With the huge Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul arriving exclusively to Lightbox in February 2015, Alex Casey looks at the disturbing television timeline of cast member Michael McKean.//
Playing Saul Goodman’s brother Chuck in Lightbox’s much-anticipated Better Call Saul is by no means the first big television role for Michael McKean. In fact, one glance through his IMDB profile will reveal his ripe history of television appearances playing gross characters. We don’t know what the character of Chuck McGill will be like, but if his past appearances are anything to go by, he could well be a bit of a d-bag. Let us look through Michael McKean’s impressively scummy history:
Smallville
Character: Perry White
Description: A fallen-from-grace journalist now clawing at every alien-based tabloid story he can get, drunkard Perry White spots Clark doing Superman stunts late one night. Determined to expose him, he devises a foolproof scheme to jump into Saunders Gorge and hope to be saved by the man himself.
Scumbag rating: 7/10. When he jumped into that gorge Clark’s powers were going through a weak phase, aka he not only nearly killed himself – but Superman too. What a scumbag.
Homeland
Character: Judge Jeffrey Turner
Description: McKean plays your classic corrupt judge with a chequered past in S1E2. In his first onscreen role with someone called Saul, Judge Turner orders for dodgy illegal surveillance of the Brody home. Issuing dodgy surveillance orders? Point of order your honour, I judge this Judge pervy!
Scumbag rating: Due to surveillance being the hot topic of the year, I give it a 8/10.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Character: Fred Sandow
Description: In S13E13, entitled “Father’s Shadow”, McKean plays a sleazy reality TV producer who sexually assaults a woman who auditioned for him. He also has a scumbag son who, defending his Dad to the bitter end, takes some hostages in return for his father’s innocence.
Scumbag Rating: Obviously 10/10 terribleness, no explanation needed.
Boston Legal
Character: Dwight Biddle
Description: In S2E7, McKean plays an adulterous husband undergoing divorce proceedings. If you thought the cheating was bad enough, what if I told you that he cheated on her with a cow… This bestiality scuzz rating is off the charts!
Scumbag rating: Vomit/10. Step away from that bottle of milk good sir.
The X-Files
Character: Morris Fletcher
Description: Morris appears for four episodes as the casual comms guy for Area 51, and is described on the X Files Wiki as a “sleazy man in black”. He does whatever he can to keep Area 51 out of the press, including setting up a young theatre actor as Saddam Hussein to distract the general public.
Scumbag rating: 5/10, it’s pretty bad of you to deny us of all the cool alien news we deserve mate. Plus good job on the Saddam thing yeah that went real well.
