After Better Call Saul concluded on August 15th of 2022, fans have been debating if it was able to sur its predecessor: Breaking Bad. While the two shows both have very high highs in the story, it's even more interesting to share the casts.
The Better Call Saul cast is full of familiar faces like Gus Fring, Mike Ehrmantraut, and the titular Saul Goodman. However, there are plenty of other characters who were never part of Breaking Bad at all. The Better Call Saul characters who are original to the show are, interestingly, some of the best characters in the entire cast.
Cliff
When Saul still went by Jimmy McGill, his Sandpiper case that he and Chuck brought to HHM ended up being brought to Davis & Main. Through Sandpiper, Jimmy ended up with a job under partner Cliff Main.
Cliff Main was one of the more moral characters in the Breaking Bad universe, but he also perfectly fit the stereotype of an older lawyer with a nice firm. He was always very "no nonsense," and unfortunately became a pawn in what was arguably Kim and Saul's most heinous plan: the character assassination of Howard Hamlin.
Mrs. Nguyen
Mrs. Nguyen was the owner of the nail salon where Jimmy McGill first set up his independent law practice. For the most part, she was very harsh on Jimmy and his antics while adding a bit of comic relief with her exaggerated insults.
While Mrs. Nguyen spent most of her time making fun of Jimmy, they did have one heartfelt moment in the series that left an impression with many viewers. Mrs. Nguyen gave Jimmy tips on how to apologize to his wife, offering him a bottle of alcohol as a parting gift. Sadly, the two didn't go out on a kind note.
Werner
Werner was a German man hired by Gustavo Fring and Mike Ehrmantraut to create the meth superlab that was eventually used by Walter White and Jesse Pinkman for their operations.
Werner's relationship with Mike cemented the former police officer as one of the best deuteragonists in television. While the character allowed audiences to see a new side of Mike, he also had interesting parallels to Walter White. Both were incredibly talented men of science whose rogue actions became too detrimental for Mike and Gus to continue working with them.
Stacey
Stacey is Mike's daughter-in-law and the mother of Kaylee Ehrmantraut. She is one of the key people, Kaylee included, for whom Mike entered his partnership with Gustavo Fring.
Stacey's tragic shared loss with her father-in-law is a vital aspect of the early seasons of Better Call Saul. She's also integral to the Mike-centered episode that many view as one of the best in all of Better Call Saul: "Five-O." While Stacey always did her best to keep Mike on the straight and narrow, his love for her and Kaylee proved to be his undoing.
Schweikart
Richard Schweikart was Kim's former boss and the original defendant for Sandpiper in Jimmy's class action lawsuit against the retirement home. Throughout much of the middle of the series, he helped Kim with Mesa Verde.
Schweikart proved to be one of the most skilled lawyers in the series, and like many of the other lawyers, was constantly at odds with Jimmy. While Schweikart originally had nothing against Kim's partner, he became more and more frustrated with Jimmy as he delved deeper into his Saul Goodman persona.
Chuck
Chuck McGill is the older brother of Jimmy McGiil and one of the main inspirations for Jimmy to become a lawyer in the first place. His electromagnetic hypersensitivity stood out as one of the key conflicts in the early era of Better Call Saul.
Ultimately, Chuck was the main antagonist of the first few seasons. Sadly, Chuck and Jimmy were enemies until the moment of Chuck's death and neither brother got the chance to reconcile. While Chuck's prediction of what would become of Jimmy with a law degree was hauntingly accurate, it could be said to be a self-fulfilling prophecy due to how Chuck treated Jimmy.
Lalo
Lalo Salamanca is arguably one of the best villains in the Breaking Bad franchise, and he lasted far longer than anyone could have predicted. Ultimately, he became the main antagonist of the second half of Better Call Saul.
While he may not have been quite as influential as Gus Fring was throughout the course of the series, Lalo was the Salamanca family at their most terrifying. Not only did Lalo properly integrate Saul and Kim into cartel affairs, but he also led to the demise of multiple major characters. Few villains can match what Lalo Salamanca did.
Howard
Towards the beginning of Better Call Saul, Howard Hamlin was meant to be seen as the primary antagonist and foil to Jimmy. However, there turned out to be far more to Howard than audiences got at first glance.
Not only did Howard want to hire Jimmy, but he gave him another chance to work at HHM and turn his life back onto a normal road. Sadly, it was too late for Jimmy/Saul by the time that Howard's offer rolled around. Despite his goodwill, Howard was dealt a horrible hand by the majority of the cast and was subjected to a fate that he certainly didn't deserve.
Nacho
Ignacio "Nacho" Varga was one of the main characters of Better Call Saul; the cartel ally ended up being a critical part of the entire Breaking Bad universe after his dealings with Hector Salamanca.
Not only was Hector's paralysis Nacho's doing, but he ended up nearly completely undoing the Salamanca family in the season 5 finale. Sadly, Nacho's dealings with the cartel ended up getting him into more trouble than he'd prepared for. Not only was he unwilling to handle the danger it presented to his father, but he also was ultimately not totally above the cartel.
Kim
Attorney Kim Wexler shared the role of deuteragonist with Mike for most of Better Call Saul, but it's safe to say that by the end she was solidly the second most important character in the series.
Kim wasn't just one of the hardest working characters in the series, she was also the only person as skilled as Jimmy at conning people. Sometimes, Kim's plans at scamming or manipulation worked out even better than Jimmy's did. It goes without saying that Kim was one of the best-written and most talented characters in the Breaking Bad universe.