Fancast/Recast - Better Call Saul as Laverne and Shirley or Better Call Saul: As a Sitcom
So, for the fancast/recast challenge, I wanted to take the characters from Better Call Saul and reimagine them in Laverne and Shirley! It also kinda comes across like Better Call Saul as a romantic sitcom!
Synopsis: So, for anyone that doesn't know, Better Call Saul is the prequel and spin-off to Breaking Bad. Laverne & Shirley is a spin-off of Happy Days. Both shows are set before the present day at the time of release. Better Call Saul is set in the early 2000s with some scenes set earlier than that. Laverne and Shirley was set in the 50s and was on television beginning in 1976. Laverne and Shirley follows two women who live together and work together, as well as their neighbors Lenny and Squiggy who live in the same building and work at the same place as Laverne and Shirley. There's relationships and other characters, establishing the 1950s world of the show, but Laverne, Shirley, Lenny, and Squiggy are your main ones.
Characters and picspams!
Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) takes over the role of Lenny Kosnowski (Michael McKean)
Character Descriptions and Analysis: On Laverne and Shirley, Lenny lives with Squiggy, his best friend. In my version, this will be adapted with Jimmy living with his brother, Chuck McGill. I would play up the idea how Lenny is so in love with Laverne, and how that is mirrored in how Jimmy is with Kim in Better Call Saul. The relationship is more requited in Better Call Saul, but the development in Laverne and Shirley has a similar feeling and makes me love both relationships just as much.
Lenny is one half of a band with his brother, and the scene where Jimmy and Chuck sing together in Better Call Saul influenced this casting decision. Lenny is a character who comes across as this neighbor who's supposed to be kind of unwanted, but not as unwanted as Squiggy, but over the course of the show, you realize how sweet he is and how that plays into his relationship with Laverne. Jimmy is similar, but in a reverse order, since he starts being sweeter and a character I feel for and want to protect, and ends up becoming Saul Goodman.
Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) takes over the role of Laverne DeFazio (Penny Marshall)
Character Description and Analysis: Like Kim, Laverne is a strong and independent character, who wants to save herself. In Better Call Saul, Kim tells Jimmy 'I save me' similarly to how Laverne does not accept Lenny's proposal when she thinks she might be pregnant and he stands up to help her raise the child. This character feels like the natural choice to portray Laverne in this reimagining, especially in connection to her relationship with the character I chose to represent Lenny. Laverne is a fun and sometimes more rebellious character than Shirley, but she still has a moral compass and does not always want to go along with schemes. Kim, similarly, is open to schemes and cons, but is very centered in her own identity and knows when something goes to far, and knows when to call out Jimmy for taking anything too far.
Chuck McGill (Michael McKean) takes over the role of Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman (David Lander)
The decision to put Chuck McGill as Squiggy comes mostly from the idea of Jimmy and Chuck living together as brothers, with Jimmy continuing to take care of his brother like he does in Better Call Saul, but with more of a comedic tone. Squiggy is Lenny's roommate, and the more unwanted of the two when it comes to Laverne and Shirley. He comes into scenes when characters mention that nobody would be stupid enough to (fill in the blank with anything). Chuck is such a serious character, but there is potential for him to be the roommate who needs to be somewhat taken care of by a best friend, or in this case, a brother. I also think casting Michael McKean's Better Call Saul counterpart as the character opposite Lenny, who Michael McKean portrayed in the original show adds an interesting dimension to this reboot.
Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) is Shirley Feeney aka Laverne's best friend and roommate. They live together and both work at the same place, which can be true at certain times in the series for Howard and Kim. Howard is a character we are supposed to dislike, but realize he really does care for those around him, especially Jimmy, and this rings true for Shirley, who at times feels completely annoyed by her neighbors, but in the end realizes they are her family. Howard might seem like a strange choice for this part, but he seems the closest to Kim and actively wants to build a closer relationship with Jimmy.
Episode Description:
Episode 1: When Kim and Howard Hamlin (her roommate) end up rivals on the same case, they must make sure not to bring work home with them. Meanwhile, Jimmy tries to ask Kim out, but being a good brother to Chuck, he cannot find the time to ask Kim this important question. Howard discovers his own interest in Kim's friend, and possibly more, and tries to ask him out on a date, but is constantly misread as trying to strike up a law rivalry. Jimmy ends up in a love triangle between Kim and Howard, and doesn't even know it. Chuck, after being away from his firm for so long, wants to be back in the action, but knows it isn't right for his mental health. Instead, he takes up performing acousitc and acapella music in their apartment. Maybe he will have the courage to sing in front of Jimmy again one day, and possibly duet like they did once before.
Episode 2: When Howard wants to host a sophisticated dinner party, Kim invites Jimmy and Chuck without consulting with her roommate and co-host. At first, Howard is unhappy with the surprise and having to accommodate Chuck's special diet and technology aversions, after spending a night together, he realizes just how pleasent the group can be together. Everything always returns to status quo on this show, but these friendships might be getting that much closer to being family. Jimmy ends up public defender for someone Kim went to high school with, and decides to learn more about her past relationship with Howard, and he is surprised at what he finds.
