friends at HHM. However, the poor guy ends up playing the role of Chuck's caretaker after he and Jimmy have a falling out at the end of Season 1.
Sadly, things don't go well for Ernesto in the following seasons. He continues to take care of Chuck in Jimmy's place until Chuck manipulates Ernesto into "accidentally" hearing the tape of Jimmy admitting to his crimes. Ernesto is fired from HHM after he reveals the truth to Kim. Hopefully, in Season 6, Ernesto gets his redemption.
8 Daniel Wormald
Mike first meets Daniel Wormald in Season 1, when he's hired to be his bodyguard during a drug deal with Nacho Varga. The only problem is that Daniel, or "Pryce" as he prefers to be called, is the least capable criminal of all time. His dorkiness and polite demeanor make him a target for Nacho to rip him off.
Daniel's time on Better Call Saul reaches a climax when he reports baseball cards stolen by Nacho. However, when Jimmy comes to the rescue, things maybe get worse for Daniel when Jimmy lies on his behalf. Owners of Better Call Saul Season 2 on DVD will have a pretty uncomfortable surprise waiting in their bonus features.
7 Stacey Ehrmantraut
Stacey technically made a cameo in Season 3 of Breaking Bad, though she was portrayed by a different actor. The character made her first full appearance in Better Call Saul's first season. Here, her relationship with Mike, her father-in-law, is deepened, particularly in the Mike-centric episode "Five-O."
When Stacey first appears in Better Call Saul, her relationship with Mike is strained following the murder of her husband, Matt, Mike's son. However, Mike's tearful monologue telling Stacey what happened remains a highlight of the entire show. From that point on, Stacey remains a warm, safe presence in Mike's dangerous life.
6 Werner Ziegler
No fan of Better Call Saul was expecting to go on an emotional journey when Werner is first introduced in Season 4. Hired by Gus Fring to construct what will eventually become Walter White's meth superlab, he becomes somewhat of a headache for Gus's right-hand man, Mike. Predictably, this leads to a tragic end for Werner.
However, it's hard to not fall in love with the character as he and Mike bond. He cares deeply for his wife, who becomes his main motivation for escaping Gus's compound where he works. Unfortunately, Gus orders Mike to kill Werner, and the character gets one of the most heart-wrenching death scenes across both series.
5 Howard Hamlin
When Howard is first introduced in Season 1 of Better Call Saul, he sets himself up to be the show's main antagonist. He seems spiteful of Jimmy and refuses to hire him at HHM, despite his relationship with Chuck. However, when it's revealed that Chuck is truly the one harboring resentment toward Jimmy, Howard warms up to viewers.
As the story progresses, one can't help but feel bad for Howard's circumstances. Chuck's death drives HHM into financial ruin, and Howard becomes a mess. Once he picks himself and his company back up, he graciously offers Jimmy a job. This time, Jimmy is on the dark side and retaliates by trying to ruin Howard's career.
4 Nacho Varga
Nacho is the closest thing Better Call Saul has to a new Jesse Pinkman. The character begins as the quiet right-hand man of Tuco Salamanca, before setting his sights on higher business. That eventually leads him to covertly undermine the Salamanca operation from the inside, which results in some pretty stellar moments.
One scene alone that earns Nacho his spot in the Breaking Bad Hall of Fame is his suspenseful swapping of Hector's pills. He is just barely able to pull it off, though Gus's discovery of his crime makes him indebted to the other side. All viewers want for Nacho in the final season is for him to make it out of the drug world alive.
3 Chuck McGill
The first three seasons of Better Call Saul heavily focus on the relationship between Jimmy McGill and his brother, Chuck. Chuck is everything Jimmy is not: successful, mature, and brilliant. Chuck resents Jimmy for his conman past, and it's their differences as brothers and peers that force Jimmy to become Saul Goodman.
It helps that Chuck is played by comedy legend Michael McKean. While McKean is known for roles in This Is Spinal Tap and Saturday Night Live, he and Odenkirk get to flex their dramatic muscles a lot in Better Call Saul. For any doubters, just watch the Season 3 episode "Chicanery," and marvel at McKean's power on screen.
2 Lalo Salamanca
Lalo's presence in Better Call Saul is an anticipated one, as the character was mentioned briefly in Goodman's debut episode of Breaking Bad. While that mention could've been left an unanswered mystery, the Better Call Saul writers did what they do best. They turned a tiny seed of dialogue into a marvelous character on screen.
Lalo enters Better Call Saul in the fourth season but really makes his mark as the show's new Big Bad in Season 5. In a way, Lalo connects all the intertwining stories of Better Call Saul, as he forces Jimmy to represent him in court. He's out for revenge in Season 6, and odds are he'll be the cause of a lot of blood spilling.
1 Kim Wexler
Kim has come a long way from her single-line debut in Better Call Saul's first episode. Her relationship with Jimmy has, against all odds, grown into a Bonnie & Clyde-esque partnership. For most of the show, she was Jimmy's moral compass, but as of Season 5, she appears to be getting more evil than him.
Those seeds of evil were always there after Kim and Jimmy pulled off a con in Season 2. Season 5 even began revealing more about Kim's past. Watching Kim only becomes frustrating when you realize Rhea Seehorn hasn't been nominated once for her performance. Hopefully, she gets a happy ending in Season 6.
Better Call Saul is set to return for its sixth and final season on April 18, 2022.