Better Call Saul is set six years before the events of Breaking Bad, and shows Jimmy McGill's journey from a struggling small-time con man to the lawyer that he would eventually become.

Several characters from Breaking Bad appear in Better Call Saul, and the show contains some excellent moments of foreshadowing the events to come. This writing strategy effectively connects Better Call Saul to the Breaking Bad universe despite the two shows having extremely different tones most of the time. Better Call Saul is a legal drama crossed with a mafia-style story, centering on a dangerous cartel. It's hard to imagine Saul Goodman being played by anybody other than Bob Odenkirk, but another Better Call Saul actor was also up for the role, and he does not appear in Breaking Bad.

Michael McKean Was Considered For The Role Of Saul Goodman In Breaking Bad

Chuck McGill Is Jimmy's Polar Opposite in Better Call Saul

Alan Sepinwall’s book Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill: The Complete Critical Companion to Better Call Saul is a full analysis of the hit TV show, and contains interviews with the cast and crew, who divulged some interesting revelations. One of the most fascinating is that Breaking Bad's Saul Goodman was almost played by another actor. Michael McKean was considered for the role, and he went on to play the brother of Jimmy McGill in Better Call Saul. The character is Jimmy's polar opposite, and a minor antagonist.

Chuck is everything that Jimmy isn't, and he acts as a foil to Jimmy's plans.

The major antagonists in Better Call Saul are dangerous cartel . That said, for half of the show, the biggest problem facing Jimmy was the continued betrayal by his brother. Chuck McGill is a superstar lawyer, and he cannot see the potential in Jimmy, taking his decision to become a lawyer as a personal insult. Chuck is rigid, self-righteous, and manipulates the law, while Jimmy is excellent at finding loopholes and thinking creatively. Chuck is everything that Jimmy isn't, and he acts as a foil to Jimmy's plans. This strained relationship makes Better Call Saul even better than Breaking Bad.

Michael McKean Was So Good As Jimmy's Brother, It Makes Sense He Was Almost Saul

Both Bob Odenkirk And Michael McKean Have Similar Backgrounds In Acting

Jimmy and Chuck are both extremely knowledgeable about the law, but Chuck works within it to his advantage, while Jimmy bends the rules. The conflict between the characters ranges from brotherly teasing to outright sabotage, and this gives us a glimpse into how McKean could have played Saul. McKean's performance as Jimmy's brother is so good that it is clear that he would have been great as Saul. Still, the show would have been very different. It is likely that McKean's Saul would have been more sinister and corrupt, as opposed to Odenkirk's flashy and mischievous version.

Both Bob Odenkirk and Michael McKean were nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for their roles in Better Call Saul.

Just as the brothers shared similar experiences in childhood, including the loss of their parents, both Bob Odenkirk and Michael McKean have had similar acting career trajectories. Both began their careers in comedy, with Odenkirk writing for Saturday Night Live before acting in comedy shows like The Larry Sanders Show, and McKean appearing in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley, which gave him his career break. But like Jimmy and Chuck, the two actors have had different career paths, with McKean taking on a variety of roles before Chuck, while Odenkirk's major break came through playing Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad.

Bob Odenkirk And Michael McKean's Chemistry Made Better Call Saul Even Better

Better Call Saul Could Not Have Worked If The Two Actors Had Swapped Roles

There are some fascinating villains in Better Call Saul, but Chuck is not a villain in the same way as the Salamanca family. His complex nature and his chemistry with Jimmy makes their relationship one of the most compelling in Better Call Saul. The two alternated between love and hatred, and over the first three seasons of Better Call Saul, one of the biggest questions was whether Chuck's love or hate would win. The chemistry between the actors made the show even better, as the characters were truly believable as brothers, right up to Chuck's final letter to Jimmy.

Part of what makes Saul Goodman so compelling as a character is his likability. Despite being a morally gray character, he gets away with being outrageous because he can be charming and clever at the same time, winning over viewers. If Michael McKean had played Saul as a drier and more serious character, he would have been harder to root for, while Odenkirk's Chuck would likely have been the default "good guy." This dynamic would have taken much of the tension out of Better Call Saul, and Jimmy would not have had such a perfect antagonist to play off.

Source: Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill: The Complete Critical Companion to Better Call Saul by Alan Sepinwall