Better Call Saul Recasts Pivotal Character Ahead Of Final Season

A new teaser for the final season of Better Call Saul has hinted at a pivotal character, only this character has been officially recast.

By James Brizuela | Published

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When it comes to television shows and films, there are occasions in which characters have to be unfortunately recast. The original actors are likely retired, working in another state or country, or obligated to their contracts that won’t allow them to work on another show entirely. Contract obligations are what has happened to a minor yet major character ahead of the final season of Better Call Saul. Fans might remember the cab driver named Jeff that recognizes Gene aka Saul, in the flash-forward episode which shows Saul’s life post Breaking Bad. Audio and the confrontation of this was played over the weekend, only Jeff now looks different. You can see the teaser below:

Clearly, this means that even though Jeff had been a minor character in those instances where he recognized Saul, he might have more to do with the plot than people initially thought. He has recognized Saul, who is now on the run after the fallout from Breaking Bad, so he might have to be disposed of. Either way, fans are going to be a bit surprised that they are seeing a new man entirely. The character had originally been played by Don Harvey, but he has now been replaced by Pat Healy. Harvey was busy appearing on the HBO series, We Own This City, so he could not make it back to reprise his role in Better Call Saul.

Fans have been piecing together what they think is going to happen in Better Call Saul Season 6, and that oddly has to do with the title sequence and the moments where it becomes black and white. Those moments have been getting longer with each season. We know that the black and white scenes show Saul in his life post-Breaking Bad. He is now Gene Takavic, but not else is known about what has become of him apart from working at Cinnabon. The sixth and final season is meant to connect the dots to what happened after the events of Saul’s dealing with Heisenberg. We could be seeing some additional Gene episodes, especially with the new teaser showing Gene awkwardly having to deal with the new Jeff. This is the final season, and it would be perfect to see where Saul aka Gene is now.

The final season of Better Call Saul begins on July 11th, and Vince Gillan has truly outdone himself by building this entire universe dedicated to Breaking Bad and the characters within that universe. Breaking Bad is arguably the greatest show ever created, and we have seen only Jesse Pinkman and Walter reprise their roles in the El Camino: A Breaking Bad Story film. Now, they are both set to appear in the final season of Better Call Saul.

With Jeff recognizing Saul, this could mean Gene Takavic’s life is now in danger. The idea of disappearing is to start a brand-new life elsewhere. Saul enacted this at the end of Breaking Bad, and so did Jesse Pinkman at the end of El Camino. However, disappearing can go messed up quite quickly if someone recognizes you from your old life, and if there is a substantial reward if you are found. Gene might have to get rid of Jeff, or so it seems. We are more than excited to see what happens in the final season of Better Call Saul.