8 Amazing TV Characters That Were Only Supposed To Appear In One Episode

It's difficult to rank the bald white dudes of the Breaking Bad universe, but it goes without saying that lovable fixer Mike Ehrmantraut would be right up there in one of the top spots.

Showing up for the first time at the very end of Season 2, Mike quickly became the beating heart of the show: the hitman with a heart of gold who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty, but still retained something of a moral compass. He was the family man that Walt masqueraded as. Mike was good at his work but he didn't enjoy it; it was all to give the people he loved a comfortable life.

Unfathomably though, his breakout run on the show for the next three seasons and his leading role in acclaimed spin-off Better Call Saul almost didn't happen, as Mike was initially included only as a solution to a production problem.

In his debut, he's needed to help Jesse after Jesse's girlfriend Jane dies via a gruesome overdose. Initially, it was supposed to be Saul Goodman who'd come to the rescue, but scheduling conflicts with actor Bob Odenkirk meant he wasn't available.

Drafting in a replacement, Johnathan Banks was brought in as new character Mike for the solitary scene, and impressed so much that he became a vital player in Season 3 and beyond.