Synopsis: So, for anyone that doesn't know, Better Call Saul is the prequel and spin-off to Breaking Bad. Laverne & Shirley is a spin-off of Happy Days. Both shows are set before the present day at the time of release. Better Call Saul is set in the early 2000s with some scenes set earlier than that. Laverne and Shirley was set in the 50s and was on television beginning in 1976. Laverne and Shirley follows two women who live together and work together, as well as their neighbors Lenny and Squiggy who live in the same building and work at the same place as Laverne and Shirley. There's relationships and other characters, establishing the 1950s world of the show, but Laverne, Shirley, Lenny, and Squiggy are your main ones.
Characters and picspams!
Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) takes over the role of Lenny Kosnowski (Michael McKean)
Character Descriptions and Analysis: On Laverne and Shirley, Lenny lives with Squiggy, his best friend. In my version, this will be adapted with Jimmy living with his brother, Chuck McGill. I would play up the idea how Lenny is so in love with Laverne, and how that is mirrored in how Jimmy is with Kim in Better Call Saul. The relationship is more requited in Better Call Saul, but the development in Laverne and Shirley has a similar feeling and makes me love both relationships just as much.
Lenny is one half of a band with his brother, and the scene where Jimmy and Chuck sing together in Better Call Saul influenced this casting decision. Lenny is a character who comes across as this neighbor who's supposed to be kind of unwanted, but not as unwanted as Squiggy, but over the course of the show, you realize how sweet he is and how that plays into his relationship with Laverne. Jimmy is similar, but in a reverse order, since he starts being sweeter and a character I feel for and want to protect, and ends up becoming Saul Goodman.
Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) takes over the role of Laverne DeFazio (Penny Marshall)
Character Description and Analysis: Like Kim, Laverne is a strong and independent character, who wants to save herself. In Better Call Saul, Kim tells Jimmy 'I save me' similarly to how Laverne does not accept Lenny's proposal when she thinks she might be pregnant and he stands up to help her raise the child. This character feels like the natural choice to portray Laverne in this reimagining, especially in connection to her relationship with the character I chose to represent Lenny. Laverne is a fun and sometimes more rebellious character than Shirley, but she still has a moral compass and does not always want to go along with schemes. Kim, similarly, is open to schemes and cons, but is very centered in her own identity and knows when something goes to far, and knows when to call out Jimmy for taking anything too far.
Chuck McGill (Michael McKean) takes over the role of Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman (David Lander)
The decision to put Chuck McGill as Squiggy comes mostly from the idea of Jimmy and Chuck living together as brothers, with Jimmy continuing to take care of his brother like he does in Better Call Saul, but with more of a comedic tone. Squiggy is Lenny's roommate, and the more unwanted of the two when it comes to Laverne and Shirley. He comes into scenes when characters mention that nobody would be stupid enough to (fill in the blank with anything). Chuck is such a serious character, but there is potential for him to be the roommate who needs to be somewhat taken care of by a best friend, or in this case, a brother. I also think casting Michael McKean's Better Call Saul counterpart as the character opposite Lenny, who Michael McKean portrayed in the original show adds an interesting dimension to this reboot.
Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) is Shirley Feeney aka Laverne's best friend and roommate. They live together and both work at the same place, which can be true at certain times in the series for Howard and Kim. Howard is a character we are supposed to dislike, but realize he really does care for those around him, especially Jimmy, and this rings true for Shirley, who at times feels completely annoyed by her neighbors, but in the end realizes they are her family. Howard might seem like a strange choice for this part, but he seems the closest to Kim and actively wants to build a closer relationship with Jimmy.
Episode Description:
Episode 1: When Kim and Howard Hamlin (her roommate) end up rivals on the same case, they must make sure not to bring work home with them. Meanwhile, Jimmy tries to ask Kim out, but being a good brother to Chuck, he cannot find the time to ask Kim this important question. Howard discovers his own interest in Kim's friend, and possibly more, and tries to ask him out on a date, but is constantly misread as trying to strike up a law rivalry. Jimmy ends up in a love triangle between Kim and Howard, and doesn't even know it. Chuck, after being away from his firm for so long, wants to be back in the action, but knows it isn't right for his mental health. Instead, he takes up performing acousitc and acapella music in their apartment. Maybe he will have the courage to sing in front of Jimmy again one day, and possibly duet like they did once before.
Episode 2: When Howard wants to host a sophisticated dinner party, Kim invites Jimmy and Chuck without consulting with her roommate and co-host. At first, Howard is unhappy with the surprise and having to accommodate Chuck's special diet and technology aversions, after spending a night together, he realizes just how pleasent the group can be together. Everything always returns to status quo on this show, but these friendships might be getting that much closer to being family. Jimmy ends up public defender for someone Kim went to high school with, and decides to learn more about her past relationship with Howard, and he is surprised at what he finds.