Great writing, interesting characters and compelling performances have made Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul a very watchable (if a little slow-burning) show in its own right, but it was inevitable from the moment it was commissioned that a big part of the appeal would be those sweet, sweet cameos.
We’ve seen more than a few familiar faces in the first two series, and (spoilers incoming) we already know that big, bad Gus Fring makes his Better Call Saul debut in the imminent season three, but the big question remains: will we ever see Walter White?
It’s worth remembering that ’Saul is a prequel, so while Jimmy McGill is well on his way to becoming the sleazy, corrupt lawyer we all know and love, at this point on the Breaking Bad timeline Walt’s chemistry lessons are very much by the book and for all we know he doesn’t even own a hat.
Still, that won’t stop fans from willing Vince Gilligan and co. to somehow write the legendary character into their current show. Good news, then, that Bryan Cranston has been filmed hanging out on the series three set, right?!
Don’t get too excited. Cranston definitely does appear in AMC’s recently released behind-the-scenes video (roughly the 2:42 mark), trolling fans about a surprise roll as a “geriatric patient”, but it’s made abundantly clear that he’ll play absolutely no part in this season.
The actor was actually in Albuquerque as part of his book’s promotional tour, so he made sure to drop in to see old friends on the set. He won’t be appearing in Better Call Saul right now, but that doesn’t mean you should rule it out altogether. Cranston has made no secret of the fact that he’s a huge fan of the show, and has gone on record saying he’d be “all in” if Gilligan made the call. Better Call Saul faces a delicate balancing act when it comes to cameos; if you’re going to bring the main man in it has to be for more than fan service.
Luckily, the show has some of the best writers in the business, who have probably already entertained that very predicament.
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Better Call Saul season three premieres on Netflix in the UK on Tuesday April 11th.
[Main image: AMC/WeGotThisCovered/YouTube]
Matt Tate is a freelance journalist and contributor at for Shortlist. Formerly Stuff Magazine’s news editor and based in the UK, he’s been writing about consumer tech for around eight years, with a particular focus on gaming.
For his sins, Matt is a huge Tottenham Hotspur fan and unfortunately spends a lot of his time scanning his published work for Spurs-related digs that may have been slyly inserted by editors. Otherwise, he’s often buying Lego sets he can no longer accommodate and trying to perfect his carbonara recipe. He can be found tweeting (mostly about football and video games) at @MattWTate.