Latest news with #HIMYM
Daily Mirror
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Breaking Bad fans discover little-known secret about Mike's iconic role
A fan favourite character from the hit show Breaking Bad was written to cover for a cast member's absence. The Bryan Cranston-starring show was lauded by critics and the public on its release and is now regarded as one of the best shows in history. The series also featured Bob Odenkirk, Aaron Paul, and Jonathan Banks. Banks, who plays fan favourite Mike Ehrmantraut in both Breaking Bad and the prequel series, Better Call Saul, was brought in for the show's second series, and was never meant to be a main cast member. But the fans loved his work so much during another character's absence that the decision was made to keep him on. Other cast members were also meant to depart the show earlier than expected. Aaron Paul, who portrays Jesse Pinkman in all series and the sequel Netflix movie, was set to leave Breaking Bad after its first series. He was kept on, however, after a series of rewrites. Revisions were also made to cover for Odenkirk's absence, with his lowlife lawyer character, Saul Goodman, absent for a few episodes. In his place, Banks filled in as the enforcer Ehrmantraut, because Odenkirk had obligations to film a different series. His recurring role on How I Met Your Mother clashed with Breaking Bad's shooting schedule. A character was then needed to cover for Odenkirk's absence, and led to the writing of the Mike Ehrmantraut character. A Better Call Saul fan account posted the fact to X, which has since been verified by writers from the show. The post reads: "Writers for Breaking Bad created Mike Ehrmantraut as a substitute for Saul Goodman when Bob Odenkirk was unavailable because of a commitment to appear in How I Met Your Mother." Odenkirk was unavailable for the season two finale episode, and thus a replacement character was brought in. Fans were delighted to realise the origins of Ehrmantraut come from the absence of another beloved character. One user wrote: "IMO, the most interesting character on BB or BCS. I wish there was a series to take us from Mike the policeman to Mike the fixer." Another added: "I love characters who were meant to be one offs due to outstanding circumstances become the fan favourites." A third wrote: "It's funny how such a small twist of fate could have prevented us from seeing what is, in my opinion, one of the greatest characters in TV history." Other fans of the show have praised the unexpected stand-in, and the legendary character it led to. One user wrote: "Best piece of lore I have read in a long time." Another added: "It's probably the best story that came out after the show finished." A third shared: "After that infamous finale, this is literally the only good thing that HIMYM did. Mike Ehrmantraut is one of the best characters in all of television."
Buzz Feed
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
14 Shows That Stayed Perfect Vs. 10 That Flopped
Some shows are perfect. Maybe Schitt's Creek had it right when they said they'd rather quit while they were ahead than overstay their welcome. Cause doesn't it drive you crazy when your favourite show starts going off the deep end? You've spent hours falling in love with the characters, dreaming about the plot, and guessing where it will take you next, only to find out that Barney from HIMYM will undo his entire redemption and revert back to his tired and depressing character arc from season one? (I'm still not over it.) In a recent post, we shared some shows we loved from start to some that majorly fell off with disappointing endings. Then we asked the BuzzFeed Community to let us know what TV series we missed. And I'm here to share all... Let's talk about those "perfect" shows first. "Brooklyn 99 remained perfect throughout the entire story! Every single episode made me laugh out loud at least once!" "Where's Modern Family for being perfect?" "Both MASH and Barney Miller had long runs that were good from beginning to end." "How could you not have The Sopranos, The Wire, or Six Feet Under? OG HBO has almost perfect shows. Also, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is still very funny after like 20 seasons." "The Golden Girls! From the first episode, it only got better." "Buffy the Vampire Slayer was great from the first episode to the last." "Jane the Virgin was a great show beginning to end." "This is Us ran from 2016 to 2022. I have binge-watched many episodes, and it never disappoints." "Everybody Loves Raymond went out at number one and was beloved the whole time it was on." "The Big Bang Theory. Great all the way through." ones that disappointed us: "Sabrina the Teenage Witch. In season five, she had left high school, and suddenly, there were all these new "college friends" characters introduced. Just felt like an entirely different show. Then they awkwardly threw in a romantic reunion with Harvey at the end, which just came out of nowhere..." "Westworld still breaks my heart…had so much potential to be great." "The good thing about Scrubs is that the Season 8 finale serves as a perfect ending for the show. You can just entirely skip Season 9." "That '70s Show! My all-time favorite show, but holy shit, fuck the final season. Even Season 7 was a drag. Whenever I binge-watch the show now, I immediately skip to the finale after finishing Season 7." "If Heroes had been a one-season wonder, it would rightly be recognized as one of the best shows ever. Each subsequent season became progressively worse." "I thought the first two seasons of Ted Lasso and Derry Girls were perfection, but I wasn't a fan of the third season of Derry Girls, and the third season of Ted Lasso was all but unwatchable for me at times." "I love The West Wing, but after Aaron Sorkin left following the fourth season, I only stuck around to see if Josh and Donna would ever get together." "I think I'd add Gossip Girl because the reveal didn't make any sense." "Sons of Anarchy had a great first 3 seasons, but I think Kurt Sutter lost control of some plot lines and left a lot of unanswered stuff on the table." And lastly: "Any show that added a baby or young child to the cast near the end is a show that started well and ended badly." I have a few of my own. I tragically had to stop watching Downton Abbey after the season three finale, because my heart couldn't take it. (If you know, you know.) And a perfect show? To me, that is Search Party. Every season, you tell yourself, "This show can't get any more bonkers." But it never ceases to prove you wrong. Plus, I'm just a girl who loves some murder, stalkers, and MOST OF ALL cults. Pure television magic. In the comments, drop any show titles that you think we're still missing from these lists. And make sure you follow BuzzFeed Canada on TikTok and Instagram for more!
