Why ‘Better Call Saul’ Recast Don Harvey As Cab Driver Jeff

Since Better Call Saul is such a meticulous series, fans were more than a little confused when a major continuity error appeared in Season 6, Episode 10, “Nippy.”

In case you were too busy marveling over Jim O’Heir downing Cinnabons or stressing over Gene pulling yet another high-stakes scheme to notice, we’ll break it down for you. Jeff, the cab driver who Gene trained to steal from a store in the mall, was recast in the show’s final season. Really? Yes really! And there’s a good reason why.

To recap, Better Call Saul first introduced Jeff in the Season 4 premiere when he drove Gene home from the hospital after he fainted at work. Jeff kept glancing back at Gene in the rearview mirror, which led Gene to fear Jeff recognized him as the infamous Saul Goodman. Yikes!

Gene’s fears were realized in the Season 5 premiere, when Jeff cornered him in the mall, told him he knew who he was, and asked him to recite his old catchphrase: “Better Call Saul!” After Gene got made, he called “vacuum” expert Robert Forster in hopes of relocating and starting fresh again elsewhere. But instead of running and hiding, Gene told Forster he’d handle the problem (Jeff!) himself.

In both of those episodes, Jeff was played by actor Don Harvey. But in Season 6, when Gene goes to Jeff’s house to handle the situation, Harvey is no longer playing the character. The role was recast with Pat Healy for the series’ final episodes because of Harvey’s previous commitments.

Earlier this month, Entertainment Weekly reported that Harvey was unable to return to Better Call Saul due to a significant role on the HBO drama We Own This City. The Better Call Saul Instagram fan account, @all_about_saul, first reported that Harvey wouldn’t be reprising his role due to contractual obligations with We Own This City, but the character was recast so the show could move forward with the planned Gene storylines.

Pat Healy, who’s acted alongside Odenkirk before in The Post, starred in the recent Gene-only episode of Better Call Saul, and though he played a significantly less threatening Jeff than Harvey, he delivered a convincing performance that was crucial to the show’s conclusion. It’s unclear if Jeff will appear in the final three episodes of Better Call Saul, considering Gene tried to cut ties with him in Episode 10, but we’re ready for more Healy if need be.