Saul Goodman's best Breaking Bad moments

Better Call Saul is coming to our screens as a Netflix Original series, and we couldn't be more excited. Saul Goodman - played by the fantastic Bob Odenkirk - was one of our favourite characters in Breaking Bad, always there with a witty one-liner when Walt and Jesse weren't giving us much to laugh at.

But Saul is more than just the show's comic relief. He has depth, and while we wait for Better Call Saul to land, here are some of our favourite Saul moments from Breaking Bad:

1. Those adverts

Our first sight of Saul Goodman is in his brilliantly sleazy TV advertisement. It's the ultimate parody of every low-rent, local access ad you've ever seen, complete with patriotic music, bad acting and even worse green screen. They're so ludicrous you could almost believe they were real.

The adverts become a recurring theme (in the show and Breaking Bad webisodes), but they don't paint the whole picture of Saul, who is not quite the budget attorney he makes himself out to be.

2. First impressions

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If you pay attention, you learn everything you need to know about Saul from his first appearance in the flesh on Breaking Bad. Saul is called in to get Badger off after diminutive Detective Getz busts him for selling meth.

The lawyer quickly puts both of them in their place, firing off a barrage of jokes and one-liners while making his absolute control of the situation unspeakably clear.

He might not look like much, but when he promises "the best criminal defence that money can buy", he isn't blowing steam.

3. Dying in the desert

In case his professional demeanour isn't proof enough, Saul is quick to prove that he can keep a cool head under duress.

When a masked Jesse and Walt kidnap the lawyer and hold him at gunpoint in the desert, Saul proves that under the greasy exterior he is hard as nails. In short order, he has the two in his pocket (along with two dollar bills for attorney-client privilege) and that's where would-be drug lords stay.

4. Wise words

"If you're committed enough, you can make any story work. I once told a woman I was Kevin Costner, and it worked because I believed it."

Saul frequently plays the voice of wisdom, with his own brand of guru-like advice for Walt and Jesse. The line above - on the power of committing fully to your story - is one of our favourites.

5. Charming Skyler

Well, at least he gives it a good go. His first meeting with Walter White's long-suffering wife is a rare moment when Saul is put firmly in his place.

Saul is used to being in control. He's the expert in dirty legal dealings, so when he speaks, Walt and Jesse tend to listen, but Skyler turns out to be quite a different matter.

"Clearly his taste in women is the same as his taste in lawyers: only the very best, with just the right amount of dirt." His chosen line is met with a stony silence, giving us one of the few times that Saul lets his uncertainty show.

6. Saul vs Jesse

Saul tends to stay composed, in his own unique way, so we guiltily enjoyed watching him kicked about by Jesse. It's one of the few times when the lawyer clearly loses control of the situation, and things escalate very, very quickly.

Despite the on-screen drubbing his character receives, Odenkirk has spoken about how fun it was to shoot.

"I love doing fake fighting. I'm incredibly, deeply amused by pretending to have a physical confrontation and fake blood on your face," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm 50 years old, and it's my job. And it's just wonderful that that's where I find myself occasionally."

7. Saul the celebrity

Saul is many things to many people - partner, advisor, even saviour to those in the worst kind of trouble.

But, judging by Walt Jr's face when he and Mr Goodman finally cross paths, the lawyer is that famous guy from the TV, and he is suitably impressed. This is even more hilarious, knowing what we know about the relationship between Saul and Walt Jr's parents.

So, Saul can be happy in the knowledge that at least one person out there enjoyed his adverts.