We wouldn’t have Mike Ehrmantraut and a full appreciation of Jonathan Banks’s gruff and desert-dry charm if not for How I Met Your Mother according to Bob Odenkirk, who revealed that historical Breaking Bad tidbit in a new interview with Rolling Stone.
“I promise you I thought I was up for three episodes of Breaking Bad — well, they wanted me for four, but I could only do three ’cause I was in How I Met Your Mother. They actually added the character of Mike because I couldn’t make that fourth week, and they needed another character to get that information across, so that’s amazing right there.”
It’s always interesting to learn about the creation and unintentional ascent of certain characters. Saul Goodman is a prime example. He was supposed to be a throwaway comic relief character before he wormed his way into our hearts — and Vince Gilligan’s head — to the point where we’re now enjoying weekly glimpses into his surprisingly intriguing origin story on Better Call Saul. Mike is, of course, on that same ride with Goodman, but without him, what would Better Call Saul look like? Would it even exist? Subtract his interactions with Saul, Jesse, and Walt, and Breaking Bad is a vastly different show. Probably a lesser show.
So… thank you, HIMYM for using Bob Odenkirk as Arthur Hobbs. You gave breath to one of Breaking Bad‘s most vital cogs, which in turn created a new timeline that allowed for Better Call Saul to exist as a Breaking Bad spin-off instead of The Inconceivable Adventures of Badger and Skinny Pete.
(Source: Rolling Stone)
