15 Best New TV Characters Of The Decade

16. Honourable Mention: Saul Goodman - Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul

Despite being one of television’s greatest ever protagonists, Walter White’s debut came in 2008, making him ineligible here. Saul Goodman though is almost as brilliant, and didn’t come into the show until it was a couple of years old, so he’d be perfect for this list, right?

Well, sort of.

According to IMDb, Bob Odenkirk’s first episode officially first aired on December 26th, 2009; nine days outside of the cut off. Different outlets have his debut at slightly earlier or later, so an honourable mention feels like the best fit.

Fantastic in every appearance in Breaking Bad, Saul got his own spin off in Better Call Saul, and has gone from strength to strength.

A prequel set before his name was even Saul Goodman (it’s Jimmy McGill here), Better Call Saul challenges the spin off label in every episode. It holds its own even with Breaking Bad, and while it isn’t shy about bringing in characters from the original, it has its own running stories and doesn’t trade on Breaking Bad or Walter White’s name.

Slick, witty, ruthless and complex, Saul might not quite be on Walter White’s level, but he’s a great character in his own right.