Bob Odenkirk Collapses on 'Better Call Saul' Set

FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2020, file photo, Bob Odenkirk speaks at the AMC's "Better Call Saul" panel during the AMC Networks TCA 2020 Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2020, file photo, Bob Odenkirk speaks at the AMC's "Better Call Saul" panel during the AMC Networks TCA 2020 Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
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Bob Odenkirk Collapses on 'Better Call Saul' Set

FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2020, file photo, Bob Odenkirk speaks at the AMC's "Better Call Saul" panel during the AMC Networks TCA 2020 Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2020, file photo, Bob Odenkirk speaks at the AMC's "Better Call Saul" panel during the AMC Networks TCA 2020 Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)

“Better Call Saul” star Bob Odenkirk collapsed on the show's New Mexico set on Tuesday and had to be hospitalized.

Crew members called an ambulance that took the 58-year-old actor to a hospital, where he remained Tuesday night, a person close to Odenkirk who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter told The Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse, or how long Odenkirk might be hospitalized.

“Better Call Saul,” the spin-off prequel to “Breaking Bad,” has been shooting its sixth and final season, which is set to air on AMC next year.

Like “Breaking Bad,” “Better Call Saul” is set in and mostly shot in Albuquerque.

An email sent to a representative of AMC seeking more information or comment was not immediately returned.

Odenkirk has been nominated for four Emmys for playing the title character, a down-on-his-luck lawyer named Jimmy McGill who becomes increasingly corrupt and adopts the pseudonym Saul Goodman.

Michael McKean, Odenkirk's co-star who played his brother on the show, was among many wishing Odenkirk well on social media.

“Sending huge love to our @mrbobodenkirk,” McKean tweeted. “You got this, brother.”

Odenkirk's hospitalization was first reported by TMZ.

Before the “Saul” role, which he also played on “Breaking Bad,” Odenkirk was best known for “Mr. Show With Bob and David,” the sketch comedy series he co-created with David Cross that originally aired on HBO from 1995 to 1998.

He has won two Emmys, for his writing on “The Ben Stiller Show” and on “Saturday Night Live.”

He has also appeared on HBO's “The Larry Sanders Show” and in the films “The Post,” “Little Women” and “Nobody.”



‘Doctor Who’ Season Finale Surprises Fans with an Exit and a Familiar Face

Ncuti Gatwa poses on the red carpet during the Oscars arrivals at the 96th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 10, 2024. (Reuters)
Ncuti Gatwa poses on the red carpet during the Oscars arrivals at the 96th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 10, 2024. (Reuters)
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‘Doctor Who’ Season Finale Surprises Fans with an Exit and a Familiar Face

Ncuti Gatwa poses on the red carpet during the Oscars arrivals at the 96th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 10, 2024. (Reuters)
Ncuti Gatwa poses on the red carpet during the Oscars arrivals at the 96th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 10, 2024. (Reuters)

A familiar face to “Doctor Who” fans is rejoining the long-running British sci-fi series as Ncuti Gatwa exits the lead role after two seasons.

In Saturday’s season finale, Gatwa’s Time Lord regenerated and fans got a glimpse of Billie Piper, who played the character Rose Tyler for 35 episodes between 2005 and 2013. Tyler was a companion to versions of the doctor played by Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant.

Producers are keeping Piper's new role secret for now.

“Just how and why she is back remains to be seen,” the BBC said in a statement after the finale aired.

“It’s an honor and a hoot to welcome her back to the TARDIS, but quite how and why and who is a story yet to be told,” showrunner Russell T Davies said in a statement.

Piper said “Doctor Who” has provided some of her best memories and she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to come back.

“It’s no secret how much I love this show, and I have always said I would love to return ... but who, how, why and when, you’ll just have to wait and see,” she said.

If Piper does indeed become the Doctor, she would be the third woman to fill the famous shoes.

The Rwanda-born, Scotland-raised Gatwa, 29, was the first Black actor to helm the show, but he wasn’t the first Black Doctor — Jo Martin played “Fugitive Doctor” in several episodes. Gatwa took over the role from Jodie Whittaker in 2023.

Whittaker was the 13th Doctor and the first woman to play the central galaxy-hopping, extraterrestrial Time Lord who regenerates into new bodies, taking over from Peter Capaldi in 2017. Martin was the second woman.

“Doctor Who” first aired from 1963 to 1989 and returned in 2005. In the US, new episodes air on Disney+.